1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910827947803321

Autore

Scott Robert A. <1935->

Titolo

Miracle cures [[electronic resource] ] : saints, pilgrimage, and the healing powers of belief / / Robert A. Scott

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, Calif., : University of California Press, 2010

ISBN

1-282-76401-2

0-520-94620-0

9786612764011

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (267 p.)

Disciplina

231.7/3

Soggetti

Spiritual healing

Healing - Religious aspects - Christianity

Miracles

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- CONTENTS -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Prologue -- 1. Life in the Middle Ages -- 2. Saints -- 3. Apparitions -- 4. Pilgrimage and Shrines -- 5. Disease -- 6. The Role of Stress in Illness -- 7. Belief, Hope, and Healing -- 8. Framing, Confessing, Self-Efficacy, and Healing -- Coda -- Appendix: Accounts of Miracles at Medieval Shrines -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Iconic images of medieval pilgrims, such as Chaucer's making their laborious way to Canterbury, conjure a distant time when faith was the only refuge of the ill and infirm, and thousands traveled great distances to pray for healing. Why, then, in an age of advanced biotechnology and medicine, do millions still go on pilgrimages? Why do journeys to important religious shrines-such as Lourdes, Compostela, Fátima, and Medjugorje-constitute a major industry? In Miracle Cures, Robert A. Scott explores these provocative questions and finds that pilgrimage continues to offer answers for many. Its benefits can range from a demonstrable improvement in health to complete recovery. Using research in biomedical and behavioral science, Scott examines accounts of miracle cures at medieval, early modern, and contemporary shrines. He inquires into the power of relics, apparitions, and the transformative



nature of sacred journeying and shines new light on the roles belief, hope, and emotion can play in healing.