Becoming a Theologian: Anna Maria van Schurman, Epistolarity, and Self-Representation in the Republic of Letters

Abstract This study presents the first comparative analysis and English translation of three epistolary exchanges between Anna Maria van Schurman (1607–1678) and three distinguished scholars in the Republic of Letters, as published in her 1641 volume, Dissertatio, de ingenii muliebris ad Doctrinam, & meliores Litteras aptitudine ( A Dissertation on the Aptitude of the Female Mind for Knowledge and Humane Letters ). The letters to which Van Schurman responds – written in Latin and French, with her replies incorporating Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic – originated from Reformed scholars Adolphus Vorstius, Andreas Colvius, and Jacobus Lydius. While Vorstius and Colvius voice reservations about Van Schurman’s theological pursuits, revealing distinct gendered expectations, Lydius grants her free rein to demonstrate her theological expertise. Together, their letters and her nuanced responses provide a rare glimpse into the opportunities and challenges encountered by an emerging woman theologian seeking to engage as a full-fledged participant in the scholarly and theological discourse of the Republic of Letters.