Throughout history Mary has inspired, perplexed and fascinated people the world over—of every culture and tradition. In this magisterial work, medieval historian Miri Rubin traces Mary’s rise to global prominence from the time of the early Christian empire to the 16th century. Rubin, who has spent years working on the book, sees the figure of Mary as “one of contradiction, a creative state that challenged poets and theologians and composers who tried to express this quality.”
Rubin’s book is lavishly illustrated with full-color images, depicting the shift in representations of Mary through history. For the author, the image of mother—nurturing, suffering and bereaved—is especially powerful. Additionally, there are three helpful maps (the early Christian world; Europe and Byzantium, c. 800; and Late Medieval Europe).
Extensively researched and written for a wide audience, Mother of God has already been greeted by scholars as “an intellectually exuberant tour-de-force” and “a remarkable achievement.” And watch for Sally Cunneen’s forthcoming review in America of this “remarkable cultural history.”
This article appears in April 20 2009.
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