Dhuoda, Ninth Century Mother and Theologian

Theological Studies, March, 1997 by Sonya A. Quitslund

By Marie Anne Mayeski. Scranton: University of Scranton, 1995. Pp. xii 177. $25.

There is no known precedent for this fascinating study of Dhuoda's Liber Manualis, written in Latin by a Carolingian aristocrat for the practical and religious formation of her two sons. It deserves attention, not only in the scholarly but above all in the pastoral and catechetical worlds.

Mayeski skillfully situates Dhuoda in her historical, theological, and literary context in order to give the reader a better understanding of the complex world of medieval exegesis out of which her work emerged. Dhuoda displays familiarity with key Church Fathers, from Jerome and Augustine to Bede and Gregory, as well as with Scripture. In trying to present a comprehensive understanding of the mystery of salvation, she departs from accepted interpretations of traditional texts, modifying and adapting to suit the needs of her sons, taking time to substantiate her own theological credentials in her exegesis of the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman. She views her role as teacher and counselor as an extension of her maternal role.

Concerned lest her sons adopt moral values unworthy of their Christian heritage, she reworks the popular moral tradition based on the Beatitudes into a developmental program appropriate to the adolescent warrior, revealing in the process her understanding of the role psychological and social development play in opening one up to the reception of doctrine. She is especially concerned about the conflicting claims on one's loyalty in court circles and sets forth a moral strategy to help her sons negotiate these sometimes difficult situations. The social implications of sin are never far from her thoughts.

M. convincingly exposes Dhuoda's uniqueness as an example of the varied and complex biblical theology produced in the Middle Ages and often dismissed without careful study, a laywoman who subverts, if subtly, the masculine dominance of the text, to give us a spiritual last will and testament and a primitive catechism. Most readers will undoubtedly want to read the latest English translation (Handbook for William, University of Nebraska, 1991) the better to appreciate Dhuoda.