From the Paper
"Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was one of the most unusual people of the twelfth century. She was the first of the long tradition of female visionary mystics who constituted one of the most singular phenomena of the Middle Ages. And, at a time when women had almost no access to public life, Hildegard was famous for her writings, corresponded with the pope and many of the most important men in Europe, headed her own convent, traveled and preached orthodox Christianity against various heresies, and composed liturgical music. From a twentieth-century point of view Hildegard might seem like a distant predecessor of the fully enfranchised woman who is today's ideal. But in order to understand her life and works it is necessary to view them in the context of her own times. For, in spite of the unusual nature of her gifts of vision and prophecy, Hildegard was a staunch ..."

Abstract
This paper examines how, throughout the Koran, women are described as equal to men in most ways, including spiritually, educationally, and socially. In fact, the Muslim woman was at times placed above her male counterpart because of her status as mother and wife. It discusses how, unfortunately, over time, the intentions of the Koran gave way to varying interpretations of the role of the Muslim woman. and society rarely reflected the moral precepts set in the book of worship.

From the Paper
"Spiritually, women and men are treated with utmost equality in the scriptures of the Koran. Even creation is described as an equitable process. From the Koran, chapter seven, verse 189, "He (God) it is who did create you from a single soul and therefrom did create its mate, that he might dwell with her (in love)." From this verse, we can interpret the sameness of human origin, that is, that no entity supersedes another. We can also interpret Allah's desire to have His followers experience love through his wisdom. According to this passage, men and women were supposed to love one another equally. This obviously differs from the Judeo-Christian take on creation in that both man and woman were made from one soul, and neither is more perfect or whole than the other."

Tags:allah, equality, middle, east, muhammed, creation

Abstract
This paper examines how in "Revelations of Divine Love", Julian of Norwich attempts to define God's relationship with man through a series of showings brought to her by God. These visions do not reveal the mystery of God or unify mortal understanding with divine omnipotence, but illustrate the purpose of God's love for man and its significance in both the spiritual and sensory being. In particular, it shows how through the parable of the "Lord and the Servant", Julian examines the bond of man and Christ in association with God, indicating a duality of nature within the Servant.

From the Paper
"Though the establishment of the servant as Adam in the first half of the parable leads Julian to discover his likeness to Christ, it is the constant of the Lord as God which displays his true affection for man. With the variations of the servant representing all humanity as Adam, and then Christ because of his location, each of these symbols is directed in connection to God who remains unchanged and unmoved throughout the parable. This stationary position in both states of the servant provides the relation of God in all that is made. His love encompasses all things eternally in concurrent harmony, never deserting or abandoning one for another. God is then assumed by his infinite existence to be all, within all everlasting. "

Tags:christianity, god, medieval, religion, theology, women, writer

Abstract
This paper describes Margery Kempe's words as foreign and the meter of her prose as awkward but similar to Shakespeare in terms of familiarity. The paper discusses the book as a journey for self-realization, living as a vagabond in Medieval Europe and traveling to Jerusalem. The author believes that to understand Margery Kempe, the reader must understand the time and social chaos of medieval Europe.

From the Paper
"Chapter 11 is a discussion between Mary, her "husband" and the Lord at the end of 3 years of fasting from sexual relations. Her husband thinks that she is a "no good wife" for her behavior, but Mary is convinced that this course has brought her closer to her God. Her prayer to end this period of fasting reveals the key to her strange behavior, and the plight of the people of her time."

Tags:medieval, traveling, jerusalem, female, pilgrim, self-realization

Abstract
The focus of this paper is the roles of women during the Han period. More specifically, the marriage relationship, and women's roles within this union will take precedence in this paper.

Tags:women, han, dynasty

Abstract
Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe were both medieval mystics who had a profound impact on the image of Christian feminine divinity. One of the most interesting aspects of their religious philosophies and of their private communications with God, was the way in which both women portrayed and used motherhood in their perceptions and understandings of the divine.

Abstract
This paper discusses how, like most religions, gender roles are an important part of both Christianity and Judaism. It shows how both of these religions have very specific roles for men and women, which constitute key theological areas of both faiths and how, because Christianity arose out of Judaism, some of the gender roles are similar. It also looks at how Christianity has some unique gender roles of its own. Further, how the gender roles in both Judaism and Christianity have changed and evolved over the centuries.

From the Paper
"Women, as keepers of the house and home, had special tasks to perform when preparing for the Sabbath. On Fridays before sunset, they had to work hard to finish the cooking and clean the house ("Women's Role in the Rituals"). They set the table for the first Sabbath meal and put all things that remind people of work out of view, as no work is permitted on the Sabbath. The woman of the house lights two candles on a table and says a prayer of blessing for the family; when this is completed, the Sabbath has officially begun ("Women's Role in the Rituals"). This is one of three ritual acts specifically given to women to perform in the traditional Jewish religion. Afterward, the man of the house blesses his children first sons, then daughters and then blesses his wife. The family then begins the first meal of the Sabbath. The last meal of the Sabbath is concluded with another prayer from the woman of the house."

Tags:sabbath, torah, home, church, ministers, rabbis

From the Paper
"This study will examine the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament in the Holy Bible. The study will include consideration of the authorship of the Book of Ruth, the date written, a brief outline of the book, major theological themes, the historical setting, and its place in the Hebrew canon.

The Book of Ruth follows the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. It is a relatively brief book, containing only four chapters, and is named after its heroine. It is set in the time of the judges, as we read in Ruth 1:1: "Now it came to pass in days when the judges ruled . . . ."

The question then arises as to why the Book of Ruth was not made a part of the Book of Judges, having chronicled events which are believed to have occurred at the same general period of time as the previous book."

From the Paper
"In her book Standing Again at Sinai, Judith Plaskow attempts to shape and describe a feminist Judaism, and she does so by describing the existing situation and how it developed, the meaning of a feminist Judaism, and how such a change might be brought about, assuming that it is determined that this would be a valuable addition to Judaic thought and practice. Plaskow begins by noting the contradictions that exist between a feminist conception of Judaism and the actuality, and she then considers different aspects of Jewish life and how women fit into them as well as how she believes women should fit into them. Her discussion echoes that of a number of other religious and feminist theorists who have considered the nature of religious thought today, the way a patriarchal religious society has developed, and how to regain some of what has been lost over the ... "

Abstract
This essay examines Bynum's analysis of the religious significance of food to medieval women as an example of gender history, paying particular attention to the aspects of medieval culture that she analysed in terms of it being a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. The paper discusses how Bynum comes from a functionalist perspective, in that she looks at the mechanisms, which ensured the stability of the social system as a whole, as well as a holistic interpretive approach, in that she separates aspects of the past into important and otherwise untouched areas of study.

From the Paper
"Bynum's work must be seen in relation to the poststructuralist approach that she employs throughout her work and the turn in feminist history towards the poststructuralist framework of the late 1980s and early 1990s, with its focus on the analysis of discourses, of representations and of the construction of social categories. Bynum's approach, like social history's looks at macro-structural forms of analysis such as social and economic structures as determinants of individual behaviour, (paying particular attention to the role of the Church). Her approach is grounded in psychoanalytic understandings of gender identity formation, and in the rejection of constructivist opinion that denied the importance of the body as a point of study, with Bynum seeking to highlight the body's importance for women and to explore its deeper meanings."

Tags:gender, church, culture