Christian Mummification: An Interpretative History of the Preservation of Saints, Martyrs and Others

by Ken Jeremiah

In some respects, dead bodies were historically despised. They were a source of disease. They were symbols of the inevitability of death - a constant reminder that life is short and will soon come to an end.

The bodies of the deceased, on display in temples or smeared across a canvas, are a constant reminder of the inevitability of death. They occupy a position in the transient realm between life and death. It is for this reason that many look at mummies as a way out-a means of escaping death itself.

Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348-c. 413) once exclaimed, "How full Rome is with buried saints and how rich the city's soil with sacred graves!"