´Divinely Inspired Women.´

Throughout history, prophecy was one domain in which women were seen as superior to men.

From the classical period, the Greeks called women who were prophets, ‘The Sibyls.’  In the book ‘Aeneid,’ Aeneas consults the Greek Sibyl, who predicts the Trojan War, thus Aeneas asks to see his father. The Sibyl directs him into the underworld where he sees his father, and glimpses into the future. There was also Cassandra, who predicted the destruction of Troy, and was given her power to foretell the future by Apollo.

Women prophets were nurtured and honored in Celtic, Germanic and Scandinavian legend. Wise women, priestesses, and witches were able to travel alone and live without fear.  The Volva-Norse Witches were well-versed in magic and wielded great powers.  They were sought after as shamans, healers, prophets and wise women.  They were wives of God and lived outside and above the normal hierarchy of society.

In the Middle Ages, prophets and visionaries were considered to be divinely inspired teachers and consulted as spiritual guides.

In the Scriptures, there are several prophetesses who were inspired by God:  Mary, sister of Moses; Deborah, the only woman judge of Israel, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; Hannah and Anna.

In late Medieval Europe, where most laywomen were not allowed to speak in public or write unless they were from noble families, prophets were able to play a direct role in politics.

An Apocalyptic Visionary, or divinely inspired prophetic observer, revealed the mysteries and fate of human life. They were writers who revealed existential truths.  Whereas prophets, just spoke the word of God and did not write.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), an apocalyptic visionary who was called the ‘German Sibyl,’ was also a talented poet and music composer.  She claimed to have secret knowledge about the cosmos, the history of the world and the coming of the Antichrist. She was sure she could unlock the mysteries of the Scriptures, and said she heard a voice that told her to ‘ tell these marvels and write them.’

St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), whose revelations and predictions were highly accurate, and St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), a mystic and spiritual writer, whose bold ideas were extremely influential in politics and world history, both dictated their views to scribes, although St Catherine eventually learned how to write.

Margery Kempe was a Medieval prophet (1373-1438), who gave the world the first autobiography in English. Kempe accurately predicted future events and made revelations about the fate of the dead.  She claimed she had visitations and conversations with Jesus Christ and God, and possessed the ability to see the secrets of people and their true moral character. Her supernatural abilities to experience God through bodily and ghostly visions, gained her many followers.  Her book includes her experiences during pilgrimages to the Holy land, Italy and Spain, and describes her spiritual quest. Although she was perceived to be by many as a mad woman, her book shows us otherwise; it is a complex and thorough description of the life of a middle class laywoman from the Middle Ages. Her intellectual enlightenment gave her a true understanding of her own spirituality. Her book is a historical document and gives her a place in Christian history.

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