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example of involvement but also by writing, even at the risk of persecution for that unsanctioned activity. The most illustri- ous female writers were Argula von Grumbach from Bavaria and Katha- rina Schütz Zell from Strasbourg, whose works enjoyed an astonishing circulation and were pre- served in reprints. As pioneering part-


ners with the emerging Protestant forms of spiri- tuality, women tested the renewed focus on forgive-


With their hunger for meaningful spiritual direction and a desire


to build a better world, women passionately


responded to Luther’s novel preaching.


or disobey their husbands or fathers. In reality, they did all these things. The Reformation principles of


“Scripture alone,” “Christian free- dom” and “equality in Christ” gave women a sense of authority to con- tribute more fully in the affairs of the church and to promote emancipa- tion of others. They did so by their


Author bio: Stjerna is professor of Lutheran history and theology at California Lutheran University’s Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif. She is


the author of Women and the Reformation (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008) and other books and articles. She dedicates this article to her grandmother Signe Ronkanen, “who taught me about faith.”


ness and grace in practice. Luther’s friend von Grumbach (1492-c. 1563), a noblewoman with small children, drew from the “Scripture alone” principle that gave her, a lay- woman, the right to speak. She bra- zenly challenged in writing an entire (Roman Catholic) university for per- secuting a young student because of his Lutheran association. In her view, killing a child or anyone for the sake of religion is never God’s will but sim- ply a crime of injustice. She declared herself a confessor of faith on par with the learned men who refused to embrace Luther’s views. Women participated in redefining


the mission and borders of the church in its sharing of the gospel and gifts of grace. Female teachers were attentive to nurturing the transforming power of the word, especially in the lives of women they knew. Olimpia Morata (1526-1555), a


learned Italian, wife of a German pas- tor and a skilled translator, in exem- plary ways cared for her female asso- ciates’ education via correspondence. Books were her children. Marie Dentiere (1495-1561) from


Geneva left her convent and emerged as a fiery defender of women’s rights


in the church—and women’s correc- tive reading of the Scripture—as well as a shameless promoter of marriage over celibate life. Similarly, Shütz Zell (1498-1562),


a pastor’s wife from Strasbourg, rose to fame with her fiery letter in defense of her marriage, clergy mar- riage and marriage rights in general. Her best-selling works varied from consolation texts to educational and meditative pieces, even a hym- nbook. She proves that Protestant women defined for themselves how to express their faith and what their calling was as women of faith. With no biological children, she named herself the “church mother” who cared for those in need in her com- munity at large. The term “church mother” can


aptly be used for German Duch- ess Elisabeth von Braunschweig- Lüneburg (1510-1558), who during her reign took care of implement- ing the Lutheran Augsburg Confes- sion and a Lutheran church order in what today is Lower Saxony. She left an endearing motto: Children should obey God, the emperor and their mother. Another towering figure, Eng-


land’s Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), stands tall for her exemplary wisdom in negotiating the stormy waters as a Protestant ruler who was female and not married—unapologetic on both counts. Until recently the matriarchs of


the Reformation faith have remained in the dark. The approaching 2017 Reformation anniversary can rev up momentum for reforms in this regard. For the future of our Protestant tra- ditions, knowledge of our mothers rewards us with new connections and alliances, insights and inspiration. They may surprisingly broaden our vistas on the meaning of Reforma- tion—the core of which is justice. 


October 2015 15


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