Sunday, August 23, 2020

Consolino & Herrin, The Early Middle Ages (Bible and Women series)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:
The Early Middle Ages
Franca Ela Consolino (Editor), Judith Herrin (Editor)

ISBN 9781589835757
Status Available
Price: $59.00
Binding Paperback
Publication Date July 2020
Pages 420

Examine the creative, profound dialogue between medieval women and biblical traditions

The latest volume in the Bible and Women series examines the relationship between women and the Bible’s reception during the early Middle Ages (500–1100 CE) in both the Greek East and the Latin West. Essays focus on interactions between women and the Bible through biblical precepts on women and for women, biblical women as the subjects of action or objects of discussion, and writings by women that refer to the Bible as a moral authority. The women discussed in the volume range from the well-known—including the nuns Kassia in Byzantium and Hrosvita in the West; the aristocrat Dhuoda, author of a moral guide for her son; Gisela, the sister of Charlemagne and abbess of Chelles; and her niece Rotrude—to those who remain anonymous. Contributions also explore how the Old and New Testaments exercised influence on emerging Islam.

Features:
  • Analysis of images of the Virgin Mary as a means of tracing the spread of her cult and feast days from East to West
  • Exploration of the significance of classical culture for medieval women who composed poems for a Christian audience
  • Evaluation of art as a means of establishing devotional relationships not necessarily mediated by the voices of preachers or the reading of texts
The volume focuses on Christian women and Christian reception, but it includes an article by Martha Himmelfarb on "The Virgin Mary and Ancient Jewish Literature."

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