The Church and the Two Nations in Medieval Ireland Book

Davis' book is over 20 years old now, so there may be research or newer books that are relevant but unfortunately not being a specialist in this study I don't know of them. So please read the following with that in mind.

The first thing I'd like to point out that even though this book is presented as a scholarly work, it comes from a publisher of polemics, and is most likely affiliated with some religious group. I regard it as less than completely honest that this isn't pointed out more clearly up front. That said, many of his conclusions can still be correct and honest.

I know the cliche "you can't tell a book by its cover" but in this case the dust jacket gives you an insight into the biases of the publisher and presumably the author. The cover illustration shows a mask of an placidly attractive woman's face being held up in front of the greenish face of a scowling crone. On the rear of the dust jacket, two books from this publisher are promoted: "Domestic Tranquility: A Brief Against Feminism" and "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity."

The description of the first book reads in part: "[the author] shows that the cultural assault on marriage, motherhood and traditional sexuality, rooted in the pursuit of economic and political power, has robbed women of their surest source of fulfillment". The second book "argues that Western churches have become 'woman's clubs' … and that a masculine presence can and must be restored." This is because "the current preoccupation with the role of women in the church obscures the more serious problem of the perennial absence of men." Clearly, these books are reactionary Christian anti-feminist works and at the very least would seem to be hostile to the beliefs of most neo-pagans.

So with that background let's look at the actual work by Mr Davis. His arguments can be summarized as follows:

1. starting in the mid 1900s, neo-pagan movements began to appear which claimed that they were developments of hidden or suppressed groups of practicing witches.

Most researchers have not identified any unquestionable examples of a "hereditary lineages of witches". Of course that isn't the same as claiming that such lineages don't exist. For obvious reasons -- particularly if witches or wiccans are surrounded by hostile religious believers they would not want to advertise that.

2. early anthropological/sociological writers believed there were historical, but more likely prehistorical societies which were matriarchal, that were all supplanted over the centuries by the primarily patriarchal systems that are essentially the characteristic of all known societies.

As the title of the book indicates; Davis associates early neopagan/wiccan development with Goddess worship which was indeed the primary focus of early books and covens. The evolution of the neopagan movement quickly led to groups where men were considered if not equals, then crucial members of the circle. Other groups were either exclusively for gay men or women.

The part of the book where Davis traces the rise and progress of neopaganism of the last 100 years or so is mostly factual and seems to be well researched.