jjares reviewed Edith Stein: The Life and Legacy of the Jewish Philosopher Who Became a Catholic Saint on + 3262 more book reviews
Edith Stein is the story of a young woman who agonized over the great issues of her time and her faith. Born in Breslau (Germany), she earned a doctorate and worked as an assistant. It was difficult for a woman to get a job teaching in a university, she was relegated to the post of assistant to a male doctor (of letters). Edith had cast off her Jewish faith in her teens but started reading the works of St. Teresa of Avila (an influential Catholic nun and saint).
Edith was obviously a deep thinker; she also wanted to marry, like her peers. In 1922, she was baptized as a Catholic, looking to become a nun. Edith's confessor/spiritual director discouraged her from becoming a nun but encouraged her to accept a teaching position in Speyer, at a Catholic school. By living in the convent with a small salary, she could experience the religious way without making a full commitment (to see if that was what she really wanted to do).
After 8 years of teaching, Stein went to Cologne, asking to join the cloistered life of a Carmelite monastery. When her mother died, Edith's sister Rosa converted to Catholicism. When the Nazis rose to power, the nuns tried to protect Edith by sending her out of Germany. However, Edith and Rosa were apprehended in the Netherlands and taken to Auschwitz, where they died soon after.
Edith was a profoundly gifted writer and speaker. When she was cloistered, she was allowed to continue her scholastic writing and submit it for publication. She also converted works from Latin to the vernacular so others could understand what older Christian doctors of the faith had written. She was canonized as a martyr by Pope John Paul II.
Edith was obviously a deep thinker; she also wanted to marry, like her peers. In 1922, she was baptized as a Catholic, looking to become a nun. Edith's confessor/spiritual director discouraged her from becoming a nun but encouraged her to accept a teaching position in Speyer, at a Catholic school. By living in the convent with a small salary, she could experience the religious way without making a full commitment (to see if that was what she really wanted to do).
After 8 years of teaching, Stein went to Cologne, asking to join the cloistered life of a Carmelite monastery. When her mother died, Edith's sister Rosa converted to Catholicism. When the Nazis rose to power, the nuns tried to protect Edith by sending her out of Germany. However, Edith and Rosa were apprehended in the Netherlands and taken to Auschwitz, where they died soon after.
Edith was a profoundly gifted writer and speaker. When she was cloistered, she was allowed to continue her scholastic writing and submit it for publication. She also converted works from Latin to the vernacular so others could understand what older Christian doctors of the faith had written. She was canonized as a martyr by Pope John Paul II.
