Early Christian Hagiography in the late 20-early 21 century: Results of the Study and Prospects

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to give an overview of the main trends in the study of Early Christian Martyrdoms of the 2–4 centuries in modern science. The first part enumerates new editions of hagiographic texts. The second part analyzes modern studies that touch upon such topics as the genesis of early Christian martyrdom, psychoanalytic approaches to this phenomenon, the role of martyrdom in the formation of the historical memory of Christians, hagiographic works in the context of Roman spectacles, the Second sophistry and ancient rhetoric, and other methods of studying these texts.