On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick and Kelly Dippolito are joined by Dr. Beth Allison Barr to discuss her research on women's lives in the medieval period, focusing on the role of clerical texts and sermons in understanding their experiences. She explores the importance of figures like Mary and Eve in medieval sermons and the treatment of single women in medieval society. Barr also discusses the concept of marriage debt and the understanding of motherhood in the medieval period.

She highlights the lessons that can be learned from medieval times for today, including the recognition of women as human beings and the importance of women's voices and leadership in the church. The conversation also explores the impact of female saints and the need to bring alive women of the Bible and the church. It highlights the lack of visibility of women in modern evangelicalism, both in leadership structures and physical spaces of churches. The conversation also discusses the historical influence on gender roles and the perpetuation of the narrative that women are not as important as men in the spiritual economy.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction and Background
01:45 - Exploring Women's Lives in the Medieval Period
05:51 - The Role of Clerical Texts in Understanding Women's Lives
08:34 - The Importance of Mary and Eve in Medieval Sermons
10:30 - The Woman of Canaan as a Lens for Understanding Medieval Women
15:47 - The Concept of Marriage Debt and the Role of Single Women
19:54 - The Treatment of Single Women in Medieval Society
27:28 - Understanding Motherhood in the Medieval Period
32:40 - Lessons from Medieval Times for Today
35:09 - The Impact of Female Saints
38:06 - Visibility of Women in Modern Evangelicalism
39:34 - Lack of Women's Visibility in Churches
40:43 - Historical Influence on Gender Roles
41:46 - Closing Remarks

Episode Resources:

The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Dr. Beth Allison Barr

First, Preach Christ’s Gospel by Dr. Beth Allison Barr

The Pastoral Care of Women in Late Medieval England by Dr. Beth Allison Barr

The Visual Museum Of Women In Christianity

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology. Learn more about The Center for Women in Leadership at: https://www.leadershipwithoutapology.org/.