Women in the Early Church Research Papers (original) (raw)

Oi Christianoi - Sezione antica, n. 26 ----- Su Ipazia di Alessandria e su Sinesio di Cirene molti hanno già scritto: Ipazia, una nota antica scienziata e filosofia, Sinesio, un nobile, suo allievo e poi vescovo cristiano; Ipazia, da alcuni presa in considerazione unicamente come vessillo del femminismo, Sinesio, spesso trascurato a fronte di più famosi Padri della Chiesa. La peculiarità del libro, che è frutto di un accurato studio critico delle relative fonti primarie e secondarie, consiste nel tipo di approccio: le due figure e le loro opere sono esaminate sullo sfondo dei differenti ambiti culturali in cui si sono sviluppate le vicende della loro vita, pur nella contemporaneità: la differenza di ambiti culturali consente di evidenziare di questa donna e di questo uomo non solo la validità del loro lungo rapporto amicale, testimoniate da alcune lettere di Sinesio a noi pervenute, ma anche l'alto valore interculturale di tale rapporto.

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- Christianity, History, Ancient History, Women's Studies

733 Dieses der Antike fremde Konzept wird in dem einleitenden Essay von Ulrico Agnati in seiner epochenübergreifenden Bedeutung beleuchtet, wobei für die Spätantike mit Recht darauf hingewiesen wird, dass die durch Konstantin hergestellte Religionsfreiheit nicht lange andauerte; das Ergebnis seiner Politik bestand nicht in Toleranz, sondern in neuen Formen politischer Benachteiligung und religiöser Verfolgung sowohl innerhalb des Christentums als auch gegenüber den traditionellen, heidnischen Kulten. Der Anspruch des Bandes besteht darin, dieses Spannungsfeld von Duldung bzw. Förderung auf der einen Seite sowie Bedrängung und Verfolgung auf der anderen Seite anhand aller verfügbaren Quellengattungen zu untersuchen. Etliche Beiträge beinhalten detaillierte Quellenauswertungen, wenn z.B. die Freilassung von Sklaven oder die Rechtsstellung der Juden behandelt werden; hier kann es indes kaum gelingen, über den bekannten Stand der Forschung hinauszukommen. Andere Aufsätze bringen anregende Beobachtungen etwa zur Rolle der mündlichen Kommunikation unter Maximinus Daia, zum Konzept des Priesters in den "Kirchenprojekten" dieses Kaiser und seines späteren Nachfolgers Julians oder auch zur vieldiskutierten Frage, warum es 326 n.Chr. zur Hinrichtung des Konstantin-Sohnes Crispus und seiner Frau Fausta kam. Erwähnt seien auch die interessante Befunde zu den theologischen Differenzen zwischen Konstantin und seinem ‚Hofbischof' Eusebius, die Davide Dainese aus Eusebs Schriften herausarbeitet. Es sind diese Argumentationen und Befunde im Detail sowie die immer vorsichtig formulierten Thesen zu den offenen Fragen, die den Band zu einem durchaus gewichtigen Beitrag für die Konstantinsforschung machen. Eva-Maria Gärtner, Heilig-Land-Pilgerinnern des lateinischen Westens im 4. Jahrhundert. Eine prosopographische Studie zu ihren Biographien, Itinerarien und Motiven. (Jerusalemer Theologisches Forum, Bd. 34.) Münster, Die Arbeit untersucht Leben und Reise von neun Pilgerinnen (Eutropia, Kaiserin Helena, Melania, Egeria -das einzige Selbstzeugnis einer Frau -, Paula und ihre Tochter Julia Eustochium, Fabiola, Poimenia und Silvia). Die Kapitel besprechen Quellen, das Leben bis zur Pilgerreise, die Pilgerreise, das Leben danach, und die "Motivationsfaktoren", die S. 226-245 noch einmal zusam-

Gregory of Nyssa's use of his elder sister as an example of the dynamic progress of the soul

- by V.K. McCarty
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- Early Church, Cappadocians, Byzantine monasticism, History of Monasticism

This paper examines the claim that the author of Acts intended to present the daughters of Philip in Acts 21:9 as filling the office of prophet in the early church. It rejects this claim and suggests that Acts presents a complementarian... more

- by Jeffrey T . Riddle
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- Women in the Early Church, Acts of the Apostles
- by Grace O'Keeffe
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- Gnosticism, Early Christianity, Mary Magdalene, Women in the Early Church

Parmi les nombreuses questions qui ont parfois tendance à polariser les opinions des divers acteurs du milieu évangélique contemporain, celle du rôle de la femme dans l’église est probablement la plus controversée. Cet article vise à apporter quelques éclairages en faisant la synthèse de l'enseignement des épîtres pauliniennes sur cette question.

