TY - JOUR
T1 - Negotiated sanctity
T2 - Incorruption, community, and medical expertise
AU - Bouley, Bradford
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - The incorruption of a saint's body became a key miracle for Counter-Reformation saints, as it signaled their connection to God and therefore the correctness of the Catholic faith. Most canonized and many prospective saints in the seventeenth century were subjected to a posthumous medical examination. Competing local factors affected the process, including popular support for the prospective saint, the involvement of ecclesiastical and secular authorities, and the strength of the medical community. In the end, the attempt to make the miracle of incorruption a matter of medical opinion resulted in a negotiated truth about the state of the body.
AB - The incorruption of a saint's body became a key miracle for Counter-Reformation saints, as it signaled their connection to God and therefore the correctness of the Catholic faith. Most canonized and many prospective saints in the seventeenth century were subjected to a posthumous medical examination. Competing local factors affected the process, including popular support for the prospective saint, the involvement of ecclesiastical and secular authorities, and the strength of the medical community. In the end, the attempt to make the miracle of incorruption a matter of medical opinion resulted in a negotiated truth about the state of the body.
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U2 - 10.1353/cat.2016.0056
DO - 10.1353/cat.2016.0056
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84969174985
SN - 0008-8080
VL - 102
SP - 1
EP - 25
JO - Catholic Historical Review
JF - Catholic Historical Review
IS - 1
ER -