Table of Contents

Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Transliteration and Terminology Introduction: Christianity in Late Antique Iraq and the Legend of Mar Qardagh Maps PART I. THE HISTORY OF MAR QARDAGH IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION, WITH COMMENTARY Introduction to the Text The History of the Heroic Deeds of Mar Qardagh the Victorious Martyr Index of Scriptural Citations PART II. NARRATIVE AND CHRISTIAN HEROISM IN LATE ANTIQUE IRAQ 1. The Church of the East and the Hagiography of the Persian Martyrs 2. "We Rejoice in Your Heroic Deeds!" Christian Heroism and Sasanian Epic Tradition 3. Refuting the Eternity of the Stars: Philosophy between Byzantium and Late Antique Iraq 4. Conversion and the Family in the Acts of the Persian Martyrs 5. Remembering Mar Qardagh: The Origins and Evolution of an East-Syrian Martyr Cult Epilogue: The Festival of Mar Qardagh at Melqi Appendix. The Qardagh Legend and the Chronicle of Arbela Select Bibliography Index Illustrations follow page

About the Author

Joel Thomas Walker teaches in the Department of History at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Reviews

"Walker's impressive command of modern scholarship helps reveal fascinating cultural intersections during Late Antiquity." - Michael G. Morony, author of Iraq after the Muslim Conquest "The Legend of Mar Qardagh is a richly textured narrative, and one that opens up vast spaces barely considered in much of western scholarship." - Susan Ashbrook Harvey, author of Scenting Salvation: Ancient Christianity and the Olfactory Imagination"