ABSTRACT
Just as o u r h i s t o r y b o o k s d e a l l a r g e l y i n tales of the s t ruggles of p o w e r f u l m e n , the ir r ise a n d f a l l , so b o o k s d e s c r i b i n g the d e v e l o p m e n t of r e l i g i o n s d o the same. S u c h w o r k s are c o n c e r n e d g e n e r a l l y w i t h r e l i g i o u s i n s t i - tu t ions a n d w i t h the m e n w h o o r g a n i z e t h e m , a n d those w h o s e r e l i g i o u s ideas are the i r f o u n d a t i o n . There are, of course , s o m e w e l l - k n o w n r e l i g i o u s w o m e n w h o s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s h a v e not gone u n n o t i c e d , b u t they are s m a l l i n n u m b e r . J u l i a n of N o r w i c h is s u c h a n e x a m p l e i n C h r i s t i a n r e l i g i o u s h is tory . S i m i l a r l y , there are issues r e l a t i n g to w o m e n , s u c h as the p e r - s e c u t i o n of w i t c h e s , w h i c h h a v e b e e n g i v e n s o m e a t tent ion b y h i s t o r i a n s of r e l i g i o n . H o w e v e r , e v e n the recent i m p a c t of the w o m e n ' s m o v e m e n t a n d f e m i n i s m o n a c a d e m i c ins t i tu t ions , courses , research, w r i t i n g a n d p u b l i s h - i n g cannot m a k e u p for the centuries of s c h o l a r s h i p b y a n d abo ut m e n ' s r e l i g i o u s a c t i v i t y w h i c h f i l l o u r l ibrar ies a n d p e r v a d e o u r genera l k n o w l - edge .
