This was such an enlightening read. Each of the thirteen essays in Clark's volume give an insightful look at women's roles in the ascetic movement of the late ancient Christian period and provide a thorough exploration of the communications between patristic church fathers that have left a lingering impression on women's roles in the church and world for the past 2,000 years. Interestingly, the celibate lifestyle was not only a way for women to draw closer to God, but a way to escape the "slavery of marriage" and practice self-government in small communities. Women are both dehumanized and infused with the divine by the men who write about them, alternatively "the devil's gateway" and "bride of Christ". At turns bizarre, humorous, angering and heartening, Clark's reexamination of ancient church history is anything but boring. ( )