Tamar Rotman’s book makes a big claim: that Gregory of Tours intended three of his hagiographical works to be read in sequence as an “ecclesiastical history.” Traditionally, Gregory of Tours’s hagiographical works have been grouped together as essentially collections of stories about saints and their miracles. Rotman sets aside three of these works as having specific purposes related to Gregory’s career and authority as bishop of Tours: the passion and virtues of the holy martyr Julian (Liber de passione et virtutibus sancti Iuliani martyris), the four books of the virtues of Saint Martin (Libri de virtutibus sancti Martini episcopi), and the martyrdom of the seven holy sleepers of Ephesus (Passio sanctorum septem dormientium apud Ephesum). This leaves the three books that are the focus of Rotman’s study. These she views as having been largely ignored or cherry-picked by scholars so far and asks us...

You do not currently have access to this content.