A Woman's Way: The Forgotten History of Women Spiritual Directors

Patricia Ranft

Palgrave Macmillan, Nov 3, 2001 - Religion - 254 pages

Given the significance of spiritual leadership in modern Christianity, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the tradition upon which today’s spiritual leadership is built. Patricia Ranft sheds new light on the way society understands a woman's spiritual life and her role in the Christian world, as well as Christian understanding of the role of women in society and as spiritual beings. She examines spiritual leadership from early Christianity to the early Medieval West to the late Middle Ages and finally the modern era. This book delineates the history of spiritual leadership for women and by women within the larger context of the history of Christian spirituality and its understanding of human perfectibility.

About the author

PATRICIA RANFT is Professor of History at Central Michigan University. Her books include, Women and the Religious Life in Premodern Europe (SMP 1996) and Women and Spiritual Equality in Christian Traditions (SMP 1998).

Bibliographic information

• Title: A Woman's Way: The Forgotten History of Women Spiritual Directors
• Author: Patricia Ranft
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001
• ISBN: 0312294441, 9780312294441
• Length: 254 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Christian Ministry / Counseling & Recovery; Religion / General; Religion / Spirituality; Social Science / Gender Studies; Social Science / Women's Studies