Eve's Pilgrimage : A Woman's Quest for the City of God

Annotation. In this original book, the author journies through Rome, following biblical events and themes in works of art: from Genesis in the Sistine Chapel, through Incarnation in the Pantheon and Resurrection in Michaelangelo's Last Judgement. She touches on many themes in her journey, including violence and power (at the Colloseum), social injustice (at St. Mary Major) and motherhood (at the icon of Our Lady in Perpetual Succour). Writing as an intelligent Christian feminist, Beattie doesn't resort to clichTs, and has a clear, elegant style which makes this a very readable book Intro -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1 In the Beginning: The Sistine Chapel -- Creativity, visions and symbols -- Male and female they created them -- Gender, love and solitude -- Images of God -- Sexuality and the Fall -- The New Eve -- Restoring the vision -- 2 Fallen Empires, Holy Wars: The Colosseum -- The militant Church -- Violence and the social order -- Genesis, sex and violence -- Genesis in the Early Church -- From pacifism to holy war -- Modernity and war -- Envisioning peace -- 3 Baptizing Eve: The Pantheon -- Christian and pagan encounters -- Mary, Eve and the goddess -- The defeat of the goddess -- Sexual annihilation -- Feminizing religion -- Gendered rites -- Baptismal births -- 4 The Maternal Church: Santa Maria in Trastevere -- The birth of Mary -- The story of St Anne -- Maternal conceptions -- Christian matricide -- From sacramentality to morality -- Reforming symbols -- 5 The Fall of Nature: Santa Maria Maggiore and the Villa Borghese -- The story so far -- From humility to humiliation -- Dis-graced nature -- The pagan Church -- Feminine nature and masculine science -- Nature as Eve -- 6 Dancing in the Dark: Mass at St Peter's -- The broken Church -- Human misery and God's mercy -- Affirming goodness -- The Second Vatican Council -- Joy and hope, grief and anguish -- Breaking and blessing -- 7 Death's Friendship: Domitilla Catacombs -- The jigsaw of death -- Baptizing the darkness -- Death's enigma -- The cult of the saints -- The anonymity of death -- Befriending death -- 8 Love's Resurrection: The Paul VI Concert Hall -- The dancing Christ and the dancing women -- Nuclear transfigurations -- Imaginative resurrections -- The language of life -- Practising for eternity -- Resurrection and justice -- Redemption -- 'A reconstruction of feelings' -- The bride -- Bibliography The author journeys through Rome, following biblical events and themes in works of art: from Genesis in the Sistine Chapel, through Incarnation in the Pantheon and Resurrection in Michaelangelo's Last Judgement. She touches on many themes in her journey, including violence and power (at the Colosseum), social injustice (at St. Mary Major) and motherhood (at the icon of Our Lady in Perpetual Succour). Tina Beattie. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 217-224).