Did you ever wonder what women did when men stopped permitting them to have authority to do sacred tasks? How did Christian women react to new limitations on women in the church?
These women nuns rebelled against new restrictions.
Based on a true story.
Book Review:
The Rebel Nun: A Novel
Author:
Marg Charlier
Publisher:
Blackstone Publishing (2022) 306 pages
Amazon Description:
"Marj Charlier’s The Rebel Nun is based on the true story of Clotild, the daughter of a sixth-century king and his concubine, who leads a rebellion of nuns against the rising misogyny and patriarchy of the medieval church."
At that time, women are afforded few choices in life: prostitution, motherhood, or the cloister. Only the latter offers them any kind of independence. By the end of the sixth century, even this is eroding as the church begins to eject women from the clergy and declares them too unclean to touch sacramental objects or even their priest-husbands.
Craving the legitimacy thwarted by her bastard status, Clotild seeks to become the next abbess of the female Monastery of the Holy Cross, the most famous of the women's cloisters of the early Middle Ages.
When the bishop of Poitiers blocks her appointment and seeks to control the nunnery himself, Clotild masterminds an escape, leading a group of nuns on a dangerous pilgrimage to beg her royal relatives to intercede on their behalf. But the bishop refuses to back down, and a bloody battle ensues. Will Clotild and her sisters succeed with their quest, or will they face excommunication, possibly even death?
In the only historical novel written about the incident, The Rebel Nun is a richly imagined story about a truly remarkable heroine."
Book Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which seems to me very historically accurate and the women's behaviours credible. It is normal to react when privileges are withdrawn. The nuns had previously been able to conduct their abby as they wished, to discuss theology freely, to touch, and indeed transcribe Scriptures, to officiate eucharist, to preach and lead worship. I appreciate the author bringing to light this truly remarkable woman of history, retelling the historical church records from her point of view.
I met author Marj Charlier when she won top fiction at the 2023 Colorado CIPA EVVY awards. This historical fiction based on a true story and with a female main character in church history intrigued me. I love hearing the female retelling of a story previously written only by men. Available free on Hoopla.
Bishops, priests, and kings ignored the complaints of Clotild and her sisters. They forgave fratricide, genocide, pillaging, and r*pe. They installed a female abbess, Lebover, who implemented theft and starvation. Then condemned the sisters for rebelling.
Non-Fiction Epilogue:
"I return once again to Gregory's Ten Books of History and see how the blinders of religious doctrine had destroyed his ability to assess the sins of men."
Gregory's account paints the rebellion as an unforgivable atrocity. Charlier hopes women readers to "gain courage from knowing that, even in the face of unspeakable brutality and impossible odds, we sisters of the Holy Cross stood up for ourselves and, united, fought for our independence."
Historical evidence shows women of all ages were inclined and determined to lead and rebel against the limits of patriarchy.
Women did lead in the early church for several centuries. Then men pushed them out.
1st council of Nicea: women denied ordination and declared unclean, without souls, no longer permitted to touch sacramental objects, touch or transcribe the Bible, or administer the sacraments.
Council of Macon: Priests are prohibited from touching a wife/unclean woman; must be celibate. Widows of priests are prohibited from remarrying.
Councils declared women weak, and incapable of judgement; female monasteries could no longer be led by an abbess and must be under the authority of a male bishop.
#historicalfiction #biographicalfiction #womeninleadership #womeninministry #genderequality #smashthepatriarchy #feministChristian #femalemaincharacter #biblicalequality #churchhistory
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1
The Sword A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role
Because She Was Called: from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church, imagines Mary Magdalene's trip to testify before the emperor
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience
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