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Edith Stein: Philosopher. Mystic. Martyr. Feminist.
Stein was beatified as a martyr on May 1, 1987, in Cologne, Germany by Pope John Paul II and then canonized by him 11 years later on October 11, 1998.
She is seen by Catholics as a symbol of solidarity with all Jews especially those who were murdered by the Nazis. A friend who recently visited Auschwitz told me that her response to the place was the overwhelming silence. A reverential silence shared by all humanity by condemning such atrocities.
Her martyrdom is of course what most of us remember about Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. But she also made significant contributions to the theory of holistic education, to the field of phenomenological and scholastic philosophy.
It is my intention in this series of books to do no more than introduce the reader to some Catholic thinkers, Catholic doers, those whose Catholic faith was a work in progress and mystics; both converts and cradle Catholics. It is not meant to be hagiography or the last word on the subject. Rather its simple goal is to make you want to delve further.
What my choices have in common is a journey of faith. It is only a matter of degree and circumstance that makes their lives different, outstanding and worth examining so that we can become better able to examine our own lives, and in the process make them more worthy.
It has been said that all good stories begin with a question. My question is this; why are these people different?
She is seen by Catholics as a symbol of solidarity with all Jews especially those who were murdered by the Nazis. A friend who recently visited Auschwitz told me that her response to the place was the overwhelming silence. A reverential silence shared by all humanity by condemning such atrocities.
Her martyrdom is of course what most of us remember about Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. But she also made significant contributions to the theory of holistic education, to the field of phenomenological and scholastic philosophy.
It is my intention in this series of books to do no more than introduce the reader to some Catholic thinkers, Catholic doers, those whose Catholic faith was a work in progress and mystics; both converts and cradle Catholics. It is not meant to be hagiography or the last word on the subject. Rather its simple goal is to make you want to delve further.
What my choices have in common is a journey of faith. It is only a matter of degree and circumstance that makes their lives different, outstanding and worth examining so that we can become better able to examine our own lives, and in the process make them more worthy.
It has been said that all good stories begin with a question. My question is this; why are these people different?
- GenresReligion
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 28, 2025
Short, easy read, some typos.
“Her intellect was in need of a rest and she realized that prayer would help her quiet her restless soul. Saint Teresa of Avila described it thus, “I was so blind! Whatever made me think that I could find a remedy apart from you? Such stupidity - running away from light.”
“One is to consider oneself as an instrument, especially with regard to one’s special abilities…we are to see them as something to be used not by us but by God in us.”
“Got lets himself be sought…to let himself be found. He lets himself be found to be sought again.”
“The more an era is engulfed in the night of sin and estrangement from god, the more in needs souls united to God.”
“Christs sufferings live on in the sufferings of all humanity because we are co-operating in the work of salvation.”
“Her intellect was in need of a rest and she realized that prayer would help her quiet her restless soul. Saint Teresa of Avila described it thus, “I was so blind! Whatever made me think that I could find a remedy apart from you? Such stupidity - running away from light.”
“One is to consider oneself as an instrument, especially with regard to one’s special abilities…we are to see them as something to be used not by us but by God in us.”
“Got lets himself be sought…to let himself be found. He lets himself be found to be sought again.”
“The more an era is engulfed in the night of sin and estrangement from god, the more in needs souls united to God.”
“Christs sufferings live on in the sufferings of all humanity because we are co-operating in the work of salvation.”
August 15, 2017
A brief bio about this remarkable woman, written to inspire you to read more. Edith was Jewish by birth, Catholic and Cloistered Nun by choice and murdered during the Holocaust. She was a brilliant mind, lost to us too soon. The author met his goal of inspiring the reader to learn more. Written in a simple straight-forward manner with brief excerpts of her voluminous writings, it was worth the time spent with it. This book is one of a series.
June 30, 2024
Essential Carmelite reading
An excellent review of the life of Edith Stein. Exploring her conversion to Catholicism, her spirituality and her death inAuschwitz
An excellent review of the life of Edith Stein. Exploring her conversion to Catholicism, her spirituality and her death inAuschwitz
November 28, 2016
This little book gives the bare facts of Edith Stein's life, mostly from secondary sources. she comes across as quite brilliant and unfailingly kind even under the most brutal of conditions in the last days of her life. At the end is a sample of her philosophical writing which gives an impression of the rigorous Thomistic Scholasticism she adopted. The author makes the claim that Stein and her sister were treated without mercy because of the outspokenness of the Catholic Church, something new to me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews