Book Review: In Her Words

 Information about the book

Amy Oden, ed. In Her Words: Women's Writings in the History of Christian Thought. Abingdon Press. Nashville. 1994. (Cokesbury / Amazon)

Summary

From the Amazon description: In Her Words illustrates the contributions made to contemporary Christian theology by the increasing number of female theologians. Oden compiles selections from the writings of major female theologians from the early church through the present. The older selections have been translated into modern English. Each selection is accompanied by a brief introduction outlining its historical and theological context. Selections from the early church include Perpetua, The Martyrdom of Crispina, The Martyrdom of Agape, Irene, and Chione; from the monastic and middle period are Clare of Assisi, Hildegard of Bingen, Leoba, Julian of Norwich, and Catherine of Siena; and post-1500 C.E. include Teresa of Avila, Jane de Chantal, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Georgia Harkness.

Impressions

I enjoyed this book. I read it in conjunction with the class Women Speak of God (reviewed on the blog).  The editor, Amy Oden, has assembled selected readings from or about 36 different women from Mary Magdalene (100s) through Georgia Harkness (1947).  The readings are arranged chronologically, and this helps the reader see the development of Christian thought throughout the two centuries - an excellent arrangement.

The Women Speak of God class focused on six of the women from the book.  There were times when the book's selection was longer than what we read in class, so when I wanted to know more of what a particular woman wrote, I could go to the book. This was helpful. I also enjoyed expanding the course to cover more than the six woman that was its focus. I recommend reading the book as a standalone or in conjunction with the class.

Note: I wish a Kindle version had been available, purely for transportation purposes.

Posts about book

Oden Words