Should women be allowed at university? The nearly unanimous verdict of humanity until the twentieth century was: most certainly not, not even as students. In the 17th century there was one notable exception: Anna Maria van Schurman.
At the time, the Academie van Vriesland was one of the most influential universities in the Protestant world. Its famous faculty of Divinity included Johannes Maccovius (1588-1644), Johannes Bogerman (1576-1637) and William Ames (1576-1633). As a result, Franeker attracted students from all over Europe. Although the university closed its doors in the 19th century, important artifacts from the period of its existence between 1585 and 1843 are preserved by the local Martena museum, which is located in a late medieval town castle in the city of Franeker.
No feminist
Their collection also contains an exposition on Anna Maria van Schurman (1607-1678), one of the most learned women in history. Unsurprisingly, Wikipedia incorrectly refers to her as a feminist. An interesting label for someone who happened to be a hyper-conservative puritan.
Schurman was extremely well connected. She was friends with Voetius and Huygens; and corresponded with René Descartes. She disagreed with the latter, as Schurman insisted that the full authority and reliability of Holy Scripture should be part of an integrated worldview. One important lesson from her great intellect that mastered 13 languages and several arts (a.o. she was an accomplished painter), is the modest realization that human reason is inherently limited and dependent on revelation. Detaching reason from revelation as Descartes essentially advocated, would prove to be the undoing of traditional religion. Anna Maria van Schurman recognized with great foresight that if religion is no longer part of a unified field of knowledge, it is bound to collapse, despite formal assertions.
the best Education
In 17th century terms, Schurman represented a special category of girls. She was, like well-to-do boys at the time, home educated. The better circles had their children home-schooled. Also in the Netherlands. The famous statesmen Johan and Cornelis de Wit were tutored at home. It was not exceptional that girls in higher circles also received education. For instance, Lady Jane Grey was. Read Nicola Tallis’s excellent book Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey. Amazing how a young teenage girl dealt with fateful circumstances that were not of her own making. She was not the only educated girl in England at the time, if Thomas More’s correspondence with his daughter Margaret is any indication.
As no women were allowed at university, a special arrangement was made for Schurman. She sat in on lectures from behind closed curtains in a booth or an especially for that purpose erected screen. In this way, she ‘attended’ university courses in Hebrew, Arabic, Chaldee, Syriac and Coptic. Apart from these languages she was able to write in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, French, Arabic, Persian, Ethiopian, German and Dutch. On top of this, Schurman excelled in mathematics, geography, astronomy and, as we have already noticed, showed great perceptiveness in matters of Theology.
Celibacy
When her father was dying, about a year after they had settled in Franeker, Anna Maria promised him that she would not marry. He left her with sufficient money, cf. 1 Corinthians 7.
The promise that her father exacted from Anna Maria was was probably to confirm her in a previously stated intent and personal preference. In other words, that she would not feel compelled to do so after his departure. Another consideration may have been St Paul’s view on the difference in duties of married women, versus those of single ladies. It is, perhaps, not a coincidence that Schurman’s book on the subject specifically argues for the education of maids. It does not argue for women in academia in general, but justifies the commitment of single women to a life of scholarship.
According to her friends, Anna Maria’s celibacy was not because of scholarship, but because of her devotion to God, which was first and foremost in her life. Like St Paul, she was committed to celibacy for religious reason.
It was not for want of opportunity. Famous men of the age were among her suitors. For instance, in 1634 Constantijn Huygens proposed and wrote 10 poems in three languages to persuade her. It was to no avail, as her life’s motto was Amor Meus Crucifixus Est (My love has been crucified).
