Customer Reviews

Best intro to the study of holy fools - By: Mr. A. J. Thomas, 22 Jun 2008
This book is quite simply the best introduction to the study of holy fools. It takes you from the first stories that pop upin the Eastern Mediterranean of late antiquity, gives you some philosophico-religious background, & takes you right up to the present phenomenain the Orthodox churches, as well as setting you up to find out more about parallelsin other religions.

Holy fools were basically monks that hid their holiness by pretending to be mad, but the tradition of course mutates through time. Probably the most important transformation takes place between Symeon (mid 6th century) & Andrew (eighth or eleventh century?!). Here the holy fool loses a lot of monastic features, is more readily identifiable, takes disciples, & begins to speak prophetically & apocalyptically. Probably the book's main weakness is its passing over this transitionin silence, & the (consequent) vague definition of what qualifies as a holy fool.

But overall, extremely well researched, within depth knowledge of ancient theology & philosophy as well as mediaeval & modern society. It's also a good read, & that more than makes up for minor oversights as regards approach & method.