Women in the Orthodox Tradition
Feminism, Theology, and Equality
Women in the Orthodox Tradition is a bold and novel effort. As theologian Carrie Frederick Frost notes in her endorsement, it is “the first book-length attempt to bring feminist theory and theology into conversation with women in the Orthodox Church. That alone makes it invaluable.”
It’s also risky. The small but growing number of Orthodox converts often come to the faith for tradition, and some of them take to the internet to assert that they don’t want Orthodoxy to end up like the Episcopal Church. There’s also been accompanying growth in social media callouts for scholars who might take on such subjects.
Written by religion scholar Ashley Marie Purpura, the book’s thesis could be succinctly illustrated by the icon of St. Juliana of Lazarevo, which at its center depicts a larger-than-life image of the 16th-century Russian noblewoman. In keeping with one strand of iconographic convention, the monumental central image is surrounded by a series of smaller vignettes of the key moments of St. Juliana’s life. There is St. Juliana nursing the sick; St. Juliana doing needlework while seated before an icon of Mary, the Theotokos; St. Juliana gathering a group of small children to herself; and more.
