Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2021
Document Type
Honors Project
University Scholars Director
Dr. Christine Chaney
First Advisor/Committee Member
Dr. Alissa Walter
Second Advisor/Committee Member
Dr. Katherine Douglass
Keywords
comparative religion, women, islam, christianity, gender roles, mary magdalene
Abstract
Mary Magdalene and Aisha Bint Abi Bakr—women hailing from the early days of Christianity and Islam respectively—are household names among adherents to each of those religions, but most know surprisingly little about who the women were. Both were independent, highly influential women, but their legacies have been corrupted by associations with repentance for deviation from traditional gender roles as well as with sexual immorality. This paper examines the biography of each women and puts it in conversation with her legacy in order to demonstrate a theme of strong women being erased from religious narratives—a theme which we must reverse in order to recover true, God-given gender roles and empower today’s women in both traditions.
Recommended Citation
Heale, Olivia, "The Whore and the Holy Woman: How Christianity and Islam Slandered Their Leading Ladies" (2021). Honors Projects. 151.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/honorsprojects/151
Copyright Status
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Additional Rights Information
Copyright held by author.
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Comments
A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Scholars Honors Program.