The Emergence of Saints
Peter Brown refers to the Christian martyr as the “friend of God” in his book, The Cult of Saints: It’s Function and Rise in Latin Christianity (8). This phrase is perhaps the most succinct demonstration there is for what the saints were to Christians in medieval Europe. Saints and martyrs were the intercessor between man and God, a means of communication and union with the divine, and bore the responsibility of advocating on behalf of mortal man. This role filled a unique place in Christian theology, with prominent figures of the church arguing both for and against the cultural change the saints as figures and their dedicated cults brought. However, the cults and associated practices won out without much difficulty, regardless of any opposition that might have existed in the high places of the Church hierarchy. This is due to the way the saints appealed to common people. The accessibility of the saints and martyrs of early medieval Christianity was revolutionary. Not only did they provide tangible ways of experiencing the seemingly elusive Christian grace, they also provided theological soothing in their powers of intercession and perseverance after death.
The earliest iteration of the cult of saints lies in the simple commemoration of martyrs in Christian communities. The names of such people would be incorporated into liturgy and their tombs became places of gathering where veneration occured. Cults dedicated to specific saints rose out of these practices; the idea of the communion of saints came about as well in the fourth century. This revolved around the belief that the living as well as the dead were connected to God and one another. Around this time, the persecution of Christians decreased, leading to significantly fewer martyrs. This development resulted in a new conception of what it means to be a saint, encompassing those who not only were martyred but lived holy lives. These men and women were petitioned on the behalf of the living, thought to be advocates for man before God. In the early middle ages, the narrative surrounding saints was controlled by the authority of the church more than the people, and they became figures which demonstrated supernatural power rather than examples of Christian life which people might connect to. The cult of saints shifted further throughout the middle ages to require verification of a saints life and miracles. This change brought with it a return to the emphasis of saints as models of Christian behavior.