- by Joël Favre
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- New Testament, Apostle Paul, Women in the Early Church, Women in the Church

This analysis hinges on controversial topic as to whether or not the Bible supports women occupying church leadership roles. This analysis reviews several New Testament passages of scripture; including several Pauline epistles. This topic of women in church leadership not only carries spiritual implications on the church at large but also social and relational implications as well. This analysis aims to eliminate the ambiguity surrounding this topic through careful exegesis of the scriptural passages that are being considered.

The Basilica Julii (also known as titulus Callisti and later as Santa Maria in Trastevere) provides a case study of the physical and social conditions in which early Christian liturgies 'rewired' their participants. This paper demonstrates that liturgical transformation was a two-way process, in which liturgy was the object as well as the agent of change. Three essential factors-the liturgy of the Eucharist, the space of the early Christian basilica, and the local Christian community-are described as they existed in Rome from the fourth through the ninth centuries. The essay then takes up the specific case of the Basilica Julii, showing how these three factors interacted in the concrete conditions of a particular titular church. The basilica's early Christian liturgical layout endured until the ninth century, when it was reconfigured by Pope Gregory IV (827-844) to bring the liturgical sub-spaces up-to-date. In Pope Gregory's remodeling the original non-hierarchical layout was replaced by one in which celebrants were elevated above the congregation, women were segregated from men, and higher-ranking lay people were accorded places of honor distinct from those of lesser stature. These alterations brought the Basilica Julii in line with the requirements of the ninth-century papal stational liturgy. The stational liturgy was hierarchically organized from the beginning, but distinctions became sharper in the course of the early Middle Ages in accordance with the expansion of papal authority and changes in lay society. Increasing hierarchization may have enhanced the transformational power of the Eucharist, or impeded it.

While previous examinations of the practice of clerical marriage have usually focused on its ecclesial and theological aspects, this study concretely examines the aspect of the marriage itself in canonical legislation from early church councils to modern Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox practice. Marriage, remarriage, and ritual purity of both the cleric and his wife was a matter of concern to canonists and theologians, in ways which shed new light on the intersection between marriage and ordination. In particular, the role of the wife is a prism by which wider conceptions of the utility or validity of married clergy is conceived. By understanding the shifting rhetoric and canonical interpretations, a better understanding of the fundamental questions concerning priesthood, marriage, and ontology contained within this subject are revealed. As the permanent diaconate presents anew in the Roman Catholic church the intersection between ordination and marriage, these underlying concerns have a new relevance with important ecumenical ramifications.

- by S. A. Wassen
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- Canon Law, Medieval Canon & Roman Law, Bigamy, Ritual Purity

This paper written as an exegesis of the Pauline letters particularly looking at the role of women within the Pauline Ministry. This paper also observes the traditional Catholic interpretation of the role of women within the ecclesiastical liturgy of the early church, marriage, and the scriptural justification for the all-male priesthood.

- by Joseph R . Muti
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- Early Church, Synoptic Gospels, Catholic Theology, History of Roman Catholicism

For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female-, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:26-29)'

The role of women in the church is one of the most widespread and longstanding contentions within Christendom. Approaches to women in leadership abound within the Church, and all evangelical groups claim to base their ideological stance on careful study of Scripture. This article conducts a socio-rhetorical criticism of I Timothy 2:8-15, in an attempt to identify the ideology embedded within scripture regarding the role and expectations of women in leadership within the Church. Ideological texture will be explored in the following locations: (a) in the text,

- by MaryJo Burchard
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- Women in Ministry, Ecclesial Leadership, Women in the Early Church

This paper endeavors to discover the person of Empress Eudocia, a Christian Augusta that ruled alongside and beyond her husband, Theodosius II in the 5 th century. Beyond her exemplary writings, including her Homerocentones, Eudocia adeptly navigated the Christian world as a Hellene and the secular Roman world as a Christian. Additionally, she found her own unique way to wield power as a woman in a man's world. Most likely brought into the Christian Theodosian household in order to pacify the Hellenists in the court, Eudocia proved to take her pagan background and use it in a way that uniquely proclaimed the Gospel message.

