Sisters in Arms: Catholic Nuns Through Two Millennia

By Jo Ann Kay McNamara

Book Overview

Spanning two thousand years of Christian religious women's quest for spiritual and vocational fulfillment, Sisters in Arms is the first definitive history of Catholic nuns in the Western world. Unfolding century by century, this epic drama encompasses every period from the dawn of Christianity to the present.

History has until recently minimized the role of nuns over the centuries. In this volume, their rich lives, their work, and their importance to the Church are finally acknowledged. Jo Ann Kay McNamara introduces us to women scholars, mystics, artists, political activists, healers, and teachers--individuals whose religious vocation enabled them to pursue goals beyond traditional gender roles. They range from Thecla, the legendary companion of Paul, who baptized herself in preparation for facing the lions in the Roman arena, to Hildegard of Bingen, whose visions unlocked her extraordinary talents for music, medicine, and moral teaching in the twelfth century. They also include Sister Mary Theresa Kane, who stood before the pope--and an American television audience-in 1979 and urged him to consider the ordination of women.

By entering the convent, McNamara shows, nuns gained a community that allowed them to evolve spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally; but the convent was never a perfect refuge. Women's struggles continued against the male church hierarchy, the broader lay community, and the larger cultural and historical forces of change.

The history of nuns is an important part of the larger story of western women whose gender provoked resistance to their claims to autonomy and power. As we enter the third millennium, this groundbreaking work pays fitting tribute to the sisters who have labored with prayer and service for two thousand years, who have struggled to achieve greater recognition and authority, and who have forged opportunities for all women while holding true to the teachings of the Gospel.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674809858
• ISBN13: 9780674809857
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 768 Pages
• Weight: 2.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Women in Action

2,000 years of women's contributions (specifically nuns) within Christianity are covered in 644 pages. It is not an easy task or even plausible to cover every single detail, but McNamara did a great job in portraying a wide spectrum of experiences. Whenever we look at the history of any subject, one book is never enough. But Sisters in Arms is a definitive book that should be included by anyone interested in the history of women within Christianity. Both the good and the bad come out in this book; there is no battle over the sexes in this book. Women are portrayed from different parts of the world with different experiences. It is amazing and inspiring to see the obstacles in the way of these women and how they dealt with them. It is an insult to claim that talking about the horrors of history is only a person whining with no reason (No Jew would take such criticism if someone would degrade all the suffering they have gone through for over 4,000 years and no woman should either). This book is a fresh reminder of the hopes, suffering and accomplishments that celibate women have shared with the world for over 2,000 years.

A valuable resource where few exist...

One of the only books available to provide an overview of the orders from beginning to recent times. Readers are likely to be surprised by the diversity of the early orders, and the range of growth and the transitions they have made over the centuries. The majority of the text describes the development of the orders, providing fascinating insight to some of the practises that have come and gone over the years. Detailing social culture that surrounded the convents as well as the communities within the convents, it provides context to the lives of the nuns. This book may not present the ideally framed version of history many would like to see, especially if you're pursuing some notion of blissful cloistered weak women protected by the Church. Politics aside, this is a compelling view into the lives of women through the centuries who have exhibited strength in their dedication to their ideals with or without the aid of men.