Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages

Supernatural events and miracles are very common in

medieval lierature. Many of these miracles were used for common

purposes, which were to provide examples of an ideal Christian

way of life and promote conversion to Christianity. They do

this by writing about miracles that punished people who acted

improperly, miracles that took place to reward Christians for

doing good deeds, showing extreme and persistent faith, or for

those who were leading moral lives. Some examples of medieval

literature that contain miracles which serve this purpose are

Saint Augustine's Confessions, MacMullen's Christianity and

Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries, HillGarth's

Christianity and Paganism, 350-750, Bede's Ecclesiastical

History of the English People, Gregory of Tours' History of the

Franks, and in the works of Saint Boniface.

Saint Augustine's work includes a miracle that took place

because a man begged his admission to god. This man was blind

and had heard of people who were "...vexed by impure spirits and

were healed..." (165). He immediately asked his guide to being

him to the place were this was happening, which w

due to true belief in Christianity. MacMullen also wrote of

words, people would often convert for selfish reasons, in order

eyesight. This miracle was included to show the benefits of

catalog) took place when a youth was said to have been entered

describes the roles of miracles himself when he wrote that they

theology, only for relief of what ailed them" (125). In other

superior organization and its moral teachings, rather than its

of people standing around him weeping. During his flirttion

Some common words found in the essay are:
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