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Philip D. Noble

Autor/a de The Watkins Dictionary of Saints

2 obres 28 Membres 1 crítiques

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Inclou el nom: Revd. Philip D Noble

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Good things sometimes can be found in strange places.

Ordinarily one would expect a book about saints -- even one the relies where possible on modern research rather than tradition -- to come from a Catholic or Orthodox author. Not this one; Philip D. Noble is "Rector, Evangelist of St Ninian's Episcopal Church in Prestwick, Scotland" and has been involved in "the Charismatic and Spiritual renewal movements...."

I'll admit that, had I read that description before buying the book, I might not have bought it. But I needn't have worried. This certainly isn't the most authoritative reference for saints in existence, but it isn't too crazy, either.

The one thing is is not is definitive. Each entry starts with a few basic facts, if known: Feast day, date and place of birth, date and place of death. A short biography follows. This may include anything from Biblical data to pure hearsay. What you can be sure of is that it won't exhaust you with its length. Even the greatest saints take up less than a page. Peter is a good example. The entry is only seven paragraphs long. It summarizes Peter's activities as told in the New Testament, from his joining Jesus to his part in the Council of Jerusalem to his escape from Herod Agrippa. Then, with no indication at all that we are shifting from Biblical account to legend, it says that he went to Rome and was crucified upside down after the famous "Quo Vadis" scene.

This lack of sourcing is the bad news. The good is that, by keeping the entries short and undocumented, the book manages to include a lot of interesting and peculiar saints. The idea of readings capsule biographies of saints had never occurred to me (who wants to read endless accounts of self-important do-gooders who deservedly get killed and then have their left-over body parts credited with miracles that probably did not happen?), but if you really need to find out about, let's say, St. Simon Stylites and his pillar-sitting, this can be an easy place to start.
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waltzmn | Feb 25, 2014 |

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2
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28
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#471,397
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3.2
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1
ISBN
3