Essays On Woman (The Collected
Works of Edith Stein) by Edith Stein
Woman By Edith Stein
With reason Edith Stein has been called the most significant German
woman of the twentieth century. Her writings on woman are the fruit of
both reflection and debate with other leaders of the Catholic feminist
movement in German-speaking countries between the World Wars. This
second revised edition of Essays on Woman includes textual corrections,
important new supplementary data, and previously unavailable material on
the spirituality of the lay and religious woman. These essays crystalize
long hours of experience teaching in the classroom and on the speakers
platform in the pursuit of fulfilling roles for women in all walks of life.
Personal Review: Essays On Woman (The Collected Works of
Edith Stein) by Edith Stein

Edith Stein's views on womanhood are just beginning to be dissected by
theologians in light of the popularity of Pope John Paul the Great's
"Theology of the Body."
She explores the vocation of men and women, in particular, by expanding
upon Aquinas's 'anima forma corporis' in her discussions of `woman's
soul'. She is quite candid about her beliefs: "I am convinced that the
species humanity embraces the double species man and woman; that the
essence of the complete human being is characterized by this duality; and
that the entire structure of the essence demonstrates the specific
character. There is a difference, not only in body structure and in particular
physiological functions, but also in the entire corporeal life. The
relationship of soul and body is different in man and woman; the
relationship of soul to body differs in their psychic life as well as that of the
spiritual faculties to each other"
In her analyses, St. Edith Stein is uncompromisingly orthodox on the role
of men and women in society and relation to each other. The Virgin Mary is
highlighted as a model several times throughout the book. Interestingly,
though, she highlights and expands more than any other writer that I have
come across the strength, validity and necessity of spiritual maternity in all
areas of life. In doing so, she vividly explores what John Paul II later
termed "the feminine genius", though it is never labeled as such in her
essays. She is infatuated with what is inherently feminine nature, and, in
contrast, masculine nature, developing some psychological insights into
female empathy that parallel Simon Baron-Cohen's findings in the 1990s.
Stein explores practically every female vocation: marriage, the
consecrated life, the professional life, singledom, and those who possess a
"double vocation" of more than one of these. She also addresses women
in political life, the public realm, universities and other areas of national life.
She writes: "The singular mission of the working woman is to fuse her
feminine calling with her vocational calling and, by means of that fusion, to
give a feminine quality to her vocational calling."
Edith Stein implicitly confirms the authority and Tradition of the Church, but
also asserts the necessity for the development of doctrine, which
potentially could incorporate her explications of femininity. As I mentioned
above, these explications are completely orthodox. Stein argues, for
example, a traditionally Catholic opinion that `the intrinsic value of woman
consists essentially in exceptional receptivity for God's work in the soul".
In addition, as an educator herself, a good portion of the essays focus on
what should constitute a female education. Stein reveals some markedly
progressive insights for her time on the choice and scope of female
education. She argues against excessive specialization, favoring a global,
holistic, and personalized approach to human society. Education requires
"broad human and personal contact", particularly for women who are social
creatures.

Stein pushes boundaries and speaks her mind, and 'conservative' only by
contemporary standards - not for the typical liberal women's studies class.
Rather, she is a feminist in the vein of many contemporary, orthodox
Catholic feminists, such as Katrina Zeno and Pia de Solenni.
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