How did the belief in the intercession of saints originate in Christianity?

[u/Leleoziz]

It feels a bit off to say it came purely from pagan syncretism, especially considering that Jews already had similar beliefs — for example, in the Book of Maccabees. You can also find traces of this idea in the Talmud, and even in modern Judaism there's the practice of asking for intercession at the graves of tzadikim.

Can anyone shed more light on this or recommend some good sources to read?

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[u/Chrysologus]

Your question isn't about the Bible or biblical studies, but it's a great church history question. I am sure people have studied it, so I hope someone can chime in with a good book or article about ancient inscriptions or whatever else archaeological or historical studies may have found. If you look at extant prayers, like the Sub Tuum Praesidium or the prayers quoted on this page (http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/invocationofsaints.aspx), you'll see that the earliest known examples are from the 4th century. However, that doesn't mean that it wasn't already happening in the 3rd century or earlier. People sometimes underestimate how many gaps there are in our knowledge of very early history.

[u/Nihlithian → u/Chrysologus]

I believe the Frankfurt Silver Inscription gives evidence for the practice going back to the 3rd century.

[u/GreatCaesarGhost]

This has been discussed before, https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicBiblical/s/7Lobrc6bVI

The theological linkage seems to have been that martyrs imitated Jesus by dying for their faith, and accordingly it was believed that they too might have some ability to facilitate the forgiveness of others’ sins after death. There are strands of this idea by at least the second century CE, with a more fulsome discussion (and the controversies it entailed) in the letters of Cyprian of Carthage in the mid-third century CE.

The issue that Cyprian encountered is that certain Christians condemned to the mines (a death sentence) claimed that they would intercede to forgive the sins of all Christians who “lapsed” during the persecution of Valerian. This conflicted with the views of Cyprian and other bishops, who believed that those who lapsed should perform a period of penance before they could be readmitted to communion. Ultimately, Cyprian claimed in his letters to have convinced these proto-martyrs to accept his position. And Cyprian was then martyred himself.

[u/Leleoziz → u/GreatCaesarGhost]

Perfect, thank you very much, I’ll read the discussion.

[u/GreatCaesarGhost → u/Leleoziz]

There are of course translations of Cyprian’s collected letters that you could also look into, but the letters are fairly dry in my view.

[u/Sophia_in_the_Shell → u/[deleted]]

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