I’m going through the final proof of my new book, A Spacious Place: A Spiritual Journey with St. Edith Stein, which will be out in November from Sophia Institute Press. This book took me years to research and write–much longer than I would have wanted, but they were rich years of immersing myself in the life and thought and prayer of a brilliant and yet very human Carmelite martyr. I read thousands of pages and amassed several large stacks of books that I used in writing my own, and I thought, in honor of her feast day on August 9th, I’d share a few recommendations.
My experience is that when we set out to know a saint, they draw near to us. They want to be known. As we read and enter into their story and their words, we get to know a person who is very much alive, very much with us. To know St. Edith Stein as a woman, teacher, thinker, Carmelite and martyr–and most of all, advocate and friend– here’s where you might start:
St. Edith Stein’s Own Words
Life in a Jewish Family: I read this volume at least three times cover-to-cover in doing my research. It’s an inside look into Edith’s family history, childhood and student years, and the journey of a young woman slowly opening to truth. Left unfinished when she died, it ends before her conversion. I think one of my favorite things about Life is the way Edith was able to describe her family members, friends, and fellow students and professors. She had the ability to really see the person and communicate something of their inner selves in her stories. Her teachings about the human person and women in particular came from the lived experience of a lifetime of relationships, many of which are described in detail in this book.
Essays on Woman: This was my introduction to St. Edith Stein (then Blessed Edith Stein) when I was a college undergrad. A compilation of talks given by Edith while a teacher and lecturer before she entered the convent, it was a primary source for my senior thesis on spiritual maternity. By focusing on the education of women, Edith offers a fascinating look at what it means to be a woman–as designed by God, with distinct feminine qualities, yet thrust into a changing world and forced to navigate inner and outer storms with grace and to draw on the very strengths of her nature. In Essays we see in theory what she practiced in life, most notably in her final witness. (It’s a refreshing blend of both beautiful theology and common sense for those of us who find the confusion around gender particularly mind-numbing.)
The Science of the Cross: Not a light read, but well worth it if you have time for a slow journey into the spiritual theology of St. John of the Cross written by his spiritual daughter. Edith Stein, then St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, wrote this book the year before she was torn from her convent and killed by the Nazis. With the world on fire around her, she managed to keep her head down and hold anxiety at arm’s length by losing herself in the life and thought of St. John. In my opinion, this look at the cross though the symbolism of the dark night is a must-read for those serious about exploring the Carmelite spirituality.
Biographies
Edith Stein: The Life of a Philosopher and Carmelite by Teresai Reneata Posselt, O.C.D: Written by a fellow Carmelite who knew her in the convent, this was the first, and with this new edition, one of the most complete biographies. It includes extensive excerpts from Life in a Jewish Family, many first-hand accounts of the saint by those who knew her, and pages of photographs.
Aunt Edith: The Jewish Heritage of a Catholic Saint: Written by her niece, Susanne M. Batzdorff, this is another interesting look at Edith Stein in the context of her family life. Susanne comments on and expands on what Edith recounted in Life in a Jewish Family, which must have been interesting–and often difficult–reading for her loved ones when they received it after her death. The second edition, which unfortunately appears to be out-of-print, includes memories of her beatification and canonization and the complete text of the letter Edith wrote to Pope Pius XI in 1933.
St. Edith Stein’s Aesthetic is a very thoughtful biography, written by my friend Dr. Elizabeth A. Mitchell. It offers a unique view into her life through the lens of art and beauty. Dr. Mitchell points out that as Edith Stein emphasized full human flourishing and the woman’s role in an individual’s personal unfolding, she unveils, too, that we are God’s masterpiece under the loving hand of the Divine Artist. Dr. Mitchell also authored the Endow Study on St. Edith Stein, which I did with a wonderful group of parish women years ago. That, too, I highly recommend.
Edith Stein: Her Life in Photos and Documents: Especially if you are a visual person, you’ll enjoy paging through this beautiful book filled with glossy photographs and documents you won’t see anywhere else.
Other Books
By Fire Into Light: Four Catholic Martyrs of the Nazi Camps by Joseph M. Malham – this book provides not only a concise and readable but surprisingly complete biography of St. Edith Stein. It also tells the story of three other martyrs of the Nazi death camps: Titus Brandsma, O. Carm., Père Jaques de Jesus, O.C.D., and Karl Leisner.
Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century by Robert Royal – This book was a “lucky” find at a used Catholic book sale early this year. I appreciated his account of St. Edith Stein, set in the context of the entire century of Christian martyrdom. Royal reminds us that the age of the martyrs is far from over. A sweeping view of the continuing battle between life and death, God and Satan, told in the true stories of those who “stake their lives on a truth beyond all human powers.” As must we.
Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn’t, and Why by journalist Kenneth L. Woodward. This was an invaluable resource for me for its chapter “The Witness of the Martyrs,” which lays out the Church’s new challenge: how to define a martyr in an age where the “modern tyrant” is determined not to make any. The author’s conversation with Fr. Ambrose Eszer, the Dominican realtor of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints during the time of Edith Stein’s canonization, was golden as he unpacked the Church’s wisdom in expanding the definition of martyrdom beyond its classical understanding.
Spiritual reading is always efficacious, whether devotional or intellectual–but honestly, for someone like me, it is in the narratives of saints that I am drawn most directly into the heart of God. I imagine that their love and prayers are wings that lift us as we read the accounts of their lives. I hope one or two of these books might deepen your love of St. Edith Stein. And, of course, I hope you’ll consider reading A Spacious Place when it comes out in November. This labor of love has been the fruit of my own reading and prayer over the last few years.
St. Edith Stein, pray for us!
Note: I’ll be teaching a course on the Four Temperaments at the Avila Institute this fall. St. Edith Stein will be one of the saints and holy people whose temperament we’ll examine, along with Sts Peter and Paul, Pope St. John XXIII, Pope Benedict XIV, and St. Teresa of Avila. Find out more and register for Transforming Our Temperaments here.
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Image: Unsplash
