Images Of The Feminine In Gnosticism (Studies In Antiquity & Christianity)

Images of the Feminine in Gnosticism (Studies in Antiquity & Christianity)

Review" An extremely important collection."-Fred W. Burnett, Religious Studies Review, July 2001. (Fred W. Burnett Religious Studies Review)"Many congratulations should be extended to the scholars whose research and motivation contributed to this fine volume."-Donna K. Wallace, RBL Review. (Donna K. Wallace)" An extremely important collection."-Fred W. Burnett, Religious Studies Review, July 2001. (Sanford Lakoff Religious Studies Review)"Many congratulations should be extended to the scholars whose research and motivation contributed to this fine volume."-Donna K. Wallace, RBL Review. (Sanford Lakoff)In this groundbreaking collection of essays, King and other contributors engage in a systematic study of issues of gender in Gnosticism. Using a variety of critical methods, the writers ask questions such as: What is the relationship of gendered images to the real lives of women and men? Did ascetic or libertine practices offer an attractive alternative to women in a patriarchal society? Are the images of strong, female goddesses, saviors, and heroines an indication Gnosticism would have been attractive to women? Is it plausible that women in some gnostic groups were authors, teachers, and leaders? Is it possible that some of the Gnostic texts we possess were written by women? What parts did women play in ritual? Did asceticism or libertinism have a different set of social functions for women than for men? These lucid essays offer significant insights into the cultural context and religious practices of Gnosticism.About the AuthorKaren L. King is Professor of Religious Studies at Occidental College, Los Angeles. She is the editor of Images of the Feminine in Gnosticism (Fortress Press, 1998).