Rosemary Radford Ruether is Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is author of numerous books, including Sexism and Godtalk: Toward a Feminist Theology (second edition, 1993), Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing (1992), and Women and Redemption: A Theological History (1998).

"Clearly written, erudite, lavishly detailed, and with unbiased analysis." - Library Journal "The scholarship in this book is superior, revealing a depth of insight and a scope of knowledge possible only from a scholar who has lived with the concerns of feminist theology for decades. Ruether is a gifted storyteller, and lucidly translates complex ideas and debates. This work is of the highest importance, and Ruether asks the right questions at the right time. The text is groundbreaking." - Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Saint Mary's College of California "Ruether has provided a valuable introduction to an important feminist topic: what can we know about sacred female imagery in Western culture? She guides us through contemporary feminist scholarship, providing engaging narrative, and venturing her own interpretations. Ruether calls for feminists to move beyond divisions created by our different interpretations of prehistory and work together towards our common project of a more peaceful, just, and ecological world." - Carol Hepokoski, Meadville Lombard Theological School"

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Gender and the Problem of Prehistory 2. Goddesses and World Renewal in the Ancient Mediterranean 3. The Hebrew God and Gender 4. Savior Goddesses in the Mystery Religions and Gnosticism 5. The Spiritual Feminine in New Testament and Patristic Christianity 6. Feminine Symbols in Medieval Religious Literature 7. Tonantzin-Guadalupe: The Meeting of Aztec and Christian Female Symbols in Mexico 8. Mary and Wisdom in Protestant Mystical Millennialism 9. Contested Gender Status and Imagining Ancient Matriarchy 10. The Return of the Goddess Conclusion Notes Index