-My approach is to begin with listening to the text. We first need to understand the flow of Paul's argument and the meaning of key words within the context of 1 Corinthians. It is only after we have spent time in the text that we can ask how the cultural setting informs the meaning of what Paul was seeking to communicate. -Paul addresses the practice of divisive customs in worship in 11:2-16 at the start of his larger discussion regarding divisions within the Corinthian church when they gather together. 1

Delivered to St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Mission, NYC, October 2020

1. Per spiegare l'evoluzione del ruolo delle donne nel primo cristianesimo si ricorre in genere a due modelli interpretativi. 1 Il primo tende a mettere in rilievo la discontinuità tra Gesù e le chiese primitive individuando un passaggio da un ruolo maggiore ad un ruolo minore delle donne. Una loro posizione inferiore si delineerebbe soprattutto dopo la creazione del Nuovo Testamento o a partire dal III secolo. Il secondo sottolinea la continuità e tende a scoprire il ruolo attivo delle donne nelle prime chiese anche dove i testi apparentemente sembrano negarla.

A chief element against the view that the pseudonymous Pastorals (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) polemicize against Marcion is the association of opponents with Judaism. The essay addresses this apparent contradiction through an analysis of Tit. 1:10, where the author represents the opposition as ‘of the circumcision.’ The article argues that the reference is a rhetorical charge against Marcion as guilty of promoting community discord. Paul’s report of Gal. 1:18-2:14 was important to Marcion as an account of the apostle’s dedication to his revealed Gospel against opponents in/from Jerusalem. Acts, perhaps motivated by an anti-Marcionite polemic, represents an alternative account, not of Paul opposed by Jerusalem Christ followers, but endorsed by them. The essay observes how Irenaeus and Tertullian in opposition to Marcion seek to harmonize the report from Acts and the confrontation of Paul with Peter in Gal. 2:10-14, to show how Paul never separated from the other disciples, but was instructed by them. The Pastorals polemicize against Marcion in a different way by turning the tables on him and associating him with ‘false brethren’ (Gal. 2:4) and the ‘circumcision party’ (Gal. 2:12; Acts 11:2; 15:2) opposed to Paul’s Gospel. As such they pillory their opponent as a factionalist and thus use the unique accounts reported in Galatians, so important to Marcion, against him.

The focus of this paper will be on the character of the Samaritan woman herself, where we will discover how Jesus empowered her as an evangelist, despite her history and the community from which she came. In this paper, we will be discussing the character of the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus, and look at all the different ways she can be engaged with that can deepen our understanding of the ministry of Jesus. In the end, we will see that the gospel of John does not present the Samaritan woman as a woman living in sin, but empowers her as a matriarch and evangelist to the Samaritans.

- by Graham McCarthy
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- Christianity, Theology, Women in the ancient world, Women in the Early Church

Short paper written for Phillips Exeter Academy's Liber Classics Magazine Volume 2: Women. A short introduction to the treatment of and theology surrounding women in the first few centuries of the Common Era. Edited by Thomas Ramsey,... more

- by Charlie Preston
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- Christianity, History, Classics, Women's History

In the pages of the New Testament we find beautiful imagery and noble typography, contours of women who have gone before us and left their mark. As women, as historians, we hunger to know their stories, to wrap them in the flesh and blood of real people who lived in real time and space. We want to know these ancient women who forged a way through the bonds of patriarchy and male dominated society to be found at the feet of Jesus, in the shadow of the empty tomb and at the right hand of Paul. It is with such a prominent member of the Pauline circle and early church leader this paper is concerned, let us here commence our search for St. Prisca. This paper will draw from texts and tradition, archeology and ancient martyr stories in attempt to reconstruct a biography of this early church holy woman. While many noteworthy prior studies have focused on textual variants, the prominence of her name placement, and plural subjects and singular verbs, this paper seeks to collect known remnants, connect the dots and present a portrait, to tell the story of Prisca that might at once inspire and challenge the Church.

