Women Saints in World Religions

Arvind Sharma is Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University. He is the editor of several books including, with Katherine K. Young, Feminism and World Religions.

"The stories in this book are a delightful song of praise to the accomplishments of women within traditional religions, despite the opposition they had to overcome to achieve what they did. One of its great beauties is that it brings formerly obscured or silenced stories to light. The women described here were strong willed, courageous women who rejected the narrow roles dictated to them by their traditions' leaders, and assumed leadership themselves in spiritual pathways that were usually closed to women. Although most of these stories date from the middle ages, they are 'new' to contemporary readers, because they were never included in the canonical stories of the heroes of traditional faiths." — Laura E. Weed, The College of St. Rose

• Preface I. IntroductionKatherine K. Young II. Dolce of Worms: Women Saints in JudaismJudith R. Baskin III. Reclaiming an Ancient Story: Baudonivia's Life of St. Radegund (circa 525–587)Marie Anne Mayeski (with Jane Crawford) IV. Muslim Sainthood, Women, and the Legend of Sayyida NafisaValerie J. Hoffman V. Janabai: A Woman Saint of IndiaRajeshwari V. Pandharipande VI. Women Ch'an Masters: The Teacher Miao-tsung as SaintMiriam Levering VII. Pien Tung-hsüan: A Taoist Woman Saint of the T'ang Dynasty (618–907)Suzanne Cahill Index of NamesIndex of TermsSubject Index