'Erat Abigail Mulier Prudentissima': Gilbert of Tournai and Attitudes to Female Sanctity in the Thirteenth Century. (4th January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Walsh, Christine
• Is Part Of: Studies in church history. Volume 47(2011)
• Page Start: 171
• Page End: 180
• Publication Date: 2016-01-04
• Subjects: 270
• DOI: 10.1017/S0424208400000942
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0424-2084

Abstract

Abstract : For many people in the Middle Ages it was the belief in the intercessory powers of saints at the court of heaven which drove individual acts of veneration. However, saints were not just sources of assistance in times of need; they could also be perceived as role models both for those who wanted to live a religious life and for the broader laity. Not surprisingly, the lessons drawn from a particular saint's life tended to reflect individual attitudes and beliefs, and the same saint could be used to justify contradictory forms of behaviour. This paper examines two contrasting responses to the cult of St Katherine of Alexandria and what they tell us about attitudes to women and female sanctity in the thirteenth century.