Ordained Women in the Early Church: A Documentary History

Description

In a time when the ordination of women is an ongoing and passionate debate, the study of women's ministry in the early church is a timely and significant one. There is much evidence from documents, doctrine, and artifacts that supports the acceptance of women as presbyters and deacons in the early church. While this evidence has been published previously, it has never before appeared in one complete English-language collection. With this book, church historians Kevin Madigan and Carolyn Osiek present fully translated literary, epigraphical, and canonical references to women in early church offices. Through these documents, Madigan and Osiek seek to understand who these women were and how they related to and were received by, the church through the sixth century. They chart women's participation in church office and their eventual exclusion from its leadership roles. The editors introduce each document with a detailed headnote that contextualizes the text and discusses specific issues of interpretation and meaning. They also provide bibliographical notes and cross-reference original texts. Madigan and Osiek assemble relevant material from both Western and Eastern Christendom. Preface vii Source Abbreviations ix Chapter One INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter Two NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS AND THEIR PATRISTIC COMMENTATORS 11 Romans 16:1–2 12 1 Timothy 3:8–11 18 1 Timothy 5:3–13 21 Chapter Three WOMEN DEACONS IN THE EAST: LITERARY TEXTS, LITERARY ALLUSIONS, INSCRIPTIONS 25 Literary Texts and Allusions 25 Inscriptions 67 Chapter Four WOMEN DEACONS IN THE EAST: CANONS AND COMMENTS ON CHURCH PRACTICE 106 Didascalia and Apostolic Constitutions 106 Other Sources before the Sixth Century, in Chronological Order 116 Justinian, Novellae 123 Chapter Five WOMEN DEACONS IN THE EAST: LATER TEXTS 133 Chapter Six WOMEN DEACONS IN THE WEST 141 Literary Texts 141 Inscriptions 143 Canons and Comments on Church Practice 145 Chapter Seven WOMEN DEACONS: TESTAMENTUM DOMINI NOSTRI JESU CHRISTI AND RELATED TEXTS 150 Chapter Eight WOMEN PRESBYTERS 163 In the East 163 Literary Texts, Canonical, and Legendary 163 Inscriptions 169 In the West 171 Wives of Clerics 171 Three North Africans against Women Presbyters 174 Canons and Episcopal Letters 183 Inscriptions 193 Chapter Nine CONCLUSION 203 Appendixes A. Locations of Deacon Inscriptions 207 B. Locations of Deacons in Literary Sources 209 C. Locations of Presbyters 210 D. Family Relationships Identified for Women in Inscriptions 210 Index of Ancient Names 213 Index of Deaconesses, Presbyters, and Episcopa 217 Index of Modern Authors 219