ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the cult of St James associated with the apostles’ hand at the abbey of Reading in England. Through a study of the content and context of production of “The miracles of the hand of St James”, a collection of miracle stories of the late 12th century, documenting almost 30 miracles that happened in the reign of Henry II, the chapter illustrates the continuing but fluctuating importance of St James and the monks of Reading Abbey to the Angevin dynasty’s status in England during a period of political transition and centralization. It shows how royal institutions such as the newly revived Exchequer and Reading Abbey drew upon biblical idioms of administration, accountability, and the service of the ruler’s peace, each to justify their particular roles as local mediators of royal power.
