The Cursed and the Holy Body: Burning Corpses in the Middle Ages.

The article discusses the practice of burning corpses in the Middle Ages, with a particular focus on the relationship between the bodies of heretics and saints. According to the author, the burning of heretics originated with mob violence rather than an organized system of punishment designed by clergy or heads of state. Topics discussed include Biblical and hagiographical allusions to burning, pagan laws and rituals, and relics.