LIFE OF CHRISTINA OF HANE

The 13th century mystic Christina of Hane is only just beginning to achieve the same kind of fame as other female mystics such as Julian of Norwich. Our main source is the Life of Christina, translated here with a scholarly Introduction, and found in a manuscript dating from the late 15th century, but almost certainly incorporating 13th and 14th century material. Christina may have been a younger sister of the 13th century King Adolf of Nassau, and although the Life modestly claims that she did not know Latin, the evidence suggests she was a highly educated woman. According to the Life, she entered the convent at the age of six, returning to her family when the convent was in financial difficulty. On her return she experienced overwhelming temptations, particularly of a sexual nature, and gave herself a self-punitive programme to combat the seven Cardinal Sins. Elements of self-harming are comparable with those of other female mystics, but particular to Christina is the damage she inflicts on her vagina, the details of which suggest biological knowledge unique in medieval sources. She flagellates, puts nettles in her bed, and probably experiences the stigmata. In modern terminology, her mortified body becomes the performative stage of her sanctity. The middle section of the Life consists of direct speech from a vision of Christ, and the final part is a treatise on the Annunciation. The editor relates the Life to the Helfta mystics Mechthild and Gertrude, together with later Rhineland mystics such as Meister Eckhart, details which may have been added by a later scribe. Peculiar to Christina is the motif of an animated sculpture, when a statue of the Virgin Mary comes to life and slaps her in the face. Theological discussion includes whether Mary could have been free of Original Sin. 144pp, excellent Introduction.