The Wisdom of the Beguines: The Forgotten Story of a Medieval Women’s Movement

The lay religious movement known as the Beguines had largely been forgotten until the late 20th century, when feminist scholars rediscovered their lives. Swan (Sacred Rhythms) brings their lives and writings to the general reader with a clear, admiring narrative. The movement began in the Low Countries during the late 12th century, when some lay women began to live together and earn their own living, while devoting themselves to preaching and caring for the poor. Adhering to an individual concept of apostolic Christianity, they were viewed with suspicion because of their independence from the rule of any religious order. Swan intersperses her story of the Beguines with short biographies of several of the women who wrote or dictated their mystical experiences. Strong supporters of the growing desire for “deeply personal experiences of God,” they tried to share the suffering of Jesus. This could take the form of visions, stigmata, and even levitation, as in the case of Christina the Astonishing. Despite criticism, they had powerful clerical and secular supporters and managed to survive through plagues, revolutions, and even the Protestant Reformation. Swan doesn’t go into historical or theological depth, but her book is a sympathetic look at the Beguines that will intrigue anyone interested in women’s spirituality. [em](Dec.) [/em]