Cult of the Dead: A Brief History of Christianity

by Kyle Smith

A cultural history of how Christianity was born from its martyrs.
 
Though it promises eternal life, Christianity was forged in death. Christianity is built upon the legacies of the apostles and martyrs who chose to die rather than renounce the name of their lord. In this innovative cultural history, Kyle Smith shows how a devotion to death has shaped Christianity for two thousand years.
 
For centuries, Christians have cared for their saints, curating their deaths as examples of holiness. Martyrs’ stories, lurid legends of torture, have been told and retold, translated and rewritten. Martyrs’ bones are alive in the world, relics pulsing with wonder. Martyrs’ shrines are still visited by pilgrims, many in search of a miracle. Martyrs have even shaped the Christian conception of time, with each day of the year celebrating the death of a saint. From Roman antiquity to the present, by way of medieval England and the Protestant Reformation, Cult of the Dead tells the fascinating story of how the world’s most widespread religion is steeped in the memory of its martyrs.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History

384 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2022

About the author

Kyle Smith is associate professor and director of the History of Religions program in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto. His research focuses primarily on the history of Christianity in Roman Mesopotamia and Sasanian Persia, with a particular emphasis on the fourth through sixth centuries. He is the author or co-author of five books about Christian saints and martyrs and is currently working on a new biography of St. Nicholas.

Reviews

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

this was an excellent and well-researched overview of the cultural history of christian martyrdom with respect to the sociopolitical formation of the church. this was pretty dense and jam-packed with information - so it took awhile to finish - but i think it was an incredibly worthwhile read.

[D. Leek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adequate and enjoyable introductory overview of the developmental history of Christianity. Not burdened with an academic apparatus (a failing for which Smith compensates with an extensive section on further reading) the book makes for an easy and enjoyable read. Ancient historians might find some fault with Smith's characterisation of the cult of the martyr as a new invention, repulsive to the ancients due to the relationship between the grave and the martyr. Many ancient heroic cults would beg to differ. Nevertheless, equiped with an extensive bibliography this book is clearly well researched and definitely worth the read for those interested in the topic.

[Matt Schmalzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, quick read on the role of martyrdom and martyrs in the history of Christian thought, practice, and culture. Like any good general history, the subject matter is clearly and divertingly dispatched, with plenty of illuminating examples thrown in for good measure. Despite the perhaps morbid or dour appearance of the subject matter, this book often has a rollicking feel as the author gives us a sense of the weird and wonderful that so often grew up alongside the staid and the serious in premodern Christendom. My only quibble is of an editorial nature - I wish this book was longer. The narrative gives a brief account of Catholic v. Anglican wrangling in the early days of the Reformation and then quickly wraps up. It would have been interesting to follow the author's thesis further into the age of the great missionary activities of the Catholic empires of France and Spain (was the cult of the martyrs utilized effectively as a missionary tool?) and from thence even to more modern times. Alas, one has to draw the line someplace, and where Mr Smith has drawn it leaves the general reader informed and entertained.

[Yan Castaldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is super interesting and informative at its best but at its not so best it literally just reads like a list of martyrs without making any larger claims which like isn’t inherently bad but sometimes does make ur attention waver

[Jazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading a lot of fiction lately, and I felt the need for a knowledgeable palate cleanser in between my next bout of escapism.
I had the urge for something grim and gory – so I thought, yeah, the history of Christianity will surely scratch that itch.

Cult of the Dead: A Brief History of Christianity was less a history on Christianity, but more the history of Christian martyrs and saints and how this martyrdom has influenced Christian history and culture. It sheds light on how this belief system has developed and sustained itself through time, particularly through powerful stories of suffering, sacrifice and death. Death and suffering are the cornerstone of Christianity.

Smith is the director of the History of Religions program in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto, so you knew this was going to be impeccably researched and it was. He doesn’t approach the subject of Christian martyrdom through a lens of faith, rather taking a more academic perspective.
This is neither and anti-Christian book, nor a pro-Christian book, Smith takes a detached view on the subject, without judgement. As someone who is a non believer but who is also incredibly fascinated by history and religion I found his style incredibly engaging.
He frequently calls attention to how unreliable many martyrdom stories are, and how these stories of martyrs and saints were often crafted, embellished or entirely fabricated to serve the church and its purpose.

Personally, I look at religion less of “history” and more of narrative and memory that has been passed down through generations.
There are 4 Gospels. The official line of the church is that each of the gospel writers have a personal connection to Jesus, although they were written many generations after the supposed death of Jesus and not at all by the men named to have authored these gospels.
It’s interesting how society continues to be crafted around these, essentially story tales, from thousands of years ago, written by men for the advantage of men – despite their many numerous inconsistencies.
It was grimly fascinating, it didn’t quite scratch that gore itch, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Diane Jeske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smith examines the ways in which death, in particular the death of martyrs, has shaped the history of Christianity and the experience of believers. Saints' feast days structure the Catholic calendar, sites of martyrdom provide destinations for pilgrimages, and relics act as sacred objects. And, of course, the entire Christian religion stems from the horrific death of a 1st century Jewish man, with the crucifix, a tool of torture, acting as its primary symbol.

This book is interesting, and I would particularly recommend it for those unfamiliar with the role of martyrs and death in the Christian tradition. However, the title led me to expect more analysis of Christianity as a cult obsessed with death, perhaps by drawing analogies with other death cults. But that is probably my fault for reading too much into a title.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a promisingly gory start this settled down into a more traditionally popular academic treatise. The reverence for and role of the dead — particularly saints and martyrs - and how they came to be understood in different eras ties together this history of Christianity. I think I was more in the mood for the gore, but despite this, this unique angle on the evolution of Christianity certainly kept my attention.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

while I was definitely lacking a lot of background knowledge on Christianity (which caused me to have a hard time remembering names), this was a super interesting book to read, as I've always found theology and history of world religions to be really fascinating!

[ManGar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book that provides perspectives on the concept of sainthood and its role in supporting the faithful during times of trial from ancient times to the present.

[Tonybe787 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry at times due to the authors background as an academic writer. Fascinating nonetheless, with marvelous illustrations. Recommend.

[Gilbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

A professor who intellectualizes experiences. An outsider of Christianity? He certainly writes as if he was. Lots of jabs against practices of venerating the saints.
I don’t recommend.

[violeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOMB

Very well thought out, specially the part of the martyrs

[Pandaduh · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Was not what I thought it was. Reviewing what I did read.

[James Ragen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read :)