Women in Early Christianity: Translations from Greek Texts
edited by Patricia Cox Miller
Catholic University of America Press, 2005 Paper: 978-0-8132-1417-7 | eISBN: 978-0-8132-1630-0 Library of Congress Classification BR195.W6W66 2005 Dewey Decimal Classification 270.1082
ABOUT THIS BOOK | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK What emerges from these texts is a colorful portrayal of the many faces of ancient Christian women in their roles as teachers, prophets, martyrs, widows, deaconesses, ascetics, virgins, wives, and mothers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Women In Early Christianity
Translations From Greek Texts
Table of Contents . . . . . . . 1-4
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . 5-11
Introduction . . . . . . . . 12-31
I: Women's Roles in the Church . . . . . 32-86
Teachers . . . . . . . . 32-47
1. Marcellina . . . . . . . 32-34
2. Melania the Younger . . . . . 34-37
3. Macrina . . . . . . . 38-45
4. Women, the Church, and Teaching . . . 45-47
Prophets . . . . . . . . 47-56
1. Disciples of Marcus . . . . . 47-49
2. Montanists . . . . . . . 49-56
Martyrs . . . . . . . . 56-64
1. Blandina . . . . . . . 57-60
2. Agathonicê . . . . . . 60-62
3. Potamiaena . . . . . . 62-64
Catechumens . . . . . . . . 64-65
Widows . . . . . . . . 65-79
Deaconesses . . . . . . . . 79-83
Writings Opposed to Women's Ecclesiastical Duties . . 83-86
II: Women and Virginity . . . . . . 87-173
Female Comportment . . . . . . . 87-94
Major Treatises on Virginity . . . . . . 94-134
1. Methodius, The Symposium . . . . 94-110
2. Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity . . . . 110-21
3. John Chrysostom, On Virginity . . . . 121-34
The Subintroductae . . . . . . . 134-73
1. Athanasius, Second Letter to Virgins . . . 134-40
2. John Chrysostom, Instruction and Refutation Directed
Against Those Men Cohabiting With Virgins . 140-58
3. John Chrysostom, On the Necessity of Guarding Virginity 158-71
4. Canons of the Council of Gangra . . . . 171-73
III: Portraits of Ascetic Women . . . . . 174-286
Ascetic Heroines in Literature . . . . . 174-220
1. Thecla . . . . . . . 174-87
2. Xanthippe and Polyxena . . . . . 187-205
3. Maximilla . . . . . . . 206-20
Biographies of Ascetic Leaders . . . . . 220-71
1. Macrina . . . . . . . 220-39
2. Melania the Elder . . . . . . 239-43
3. Melania the Younger . . . . . 243-63
4. Olympias . . . . . . . 263-71
Women in Desert Asceticism . . . . . . 271-86
1. The Nun Who Feigned Madness . . . . 271-73
2. Pelagia . . . . . . . 273-82
3. Theodora, Sarah, and Syncletica . . . . 283-86
IV: Women and Domestic Life . . . . . 287-328
Marriage . . . . . . . . 287-315
1. Paul, 1 Corinthians 7 . . . . . 287-90
2. Hermas, The Shepherd . . . . . 290-92
3. Clement of Alexandria, The Pedagogue . . . 292-98
4. Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies . . . 298-305
5. John Chrysostom, Hom. 12 on 1st Corinthians . . 305-308
6. John Chrysostom, The Kind of Women Who Ought to be
Taken as Wives . . . . . 309-10
7. John Chrysostom, Hom. 20 on Ephesians . . 311-15
Praise for Mothers and Sisters . . . . . 315-28
1. Gregory of Nazianzus, Funeral Oration for his Sister Gorgonia 316-22
2. Gregory of Nazianzus, On His Own Life . . . 322-23
3. Gregory of Nazianzus, On His Own Affairs . . 323
4. Gregory of Nazianzus, Funeral Oration for his Brother
Caesarius . . . . . . 323-24
5. Gregory of Nazianzus, Funeral Oration for his Father . 324-26
6. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood . . . 326-28
V: Female Imagery and Theology . . . . . 329-69
Eve-Mary Theme . . . . . . . 329-37
1. Eve . . . . . . . . 329-31
2. Eve and Mary . . . . . . 331-37
Marian Literature . . . . . . . 337-50
1. Marian Biography . . . . . . 337-44
2. Virgin and Mother of God . . . . . 344-47
3. Marian Cult . . . . . . 347-48
4. The Other Mary . . . . . . 348-50
Female Images and Metaphors . . . . . 351-69
1. God as Mother . . . . . . 351-55
2. The "Woman Clothed With The Sun" . . . 355-57
3. The Church Personified as a Woman . . . 357-61
4. The Soul as Female . . . . . 361-67
5. The Virtues as Female . . . . . 367-69
Timeline of Early Christian Women . . . . . 370
