Hagiography, Historiography, and Identity in Sixth-Century Gaul

Tamar Rotman specializes in late antique and early medieval history. Her research focuses on the role of hagiography and the cults of saints in the identity discourse of the early Middle Ages, giving special attention to the transmission of knowledge and cultural practices in the Mediterranean sphere. She is a Fulbright and a Rothschild scholar and a visiting scholar at Columbia University.

• List of Abbreviations Acknowledgments \ Introduction The Cults of Saints Gregory of Tours and his WorkEast and West The Aims of this Study 1. Gregory of Tours The Life of Gregory of ToursGregory of Tours and his SaintsMartin of ToursJulian of BrioudeVita PatrumThe Glory of the ConfessorsThe Glory of the MartyrsAutohagiographyConclusion 2. 'When the Saints Go Marching In': Eastern Saints in Merovingian GaulThe Italian EvidenceThe Eastern Evidence: Glory of the MartyrsPolycarpThe Seven Sleepers of EphesusThe Forty Martyrs of SebasteSergiusCosmas and DamianPhocasDomitius George Isidore Polyeuctus The Eastern Evidence: Glory of the ConfessorsConclusion: The Dissemination of the Cults of Saints 3. The Miraculous History of Gregory of ToursLibri Miraculorum RevisitedGregory of Tours’s Literary ApproachGregory of Tours’s Historiographical PerceptionFrom Hagiography to Ecclesiasticcal History A Brief History of 'Ecclesiastical History' Historiographical and Literary Context 4. 'By Romans They Refer To…' (Romanos Enim Vocitant): History, Hagiography, and IdentityWhose History Is It Anyway? Gallo-Christian Identity Gaul vs. Spain Gaul vs. the East Hagiography and Identity The Martyrologium Hieronymianum Conclusion Bibliography Index

"[...] this is a readable and rather enjoyable book which does indeed succeed in getting us to think about Gregory afresh." - Paul Fouracre, The Medieval Review, June 2022 "[...] there is much to commend in Rotman’s innovations and nuanced reassessments; they should help instruct how scholars may better approach the corpus of the bishop of Tours henceforth." - Allen E. Jones, Journal of Early Christian Studies, Vol. 30, No. 3 ''Hagiography, historiography, and Gregory of Tours are all subjects that have attracted a good deal of attention since 1960: the concept of identity has come to the fore rather more recently, above all since 2000. Tamar Rotman has something to add to the four areas of discussion.'' - Ian Wood, University of Leeds, Early Medieval Europe, 2023, Vol. 31, No. 2 "Rotman’s study performs a vital service in demonstrating that Gregory’s second great literary project was no less deliberate and profound than the Historiae. For this reason, and for its many insights into the connections between Merovingian Francia and the wider Mediterranean, it is necessary reading for all scholars of Gregory and his milieu." - Gregory Halfond, Speculum, vol 98, no 3, July 2023 ''Rotman’s book is both interesting and challenging. Its argument is innovative and carefully crafted, directing our attention to problematic and unexplained elements in Gregory’s oeuvre and signaling assumptions about genre and categorization that historians can unwittingly bring to the table.'' - Isabel Moreira, Studies in Late Antiquity, Winter 2023 ''...Rotman’s book opens the door to further developments in scholarship on Gregory and the role of hagiography in historical study''.-Erica Buchberger, Church History Journal , June 2023