The Oldest Vocation: Christian Motherhood in the Medieval West

by Clarissa W. Atkinson

Book Overview

According to an old story, a woman concealed her sex and ruled as pope for a few years in the ninth century. Pope Joan was not betrayed by a lover or discovered by an enemy; her downfall came when she went into labor during a papal procession through the streets of Rome. From the myth of Joan to the experiences of saints, nuns, and ordinary women, The Oldest Vocation brings to life both the richness and the troubling contradictions of Christian...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501740881
• ISBN13: 9781501740886
• Release Date: August 2019
• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher