Ritual under negotiation: a Catholic feminist engagement with sacrificial atonement theology

• Main Author: Millay, Krista
• Language: en_US
• Published: Boston University 2017
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/2144/19822

Many feminist and womanist theologians have rejected a sacrificed savior, claiming that this theology perpetuates the suffering of marginalized persons. In their critiques, they often employ a reading of history that posits an egalitarian Jesus at Christianity’s origins. From this reading, soteriological proposals focus on the life and ministry of Jesus and away from the cross. This dissertation argues that Catherine Bell’s ritual theory replaces the need for an egalitarian Jesus by focusing on the ritual lives of women. It contributes to feminist and womanist theologies a study of sacrificial ritual at the intersection of three fields: feminist and womanist theologies; ritual theory; and early Christian history. Allowing each of these fields to inform the investigation, a more textured understanding of sacrifice, ritual, and redemption emerges and is placed in relation to Catholic women’s liturgical experiences. This dissertation argues that feminist and womanist theologies must account for the ways in which women negotiate their relationship to sacrificial ritual. [TRUNCATED]