TRANSLATIONS

The  Life of Christina the Astonishing, by Thomas de Cantimpré
English Translation (2nd edition, 1999) 
Translated by Margot H. King 

For Latin text, please click here

The life of Christina the  Astonishing (1150-1224) bears witness to the remarkable women's spirituality movement in the Lowlands during the thirteenth century. 
It tells the story of a lay-woman whose after-death experienceled her to re-enact the torments of purgatory as a living sermon for sinners.

"A fascinating perspective on medieval social, religious and cultural 
practices.  Christina's flamboyant piety raises crucial questions 
about the nature and representation of female sanctity  [and] the 
relationship between the inspired individual and [the] community."
- Anne Clark Bartlett, DePaul University, author of Male Authors, Female Readers: Representation and
      Subjectivity in Middle English Devotional Literature (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995).

    This text "opens up discussion of family relations, the victimization and
                marginalization of women, and class relations. 
                       It should be assigned reading."
      - Contance Berman, editor of The Worlds of Medieval Women: 
Creativity, Influence, Imagination (Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 1985).

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