Sophia: Aspects of the Divine Feminine Past & Present

by Susanne Schaup

The resurgent interest in the wisdom of the Goddess and ancient matriarchal religions makes "Sophia" a timely read! Schaup explains that the Divine Feminine has been with us all along, hidden in ancient Christian scripture, and has taken many different forms and names in Eastern and Western culture. She is Sophia, or Divine Wisdom. Dr. Schaup heralds a paradigm shift in our concept of God with this provocative chronicle of the manifestation of the Divine Feminine throughout history and in the world's diverse cultures. With this beautifully written book, Dr. Schaup teaches us to recognize Sophia and Her relevance to our time so that we can restore Her to Her rightful place in our hearts and minds, alongside the "Fathergod", and gain a new sense of wholeness.

Genres: Religion, Paganism, Nonfiction

235 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

Reviews

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting but often weakly argued book - for example, it accepts claims now widely debunked (such as those about the 'pre-patriarchal' prehistoric world), reckons to know all about Judaism by reading the 'Old Testament' (author's term), and wavers between carefully distinguishing between entities and smooshing them together as and when it suits (Mary is separate from Sophia but Hindu goddesses are an expression of the same principle?). There are some parts which might be spirituality inspiring but the scholarship should be taken with care.

[Katrina Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a good overview of the Divine feminine in her many guises and discusses the many ways she's been diminished, wiped out, and denied by society. Shows a glimmer of hope that her re-emergence is happening, although I would have liked to see more about that. Perhaps it's not there because the re-emergence is in its infancy. Parts of the book get a bit bogged down, especially the sections about the mystics, but overall the book has a wealth of information.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schaup argues that not only would a reorientation towards the Divine Feminine help to correct some of the problems with religion – and more specifically Christianity – today, she suggests that the Divine Feminine has lain dormant in the Christian tradition all along. Looking at Apocryphal books, as well as the Wisdom Literature of the Protestant Bible, she highlights Sophia in the well known texts.

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and interesting. May have lost something in translation from German, and for my having read it on a long bus trip. Nonetheless, intriguing. I feel like I'd need to read some of the theologians she references to really understand what she's getting at, however.

[Meg]

Gave up on this one too. Why can't anyone just write about actual SOPHIA without trying to assimilate her with all other Goddess-forms that have ever existed?

[Lesley-anne Brewster]

Found the primarily Christian material interesting but rather limited in scope.
Didn't help that many of the books etc referred to aren't available in my first language, English.