Unconventional Wisdom (Gender, Theology and Spirituality) (Gender, Theology and Spirituality)

The tradition of Christianity in its first three centuries saw women in positions of authority in some traditions, as well as a fluid theology that included feminine figures in the notion of the Divine. The loss of the feminine in the divine and of women's authority in the Church went hand in hand and are inextricably linked together. After this came a male trinity-dominated theology with characteristics such as triumphalism, clarity, order, eternality and unity. Although there has been evidence of a feminine Wisdom tradition that has surfaced occasionally in Christianity, this has often been more hidden and less public. The last half of the twentieth century has seen an attempt to unearth the hidden theological tradition. This book links this with the rediscovery of subjugated value systems and what it might mean for ecclesiology.