Anne McGOWEN and Paul F. BRADSHAW, The Pilgrimage of Egeria: A New Translation of the Itinerium Egeriae with Introduction and Commentary. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press Academic, 2018. pp.235. $29.95 pb. ISBN 978-0-8146-8421-4. Reviewed by Marie CONN, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA 19118.

Egeria, sometimes referred to as Aetheria, was a Gallic woman who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the late fourth century. Most of what we know of Egeria comes from a 7th-century letter written by Valerius, a monk. The middle of the long letter she wrote to women at home survived while the beginning and end were lost.

Egeria wrote of monks, holy places, and, perhaps most importantly, details of the early liturgical practices and worship in Jerusalem. Scholars tell us that the developing liturgical practices were becoming universal by the 4th century, so Egeria’s descriptions give us a firsthand account of this development. She also offers us a detailed look at the making of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land at that time.

Egeria’s account thus has two parts: an account of her travels followed by a report of the liturgical practices during her three-year stay in Jerusalem. Her accounts are also helpful to students of church architecture.

Until now, the translation most recommended for the average reader was John Wilkinson’s Egeria’s Travels: Newly Translated (1999). McGowan and Bradshaw give us a more literal translation, in an attempt to get closer to the “real” Egeria. With an extensive introduction that looks at the concept of pilgrimage, particularly women’s pilgrimages, as well as the experience of travel at that time, the authors make it possible to follow Egeria and to see what she saw.

John Baldovin, SJ, in a review of the book, states, “This fresh translation of Egeria’s pilgrimage diary will be indispensable to anyone wishing to study the liturgy in fourth-century Jerusalem and early Christian worship in general.” I agree, but I would also limit Baldovin’s “anyone”
first and foremost, to liturgical scholars or to graduate students on their way to becoming liturgical scholars.