Women and Christianity: The First Thousand Years

Women & Christianity #1

by Mary T. Malone

Women have enriched and enabled Christianity for more than 2,000 years. In this, the first of three path-breaking volumes, theologian Mary T. Malone situates Christian women in their time and context, thus creating a continuous historical narrative rather than simply a series of vignettes. She uses women's writings and voices as primary sources on almost every page. All women, Christian or otherwise, who seek an understanding of their past will value this unprecedented, comprehensive history of Christian women and their contributions, not only to faith but to civilization.

Genres: Christian, Church History, History, Religion, Feminism

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

This chronicles the women who helped found the Christian church. The attitude towards women and the power plays made against them by theologians, clerics and the Roman culture infiltrating the thinking of these men. Most of the records are writing by men and unfortunately their discomfort with their own sexuality causes deep harms in both the church and the lives of these women.

[Elizabeth Sackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary T. Malone covers a potential span of a little over a thousand years in 247 pages-- and interwoven into these little histories are laments that fluctuate in focus between the lack of concrete contextual information and the lengthy amount of time that further explanation would take. These are impressively not contradictory-- Malone manages to devote a significant amount of time both to compensatory exegesis and to the unfortunate necessity of compensatory exegesis.

In a concise and thorough examination of the unfurling of Christianity with a focus on the often sidelined women of faith, she explores the importance of well-known women within the Christian tradition, makes interesting inferences in regards to lesser-known (but still undoubtedly important) women and highlights the development of many clerical ideas towards women and femininity-- highlighting the implications of attitudes that are "more prescriptive than descriptive" (meaning, for instance, that calls to silence women must have been a response to women insisting on speaking up).

Often snarky, Malone's words seem to drive home the idea that, in several respects, social norms can impact the structure of religion more than the foundation ideas of the religion. Christianity has clearly lost a great deal in its socially-conventional silencing of women, and Malone is clearly bitter--and rightfully so.

[Liz]

Book overview
Women have enriched and enabled Christianity for more than 2,000 years. In this, the first of three path-breaking volumes, theologian Mary T. Malone situates Christian women in their time and context, thus creating a continuous historical narrative rather than simply a series of vignettes. She uses women's writings and voices as primary sources on almost every page. All women, Christian or otherwise, who seek an understanding of their past will value this unprecedented, comprehensive history of Christian women and their contributions, not only to faith but to civilization.

[Debbie Blane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots and lots of information in this book! While not a subject that most people would reach for it is still accessible to a general audience. I am going to be teaching Women and Men in the Bible this coming semester and read it to help me in planning the classes. She has done good research and I appreciate that as using a book for teaching requires substantiating information.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

delve into the depths of women's work and influence, engagement and practice of Christianity. reading women into the narrative as well as highlighting their presence