Women Mystics in Medieval Europe / Edition 1

by Emilie Zum Brunn, Sheila Hughes, Georgette Epiney-Burgard

Overview

Women Mystics in Medieval Europe revives the exquisite mystical literature of five powerful mystics of the Middle Ages: a Benedictine abbess, a Cistercian prioress, and three Beguines. The lost story of feminine Christianity is here enriched for the first time by the historical context of each woman's life and her fresh literary expression of spiritual reality. Hildegard of Bingen, Hadewijch of Antwerp, Beatrice of Nazareth, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Marguerite Porete were acknowledged handmaidens of God's prophetic spirit. Their teaching, solidly based in theological and metaphysical culture, was even thought superior to that of the scholastic doctors of the time. "Flowing Light of the Godhead," "The Seven Manners of Love," and "The Mirror of Simple Annihilated Souls," written in the vernacular, foreshadowed the works of Meister Eckhart. Ruysbroeck the Admirable, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and many other mystics. In the, clear, vigorous language of these long-suppressed works, readers of today can rediscover the primacy of love and imagination over pure intellect. Women Mystics in Medieval Europe is an important work of reference for Christians and spiritual seekers as well as an inspirational resource for those who aspire to "see without an intermediary what God is."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557781963
Publisher:	Paragon House Publishers
Publication date:	08/01/1998
Edition description:	1st American ed
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.08(w) x 9.14(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

EMILIE ZUM BRUNN was Director of Research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris.Georgette Epiney-Burgard is a specialist in Medieval Dutch literature, language and spirituality.Sheila Hughes taught English language and literature at the British Institute of Rome and Rome University.

Editorial Reviews

In an attempt to relate ``the lost story of feminine Christianity,'' this useful anthology gives annotated excerpts from six influential authors and analyzes social and religious movements as expressions of female spirituality. Hildegard of Bingen, a famed 12th-century abbess, preacher, visionary and a prolific writer, had the sanction of the Church because she wrote in Latin, claimed inspiration from the ``Living Light'' and did not challenge feudal hierarchies. In the next century, however, women mystics who disseminated their works in accessible vernaculars--Dutch, Low German, Flemish and French--caused controversy among the clergy. Their intense lyrical utterances borrowed the language of courtly love and the nuptial imagery of the Song of Songs. Mechthild of Magdeburg, Beatrice of Nazareth, Hadewijch I and II, Marguerite Porete (burned at the stake for her daring) and the Beguines are examined and credited with having developed theories attributed to later, male theologians. Zum Brunn is the author of St. Augustine: Being and Nothingness ; Epiney-Burgard is a freelance writer. Illustrations not seen by PW. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

There seems to be a growing interest in medieval spirituality and, more specifically, feminine Christianity. This succinct yet scholarly introduction to the topic examines the lives of five women mystics (all nuns) and includes selections from their writings--works of unique beauty that at the time were considered heretical but nevertheless influenced later mystics, including Eckhart. Linking Hildegard of Bingen, a Benedictine, to the Beguines is a transcendent view of life and the soul. This view, a major theme of the work, emphasizes self-awareness, freedom, union with God, and the primacy of love--a transmutation of 12th-century courtly love. Provocative biography and theology.-- Carol J. Lichtenberg, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman

Library Journal