Catholic writer and activist, Dorothy Day, is more well known than some of the previous women I have touched on but her life is worth addressing. She truly embodied hospitality to all people and most importantly to the poorest of the poor. One of the ways that she cared for the working poor was through … Continue reading Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Marguerite Porete 1248-1310
Marguerite Porete was a French beguine who did not “behave herself” and thus made history. I mentioned her briefly in a previous post on Beguines for she is one of the more well known figures from that women’s movement. Her life tragically ended by fire as she was burned at the stake in Paris on … Continue reading Marguerite Porete 1248-1310
Women in the Letters of Boniface: By Sam Dubbelman
St. Bonifice (c. 675-754 CE) is remembered today as a missionary and a martyr. He is remembered (along with St. Martin of Tours) for cutting down "pagan" holy trees to prove the superiority of the Christian God. But, The letters of Boniface also give us a unique view into the various roles women played in English … Continue reading Women in the Letters of Boniface: By Sam Dubbelman
Other Voices
In honor of Women’s History Month, it seemed fitting to highlight a book series dedicated to reviving the voices of women in Early Modern Europe (c. 1400-1700) entitled Other Voices in Early Modern Europe. The editors Margaret L. King and Albert Rabil Jr. started in 1996 with the humble intention of chronicling around a dozen female figures … Continue reading Other Voices
Mary Magdalene: Prostitute or Apostle
The four canonical gospels identify Mary Magdalene as the first witness to the resurrection. And yet, later Christian tradition comes to primarily identify this Mary as a reformed prostitute. In the Medieval church there were even women religious orders named after Mary Magdalene that consisted of former prostitutes turned nuns. How did Mary the … Continue reading Mary Magdalene: Prostitute or Apostle
Julia E Smith 1792-1886
It is unlikely that you have ever heard Julia E. Smith referred to as one of the great American Bible translators. Why is this the case? She was the first (and only?) woman to translate the entire Bible. Why has a woman who without any assistance made five translations of the Bible from Hebrew, Greek … Continue reading Julia E Smith 1792-1886
Feminism Unfinished
Three women scholars recently joined forces to tell the story of the feminism movement in the USA from the 1920s until the present era. Their collaborative efforts produced Feminism Unfinished (2014) and their message may be even more important now then it was two years ago. The 2016 election clearly evidenced that sexism is still alive and well … Continue reading Feminism Unfinished
Jarena Lee (1783-185?)
Have you heard of Jarena Lee? She was the first African American woman to write an autobiography and the first black woman preacher. In this blog I want to give an overview of her story and record the powerful rationale she gave for why women should be able to preach just like men. Jarena tells … Continue reading Jarena Lee (1783-185?)
The He/She debate of Gen. 3:15 [Guest Post, by Sam Dubbelman]
Do women have an equal and at times leading role in the way Christians tell the story of redemption? Or, are women subordinated to an inferior and at times even antagonistic role in the way Christians relay the story of God's conquest of evil? Martin Luther spoke of Genesis 3:15 as the first gospel. In … Continue reading The He/She debate of Gen. 3:15 [Guest Post, by Sam Dubbelman]
The Beguines
The orgins of the Beguines (and their name) is somewhat of a mystery, but there is no doubt that this women's movement arose in the twelfth to thirteenth century during a time of great division between the laity and clergy. These women started to pop up in Belgium, France, Germany and Northern Italy either individually … Continue reading The Beguines
