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A hagiography 〔from the Greek ; ''hagiographia'', from , ''(h)agios'', "holy" or "saint" and , ''graphein'', "to write"〕 is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader. Christian hagiographies focus on the lives, and notably the miracles of men and women canonized by the Roman Catholic church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Church of the East. Other religions such as Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism also create and maintain hagiographical texts (such as the Sikh Janamsakhis) concerning saints, gurus and other individuals believed to be imbued with sacred power. Hagiographic works, particularly those of the Middle Ages, can often incorporate a valuable record of institutional and local history, and evidence of popular cults, customs, and traditions.〔Davies, S. (2008). ''Archive and manuscripts: contents and use: using the sources'' (3rd ed.). Aberystwyth, UK: Department of Information Studies, Aberystwyth University. p. 5.20. ISBN 978-1-906214-15-9〕 However, when referring to modern, non-ecclesiastical works, the term ''hagiography'' is often used as a pejorative reference to biographies and histories whose authors are perceived to be uncritical or reverential to their subject. == Development == Hagiography constituted an important literary genre in the early Christian church, providing some informational history along with the more inspirational stories and legend. A hagiographic account of an individual saint can constitute a ''vita'' or biography, a description of the saint's deeds and/or miracles, or an account of the saint's martyrdom (a ''passio'') - or be a combination of these. The genre of lives of the saints first came into being in the Roman Empire as legends about Christian martyrs were recorded. The dates of their deaths formed the basis of martyrologies. In the 4th century, there were three main types of catalogs of lives of the saints: *annual calendar catalogue, or ''menaion'' (in Greek, , ''menaion'' means "monthly" (adj, neut), lit. "lunar"), biographies of the saints to be read at sermons ; *''synaxarion'' ("something that collects"; Greek , from , ''synaxis'' i.e. "gathering", "collection", "compilation"), or a short version of lives of the saints, arranged by dates; *''paterikon'' ("that of the Fathers"; Greek ; in Greek and Latin, ''pater'' means "father"), or biography of the specific saints, chosen by the catalog compiler. In Western Europe hagiography was one of the more important vehicles for the study of inspirational history during the Middle Ages. The ''Golden Legend'' of Jacob de Voragine compiled a great deal of medieval hagiographic material, with a strong emphasis on miracle tales. Lives were often written to promote the cult of local or national states, and in particular to develop pilgrimages to visit relics. The bronze Gniezno Doors of Gniezno Cathedral in Poland are the only Romanesque doors in Europe to feature the life of a saint. The life of Saint Adalbert of Prague, who is buried in the cathedral, is shown in 18 scenes, probably based on a lost illuminated copy of one of his Lives. The Bollandist Society continues the study, academic assembly, appraisal and publication of materials relating to the lives of Christian saints. (See ''Acta Sanctorum''.) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hagiography」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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