Rediscovering Friendship

"Friendship is a broad sphere which unites heaven and earth. . . ."

Less beholden to traditional models of family and to classical male ideals, a new generation is re-evaluating and transforming friendship, says Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel.

Observing this phenomenon, particularly among women, she elaborates its biblical affinities and its potential for enriching an often-friendless culture. In an honest and meditative style, Moltmann-Wendel finds in friendship new dimensions of adventure, consolation, self-knowledge, love, and political relevance, as well as profound resonances with Jesus' friendships with women, especially Mary Magdalene, and with his friends at the Last Supper. Further exploring this territory beyond "the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man," she points to untapped energies of tenderness, eros, and healing in women's friendships and the promise they hold for reframing our relationship with our bodies, the earth, and God.

About the Author:
Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel is a theologian and journalist and author of Freedom, Equality and Sisterhood (1978), The Women around Jesus (1982), A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey (1986), and I Am My Body (1995).