Women mystics
Medieval women's mysticism was "a succession of insights and revelations about God that gradually transformed the recipient" according to historian Elizabeth Petroff of Oxford University in her 1994 book, Body and Soul. The word "mysticism" has its origin in ancient Greece where individuals called the mystae participated in mystery religions.
5 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Annie Besant
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life of 19th-century writer and campaigner Annie Besant.
21 June 2012
Featuring: Lawrence Goldman, David Stack, Yasmin Khan
CultureVictorian women writersEnglish feminist writers, English feministsNew Age predecessorsEnglish activistsVictorian writersEnglish socialistsEnglish non-fiction writersSocial Democratic Federation membersWomen mysticsEnglish suffragistsEnglish people of Irish descentEnglish women activistsFounders of Indian schools and collegesBritish women's rights activistsFormer AnglicansBritish reformers19th-century English women writersHildegard of Bingen
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the medieval mystic, composer and writer Hildegard of Bingen.
26 June 2014
Featuring: Miri Rubin, William Flynn, Almut Suerbaum
HistoryMedieval Latin-language poetsWomen religious writersCatholic philosophersManuscript illuminatorsDoctors of the ChurchAnglican saintsCreators of writing systemsGerman classical composersRoman Catholic mysticsWomen mystics12th-century writers in LatinBenedictine philosophersHerbalistsGerman women philosophersAngelic visionariesMystic poets12th-century Christian saintsPre-Reformation Anglican saintsJulian of Norwich
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the anchoress, who is probably the earliest named woman writer in English, and her celebrated work on her visions of the suffering of Christ.
19 October 2023
Featuring: Katherine Lewis, Philip Sheldrake, Laura Kalas
ReligionMedieval English theologiansWomen religious writers15th-century English writersWriters from NorwichEnglish religious writersWomen mystics14th-century Christian mystics, 14th-century English women writers, 15th-century English women writers, 15th-century deaths, English Catholic mystics, Middle English literatureMargery Kempe and English Mysticism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Margery Kempe (1373-1438), the English mystic who went to Jerusalem and dictated her life story, said to be the first autobiography in English.
2 June 2016
Featuring: Miri Rubin, Katherine Lewis, Anthony Bale
HistoryWriters from King's LynnWomen religious writersEnglish Roman Catholics14th-century Christian mystics, 14th-century English women writers, 15th-century English women writers, 15th-century deaths, English Catholic mystics, Middle English literature15th-century English writersAnglican saintsEnglish autobiographersEnglish religious writersRoman Catholic mysticsWomen mysticsEnglish women non-fiction writersFemale saints of medieval EnglandPre-Reformation Anglican saintsSimone Weil
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the French philosopher and social activist Simone Weil. Admired by Albert Camus and Iris Murdoch, she achieved a great deal in her short life.
15 November 2012
Featuring: Beatrice Han-Pile, Stephen Plant, David Levy
PhilosophyLycée Henri-IV alumniChristian humanistsFrench communistsFrench philosophers of scienceÉcole Normale Supérieure alumniFrench feminists20th-century deaths from tuberculosisAnti-Stalinist leftConverts to Christianity from JudaismMarxist theoristsCritics of work and the work ethicFrench anarchists, French anti-capitalists, French anti-fascistsPlatonistsFrench political philosophersFrench women philosophersFrench Resistance membersChristian radicalsDominican mysticsJewish philosophers20th-century French philosophersPhilosophers of religion20th-century French women writersTuberculosis deaths in EnglandWriters from ParisWomen mysticsFrench socialistsCritics of MarxismChristian anarchists, Nonviolence advocates