The publisher and the University of California Press Foundation gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature. Cult of the Dead Cult of the Dead a brief history of christianity Kyle Smith university of california press University of California Press Oakland, California © 2022 by Kyle Smith Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Smith, Kyle, author. Title: Cult of the dead : a brief history of Christianity / Kyle Smith. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: lccn 2021060187 (print) | lccn 2021060188 (ebook) | isbn 9780520345164 (hardback) | isbn 9780520975712 (ebook) Subjects: lcsh: Christian saints—Cult—History. | Christian martyrs— Cult—History. | Death—Religious aspects—History. | Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600. Classification: lcc bx2333 .s65 2022 (print) | lcc bx2333 (ebook) | ddc 235/.2—dc23/eng/20220128 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021060187 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021060188 Manufactured in the United States of America 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Dom Bertolph The past is never dead. It’s not even past. william faulkner, Requiem for a Nun