Timeline of Early Christian Authors and Texts . . . 371-72
Suggestions for Further Reading . . . . . 373-80
Women in Early Christianity: Translations from Greek Texts
edited by Patricia Cox Miller
Catholic University of America Press, 2005 Paper: 978-0-8132-1417-7 eISBN: 978-0-8132-1630-0
What emerges from these texts is a colorful portrayal of the many faces of ancient Christian women in their roles as teachers, prophets, martyrs, widows, deaconesses, ascetics, virgins, wives, and mothers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Women In Early Christianity
Translations From Greek Texts
Table of Contents . . . . . . . 1-4
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . 5-11
Introduction . . . . . . . . 12-31
I: Women's Roles in the Church . . . . . 32-86
Teachers . . . . . . . . 32-47
1. Marcellina . . . . . . . 32-34
2. Melania the Younger . . . . . 34-37
3. Macrina . . . . . . . 38-45
4. Women, the Church, and Teaching . . . 45-47
Prophets . . . . . . . . 47-56
1. Disciples of Marcus . . . . . 47-49
2. Montanists . . . . . . . 49-56
Martyrs . . . . . . . . 56-64
1. Blandina . . . . . . . 57-60
2. Agathonicê . . . . . . 60-62
3. Potamiaena . . . . . . 62-64
Catechumens . . . . . . . . 64-65
Widows . . . . . . . . 65-79
Deaconesses . . . . . . . . 79-83
Writings Opposed to Women's Ecclesiastical Duties . . 83-86
II: Women and Virginity . . . . . . 87-173
Female Comportment . . . . . . . 87-94
Major Treatises on Virginity . . . . . . 94-134
1. Methodius, The Symposium . . . . 94-110
2. Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity . . . . 110-21
3. John Chrysostom, On Virginity . . . . 121-34
The Subintroductae . . . . . . . 134-73
1. Athanasius, Second Letter to Virgins . . . 134-40
2. John Chrysostom, Instruction and Refutation Directed
Against Those Men Cohabiting With Virgins . 140-58
3. John Chrysostom, On the Necessity of Guarding Virginity 158-71
4. Canons of the Council of Gangra . . . . 171-73
III: Portraits of Ascetic Women . . . . . 174-286
Ascetic Heroines in Literature . . . . . 174-220
1. Thecla . . . . . . . 174-87
2. Xanthippe and Polyxena . . . . . 187-205
3. Maximilla . . . . . . . 206-20
Biographies of Ascetic Leaders . . . . . 220-71
1. Macrina . . . . . . . 220-39
2. Melania the Elder . . . . . . 239-43
3. Melania the Younger . . . . . 243-63
4. Olympias . . . . . . . 263-71
Women in Desert Asceticism . . . . . . 271-86
1. The Nun Who Feigned Madness . . . . 271-73
2. Pelagia . . . . . . . 273-82
3. Theodora, Sarah, and Syncletica . . . . 283-86
IV: Women and Domestic Life . . . . . 287-328
Marriage . . . . . . . . 287-315
1. Paul, 1 Corinthians 7 . . . . . 287-90
2. Hermas, The Shepherd . . . . . 290-92
3. Clement of Alexandria, The Pedagogue . . . 292-98
4. Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies . . . 298-305
5. John Chrysostom, Hom. 12 on 1st Corinthians . . 305-308
6. John Chrysostom, The Kind of Women Who Ought to be
Taken as Wives . . . . . 309-10
7. John Chrysostom, Hom. 20 on Ephesians . . 311-15
Praise for Mothers and Sisters . . . . . 315-28
1. Gregory of Nazianzus, Funeral Oration for his Sister Gorgonia 316-22
2. Gregory of Nazianzus, On His Own Life . . . 322-23
3. Gregory of Nazianzus, On His Own Affairs . . 323
4. Gregory of Nazianzus, Funeral Oration for his Brother
Caesarius . . . . . . 323-24
5. Gregory of Nazianzus, Funeral Oration for his Father . 324-26
6. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood . . . 326-28
V: Female Imagery and Theology . . . . . 329-69
Eve-Mary Theme . . . . . . . 329-37
1. Eve . . . . . . . . 329-31
2. Eve and Mary . . . . . . 331-37
Marian Literature . . . . . . . 337-50
1. Marian Biography . . . . . . 337-44
2. Virgin and Mother of God . . . . . 344-47
3. Marian Cult . . . . . . 347-48
4. The Other Mary . . . . . . 348-50
Female Images and Metaphors . . . . . 351-69
1. God as Mother . . . . . . 351-55
2. The "Woman Clothed With The Sun" . . . 355-57
3. The Church Personified as a Woman . . . 357-61
4. The Soul as Female . . . . . 361-67
5. The Virtues as Female . . . . . 367-69
Timeline of Early Christian Women . . . . . 370
Timeline of Early Christian Authors and Texts . . . 371-72
Suggestions for Further Reading . . . . . 373-80
