Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch

Throughout this book, Parker's analysis of fascinating texts is supported by her concise and insightful overviews of existing scholarship, as well as her knowledge of the region's archaeology. One of the book's greatest strengths is its balance between the specific and the general: Symeon the Younger's monastery was grounded in its own particular disputes and personalities, while also being embedded in the broader political, socio-economic and religious developments of the period. * Jaclyn Maxwell, Journal of Hellenic Studies *
Lucy Parker deals with difficult and involved concepts in clear, comprehensible prose, free of jargon. She does not lean on theories, banging square pegs into round holes, or on potentially inappropriate approaches borrowed from other disciplines. She starts with the textual evidence and brings forward more evidence to explain its peculiarities and salient features. Parker has written a novel book that comprehensively surveys the topic and its problems and blazes new trails toward understanding it. But she has also written a sturdy book that will stand the test of time and remain the principal work on Symeon Stylites the Younger for the foreseeable future. * Benjamin Garstad, Medieval Review *
Lucy Parker's book explores the hagiography, writings, cult, and public perception of a saint....Throughout the book, Parker shows her solid historical workings. Her careful close reading of the evidence is convincing. She engages with the existing scholarship, identifying its weaknesses, but always acknowledging its merits. She carefully weighs the arguments and proposes the solutions with caution. Her insights into the functions of Symeon's and his mother's literary images and the challenges their cults had to face are compelling. * Robert Wiśniewski, Early Medieval Europe *