- by Kimberly Majeski
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- Women in the ancient world, Women in the Early Church

This discussion seeks a social-spatial analysis of early Christian martyrology. "Spatiality" is a term that describes "how space and social relations are made through each other; that is, how space is made through social relations, and how social relations are shaped by the space in which they occur."1 Spatial theory contests a view that sees space as a kind of empty container, or an inert point on a map.2 It rather conceives spaces as a dynamic, living phenomenon that people produce, imagine, and live in their interactions with one another and with the places they inhabit. As I hope to show, the dynamic features of space-time the martyr accounts open up belong to a world where there is a contest over place and identity and where imperial ideas are at once repudiated but also embraced to form new modalities. In this regard, these accounts conform to Hardt and Negri's bio-political conceptualization of space-time, adopted from Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze. "Events of resistance" they argue, "have the power not only to escape control but also to create a new world."3 Placed against what they call the "smooth space" of the modern Empire capital and its flow creates, "the productivity of the biopolitical event" creates a rupture and reconfiguration of hege-1 Phil Hubbard and Rob Kitchin (eds.). Key Thinkers of Space and Place. 2n ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011, 499. 2 For this older conception of space, its philosophical and socio-political setting, and the ways in which spatial theory contests that view, David Harvey. By Empire as "smooth space" they describe a place in which "subjectivities glide without substantial resistance or conflict". (Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001, 98.) Their treatment in Commonwealth addresses key objections to their earlier formulation of "smooth space" as furnishing little socio-graphical room for local resistance and socio-geographical space-time practices. For this critique, David Featherstone. Resistance, Space and Political Identities. The Making of Counter-Global Networks. Oxford: Wiley, 2008, 124-127. Hardt and Negri's description of modern Empire contrasts sharply with the ancient Roman one, where there were no "smooth spaces," but rather a continuing contest over identity and time-space in innumerable social spheres, domains, and places. In that context the biopolitical account is more precise.

- by Harry O . Maier
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- Social Geography, Gender Studies, Visual Studies, Violence
- by Harry O . Maier and +1
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- Visual Studies, Visual Anthropology, Violence, Patristics

Este artículo revisa y reflexiona sobre las características de esas mujeres, empoderadas por la revolución de Jesús, como prescriptoras de otras mujeres e, incluso, de otros hombres.El Nuevo Testamento concibe a cada cristiano como una persona de buena influencia, como colaborador de Jesús, tenga asignadas o no responsabilidades eclesiásticas. Em este sentido, se analiza el material neotestamentario.

- by Víctor Armenteros
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- Biblical Studies, Bible (New Testament), Biblia, Women in the Early Church

This chapter evaluates the structure of 1 Cor 11-14 as a ring pattern. It makes the case that 13:1-13 stands as the center of the ring, and that the directives on order in the eucharist (11:16-34) and prophesying (14:26-33, 35-40) bracket the unit's overall argument for communal harmony.
The chapter also argues that the texts that subordinate women in worship settings (11:3-15 and 14:33-34) are later interpolations that share more in common with the Deutero-Paulines in language and consistency with Roman hegemony.

- by Timothy Milinovich
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- Gender Studies, New Testament, Textual Criticism, Gender and Sexuality

Most of us who were formed in the Holiness tradition need not delve too far into our personal and collective histories to regale stories of aunts who left fellowship over the wearing of pants in church, board meetings held to discuss whether or not the youth group could wear shorts to the amusement park and the always timely sermon on Christian modesty. In our era when the Kardashians and the Real Housewives set fashion trends, notions of modesty of appropriate dress become more and more difficult to discern against the backdrop of our culture and the admonitions of scripture such that conversations about holiness and fashion become more and more relevant.

Lectures for St. Luke's 200th Fall Series 2020

- by V.K. McCarty
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- New Testament, Early Christianity, Luke-Acts, New testament exegesis

Presented Oct 2020, the first in the Fall series, "Lectures for St. Luke's 200th," about the Acts of the Apostles

- by V.K. McCarty
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- New Testament, Early Church, Early Christianity, New Testament and Christian Origins
- by Zara Pogossian
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- Gender Studies, Women's Studies, Hagiography, Armenian Studies

F’dan l-artiklu nagħtu ħarsa fil-qosor ħafna lejn in-nisa li ħallew il- marka tagħhom fl-ewwel sekli tal-Knisja: dawk imsemmija fit-Testment il-Ġdid, dawk li taw ix-xhieda tagħhom tat-twemmin nisrani permezz tal-martirju, u dawk li baqgħu magħrufa minħabba l-prattiċi axxetiċi tagħhom, minħabba l-ħarba tagħhom fid-deżert, jew minħabba l-għażla tagħhom favur il-verġnità jew il-ħajja monastika.

- by Pauline Dimech
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- Women in the Early Church

In this paper, I argue that the martyrdom of Perpetua, recorded in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity, demonstrates the growing challenge that early Christian women were perceived to present in Roman society through their creation of a redefined gender identity. My paper explores the interrelated dynamic of authority and gendered identity in Roman society, and the implications for the early Christian church.

