Pilgrims' Steps by Robert Hodum - Book review

Pilgrims' Steps

A Search for Spain's Santiago and an Examination of his Way

By: Robert Hodum

Published: September 13, 2012
Format: Paperback, 206 pages
ISBN-10: 1475940122
ISBN-13: 978-1475940121
Publisher: iUniverse











"The search for the mythic and historical Santiago de Compostela requires a sounding of the legendary depths of his ritual pathway that spans dozens of centuries, numerous cultures, and their various faiths. Countless pilgrims have shared the sacred venue and its parallel star field over the course of millennia", writes specialist in Latin American history and Ibero-American culture and civilization, and walker of the St. James’ pilgrimage route in 2007, Robert Hodum in his engaging and deeply personal book Pilgrims' Steps: A Search for Spain's Santiago and an Examination of his Way. The author provides an examination of both the legendary and the historical circumstances of the complex life and times of the saint known as Santiago of Compostela, the biblical St. James the Greater.

Robert Hodum recognizes that the life of St. James is a blend of the historical with the legendary. While the facts of the historical record may not always be readily available, the mythic aspects of his life add depth and a portal to a rich and diverse cultural history. The author combines the known history of Santiago of Compostela with the countless millennia long reverence for the land and sky of the Galician region of northwestern Spain.

Robert Hodum traces the waves of people who traveled to this fascinating place for thousands of years. For the author, the pilgrimage is so much a part of the human journey and experience that it not only includes St. James and his legend, but transcends him as well, to include all of those whose lives were touched and inspired by the Way,



Robert Hodum (photo left) understands that the pilgrimage to Compostela creates a powerful cultural and sacred mosaic that binds the distant past to the present. The towering figure of St. James the Greater offers a unifying force that ties the uncountable steps of pilgrims beyond count, together in a voyage of the soul.

Robert Hodum pieces together the story of St. James and of Compostela itself from historical and legendary accounts. The result is brilliant portrait of the larger than life character, a Way sacred for all of human history, and a part of ourselves that journeys toward the sacred.

Robert Hodum considers the following aspects of the legendary history of St. James, the human significance of Compostele, and the journey of pilgrims across time and space:

* Jacob Bar Zebedee: The Santiago of Spain
* St. James in the written record
* St. James returns to Hispania
* Stars reveal the tomb and pilgrimage begins
* The Ways through the ages
* His challenge to Rome
* Interpretations of the Santiago cult
* Early man and sacred pathways
* Ancient people in the land of Santiago
* The Way in 21st century Spain

For me, the power of the book is how Robert Hodum combines the various threads of legend and recorded history to provide a complete portrait of St. James the Greater. At the same time, the author places the living man and the entombed saint into the context of their times, as well as the pilgrimage to Compestela from its roots in prehistoric times to its importance in our oown time. Robert Hodum expands the legendary history of St. James beyond the man and the myth, and creates an overarching history that encompasses many thousands of years.

The author explores the significance of a sacred place to humanity of all times, and how place and people are both essential elements in a timeless journey to transcend their own humanity. The author accompanies each of his investigations, whether into the historical or legendary, with his personal reflections on the ideas and discoveries he unearths in his research. The result is a book that offers both insights into St. James, but also into the author himself as he completes his own pilgrimage to Compestela, in search of both universal truths and of himself.

I highly recommend the research based and personally accessible book Pilgrims' Steps: A Search for Spain's Santiago and an Examination of his Way by Robert Hodum, to anyone seeking a thoughtful and human spirit affirming book that transforms the story of Santiago of Compostela into a symbol of humanity's relationship between the earth and sky. This book is a testament to the importance of place and spirituality to people of all times and faiths.