Merlin Stone (born Marilyn Jacobson in 1931) was an American author, artist, and academic whose interdisciplinary background uniquely positioned her to challenge conventional understandings of ancient religious history.

Stone’s educational journey began at the University of Buffalo in New York, where she enrolled in 1949. After marrying in 1950, she continued her studies while raising children, ultimately earning a bachelor’s degree in art with a minor in journalism and a teaching certificate in 1958. Following her undergraduate education, Stone worked as both an educator and a practicing artist from 1958 to 1967. She taught at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery School from 1957 to 1966 and at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1962 and 1966. During this period, she maintained an active sculpture practice, exhibiting widely and completing numerous commissioned works. Stone later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) in Oakland in 1968.

Stone’s transition from artist to religious historian emerged through her study of ancient art forms. Her professional background as a sculptor provided her with technical knowledge about artistic production methods, material properties, and cultural symbolism that traditional historians often lacked. This practical understanding enabled her to interpret archaeological artifacts from a maker’s perspective, leading to insights about goddess figurines and religious sculptures that purely textual scholars might miss.

From 1971 to 1976, Stone engaged in independent research at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, and conducted extensive fieldwork in libraries throughout Europe and the Middle East. This five-year intensive research period formed the foundation for her theoretical framework regarding ancient goddess worship. Her methodology combined archaeological evidence, mythological analysis, and historical documentation gathered from primary sources across multiple cultures and geographical regions.

Stone spent a decade researching material that culminated in her most influential work, initially published in the United Kingdom as The Paradise Papers and subsequently in the United States as When God Was a Woman in 1976. The book presented her theory that Hebrew religious authorities systematically suppressed goddess-worshipping religions practiced in Canaan, and that patriarchal resistance to existing matrilineal social structures fundamentally shaped both Judaism and Christianity.

Her second major publication, Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood: A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore from Around the World (1984), compiled stories, myths, and prayers involving goddess figures from diverse world religions. Stone also produced numerous essays and articles, including “3,000 Years of Racism,” which extended her analysis of religious transformation to examine racial and cultural suppression patterns.

Stone’s work significantly influenced the emerging feminist spirituality movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Her 1976 publication coincided with second-wave feminism’s questioning of patriarchal religious institutions, providing historical validation for alternative spiritual practices centered on female divine imagery. The influence of Stone’s research extended beyond academic circles into popular culture and contemporary religious practice, informing the development of modern Wiccan and neo-pagan movements.

Stone’s interdisciplinary approach to ancient religious history established a model for combining artistic, archaeological, and literary analysis that continues to influence contemporary scholarship. While many of her specific historical claims remain disputed within academic contexts, her broader impact on feminist theology and women’s spirituality movements has proven lasting. Her work remains significant for demonstrating how interdisciplinary research methods can challenge established academic assumptions and open new avenues for historical inquiry.