George Eliot and the authority of preaching

Smith, A.P. (2007) George Eliot and the authority of preaching. Theology and Sexuality, 13(2), pp. 175-180. (doi: 10.1177/1355835806074433)

Abstract

Preaching was for many centuries the domain of men, and the exclusion of women was justified on the grounds of their different nature and lack of authority. Victorian philosophical debates about the nature of women found literary counterparts in Victorian fiction. Eliot’s novel Adam Bede presents a female preacher whose authority is demonstrably independent of her biological sex, despite the attitudes of her audiences. Her sermon’s echoes of Mark’s Gospel show how the literary contexts of both biblical and Victorian fiction may suggest that the authority of preaching in the material world comes from encounter with Christ and is entirely independent of gender.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Smith, Mr Allen
• Authors: Smith, A.P.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BV Practical Theology
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Theology and Religious Studies
• Journal Name: Theology and Sexuality
• ISSN: 1355-8358