Beverly Mayne Kienzle

Women preachers and prophets through two millennia of Christianity

For nearly two millennia, despite repeated prohibitions, Christian women have preached. Some have preached in official settings; others have found alternative routes for expression. Prophecy, teaching, writing, and song have all filled a broad definition of preaching. This anthology, with essays by an international group of scholars from several disciplines, investigates the diverse voices of Christian women who claimed the authority to preach and prophesy. The contributors examine the centuries of arguments, grounded in Pauline injunctions, against womens public speech and the different ways women from the early years of the church through the twentieth century have nonetheless exercised religious leadership in their communities. Some of them based their authority solely on divine inspiration; others were authorized by independent-minded communities; a few were even recognized by the church hierarchy. With its lively accounts of women preachers and prophets in the Christian tradition, this exceptionally well-documented collection will interest scholars and general readers alike.

Preaching, Heresy, and the Writing of Female Hagiography

The vitae of saints often depict them as models of orthodox piety who stand in opposition to the beliefs and practices of dissidents. Jacques de Vitry established the model for the high middle ages with the vita of Marie d’Oignies, and Pope Gregory IX, upon the canonization of Anthony of Padua (1232), proclaimed the benefit of saints’ lives for fighting heresy (Guarnieri 2004, pp. 72–81; Benvenuti 1980, pp. 87–117; Benvenuti 1990, pp. 61–2). Here, we investigate whether some penitent women emerge as opponents of heresy not only by their example but also through their words and even their preaching. Furthermore, we analyze how biographers grapple with the public voice of their subjects. The women considered here are as follows: Umiliana dei Cerchi (1219–1246), Rose of Viterbo (1235–1252), Angela of Foligno (c. 1248–1309), and Clare of Rimini (c. 1266—c.1324–1329). Material from the vita of Clare of Montefalco (c. 1268–1308) also provides perspective on Angela’s milieu. We shall explore the language the hagiographers employ to describe the women’s voices and their positions vis-a-vis heresy.1

Intertextuality in Hildegard’s Works: Ezekiel and the Claim to Prophetic Authority

Hildegard of Bingens opera demonstrate a remarkable organic unity in thought and language, such that the analysis of intertextuality charting various words, concepts, images, and related themes across the magistra s works help in comprehending her entire allegorical universe. This chapter explores Hildegards interpretation of Ezekiel in various works where she draws on the prophets book to develop her imagery and theology. It first considers Hildegards use of Ezekiels words to enhance her claim to prophetic authority. Next it explores the magistra s exegesis of two key passages in the prophets book: the four creatures, and the wheels within which the creatures appear. Patristic exegetes unraveled the significance of the four animals and the wheels, and the chapter examines which aspects of Hildegards exegesis have precedent in patristic commentators. Finally, it investigates how these Hildegardian motifs relate to the images highlighted in 12th-century visual culture, notably in manuscript illuminations of the book of Ezekiel. Keywords: 12th-century visual culture; Bingen; Ezekiel; Hildegard; intertextuality; magistra ; opera ; patristic exegesis; prophetic authority