Dr. Carmen Valdés (“Beguines: The First Women’s Movement in Christianity: A Time for a Return?”) provides a succinct account of the history of the Beguines, a spiritual revival movement in the 13th–16th centuries, particularly in the Low Countries of Europe, that stressed imitation of Christ’s life through contemplative prayer, works of charity, and voluntary poverty. Some of these women lived in quasi-religious communities but without taking vows. Valdés recounts the struggles the Beguines had to face due to the prevailing bias against women in the medieval Church and the witch-hunt launched by the Inquisition against mystics and visionaries. A discussion of the writings of Hadewijch of Antwerp, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Marguerite Porete illustrates the new kind of bold mysticism inaugurated by the Beguines. – from the Editor’s Preface