Mary and Sophia: The Feminine Element in the Spiritual Evolution of Humanity

Sophia, the Wisdom of God, has spoken to human beings at many different times and places since primeval times. Her origin in God places her alongside the Logos in cosmic significance while at the same time raising deep questions concerning her role in human evolution. What was her connection to Eve and to Mary? How has she been worshipped in the past and what is our proper relationship to her now? Michael Debus discusses archetypes of the feminine and Sophia's relationship to Mary, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and most importantly, Sophia's significance for modern, seeking human souls. Written from an anthroposophical perspective, his sources include the Old and New Testaments, the writings of the early church fathers, as well as those of the Orthodox Church (especially Vladimir Solovyov), the Christian mystic Jakob Böhme, and many others. Basic Christian concepts such as creation, the law, sin, death and resurrection, forgiveness, redemption, and the Christian idea of spiritual evolution in freedom, appear richer and more plausible when seen in the light of Sophia’s connection to humanity This book compresses a wealth of ideas into a few chapters, and will serve many as a stimulus for further study of the role of the divine feminine in our spiritual striving.