Anonyme - Vies de saints et martyrs - 1608

Rare edition of this collection, typical of 17th-century hagiological compilations that gather biographies of both ancient and contemporary saints, emphasizing their heroic virtues, asceticism, and miracles, while detailing the persecutions endured by martyrs from the early centuries of Christianity to modern times.

Each story is constructed according to a codified narrative scheme: origin and conversion, practice of virtues, trials and persecutions, martyrdom or exemplary death, then cult and posthumous miracles.

The style is sober but decorated with scriptural citations and patristic references, sometimes including marginal notes or comments aimed at authenticating the sources.

Geslin Blanzi, as an editor or compiler, stands out for his concern to gather dispersed texts, to make them uniform, and to present them in a form accessible to the faithful, all while respecting the prior manuscript tradition.

The work demonstrates the importance of hagiography in the religious culture of the 17th century, where the memory of saints and martyrs served as an instrument of spiritual pedagogy, community cohesion, and ecclesiastical legitimacy.

Anonymous - Lives of saints and martyrs - 1608 - Geslin Blanzi
728 + 2 + 664 pages.

Average condition of the binding, the work in its original full brown leather, showing signs of wear and material loss on the spine and edges of the covers, with a damaged spine, missing headbands, the binding tending to detach from the body of the book, rounded corners with losses, wear on the hinges, decorated spine with gilt titling, and gilt motifs on the covers.

Interior condition is good, with freckles and damp spots; the title page is missing; nice banners, beautiful initial capital letter, text in two columns.

Delivery service guaranteed within a few days.