- by Ben Edsall
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- Christian Education, Early Christianity, Augustine, John Chrysostom

Feminine authority in the early church " The Lord giveth the word. The women that publish the tidings are a great host "-Psalm 68:11 (ASV). Piecing together the formative years of Christianity allows us a greater understanding of the role women played in both public and private life. I argue that texts such as the Gospel of Mary and other Apocrypha, such as the Gospel of the Savior and the Pistas Sophia, reveal that some women were able to use their status and traditional position to enhance their authority and establish themselves as leaders. These women embraced their gender roles rather than compromising them or seeking out true gender neutrality. These texts present a unique perspective of women who supported teachers such as Jesus, and also those who taught, preached and traveled, by their own means or in conjunction with others, sometimes with the support of their own followers in the early years of Christianity. The role and authority of women in the church has been an ongoing debate since before the canonization of biblical texts, and it may be beneficial to look back at the pre-canonized ideas within Christianity to find solutions. An examination of such early thought may induce a reexamination of the intention and thoughts of the earliest followers of Jesus, and the teachings and ideas of Christ himself. The Gospel of Mary gives us a glimpse into the formative years of Christianity. Much is missing from our understanding of how various sects understood the message of Christ as it spread throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. We know that ideas and stories change with their transmission and translations, so what little text remains allows valuable insight into the hearts

- by Edwina Murphy
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- Early Christianity, Martyrdom, Women in the Early Church

Este artículo revisa y reflexiona sobre las características de las mujeres, empoderadas por la revolución de Jesús, como prescriptoras de otras mujeres e, incluso, de otros hombres. El Nuevo Testamento concibe a cada cristiano como una persona de buena influencia, como colaborador de Jesús, tenga asignadas o no responsabilidades eclesiásticas. Y, desde esa perspectiva, se analiza el material neotestamentario.

- by Víctor Armenteros
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- Feminismo, Biblia, Women in the Early Church, Teoría de género y feminismo
- by Susan E Hylen
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- New Testament, Women in the Early Church, Feminist interpretation, apostle

Brings together the latest research and reflections on women's leadership in early Christianity Considers the evidence for ways in which women exercised leadership in churches in the first Christian millennium Includes new archaeological,... more

Brings together the latest research and reflections on women's leadership in early Christianity
Considers the evidence for ways in which women exercised leadership in churches in the first Christian millennium
Includes new archaeological, artistic, and literary material on women's leadership in the early centuries of the Christian era

- by Joan Taylor
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- Women Leadership, Women in the Early Church, Role of Women In the Church

A short overview of my paper exploring gender representation in the Roman fresco, Fractio Panis.

Ephesians 5 is a very familiar passage. Paul's instructions to wives and husbands are read at weddings. They are quickly referred to when talking about what defines marriage. These instructions are central to the debate over women in church leadership. Paul's instructions to children and parents as well as slaves and masters typically hold less significance for us since we tend to limit the implications to children and we are not really sure how instructions to slaves fits our social structures today.

This course is dedicated to providing a historical and theological account of the roots, growth, and flowering of the ascetic practice of virginity from its scriptural progenitors through its late medieval inheritors. It will focus on the primary sources related to this topic: treatises on virginity, consecration rituals, homilies, letters of spiritual guidance, martyr acts, saints’ lives, visionary accounts, and autobiographies. Through a variety of sources, this course seeks to understand not only the multiple and changing ways in which the discipline of virginity was theologized and practiced in the early and medieval church, but also how it empowered and spiritually authorized its practitioners to perform pastoral and liturgical acts customarily read as sacerdotal in nature, such as founding ecclesial communities, preaching, anointing the sick, forgiving sins, and interceding on behalf of souls in purgatory. Often irrespective of geographical location, class, gender, or prior sexual experience, men and women alike could serve as Christ for others through the spiritual transformation wrought by sexual renunciation, for they became Christ in their very flesh.

- by Katie Bugyis
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- Medieval History, Hagiography, Patristics, Medieval Studies

Fractio Panis, a third-century Roman fresco, has been determinedly depicted by many as showing an all-or primarily-male gathering. This paper argues instead that Fractio Panis portrays a group of women, and that they are engaged in early Christian liturgical worship. Therefore, the fresco reinforces the view that women were actively involved in the early Christian church in Rome. Not only does this emphasize the importance of incorporating non-textual sources into early Christian studies, but it also suggests sustained involvement by women in the early church and consequently a more severe rejection of this involvement by male Christian leaders. Images of the fresco can be quickly found through an internet search, although the perspective and quality vary.