On Christian Dying: Classic and Contemporary Texts

On Christian Dying gathers original texts from the great saints and teachers of the Christian tradition to present 2000 years of theological wisdom on death and dying. Matthew Levering mines the best of classical thought with selections that offer both ancient and contemporary Christians as models for understanding. He includes writings from Ignatius of Antioch, the Venerable Bede, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Thomas More, John Henry Newman, and Dorothy Day among others. This volume explores the questions: What is a good death? How can we live life to prepare for it? What happens to those who have died? What is martyrdom? How should a Christian understand death in light of Christ’s cross? How are those who have died related to the living?