Women's Religions in the Greco-Roman World: A Sourcebook

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Acknowledgments......Page 8
Contents......Page 12
Abbreviations......Page 26
Introduction......Page 32
ONE: Observances, Rituals, and Festivals......Page 38
1. Why Women Are Compelled to Worship Dionysos......Page 41
2. The Rites of the First Bacchic Worship......Page 42
3. Women Worshipers of a Dionysian Deity, Sabos......Page 45
4. Rituals for Brides and Pregnant Women in the Worship of Artemis......Page 46
6. Women Participants at a Festival of Adonis......Page 47
7. Ritual Regulations in a Dionysiac Thiasos......Page 49
9. The Establishment of Dionysiac Rites in Magnesia......Page 50
11. Three Excerpts from Ovid on the Rites of Roman Women......Page 51
11a. Roman Matrons Who Celebrate the Matralia (A Festival to the Goddess, Mother Matuta)......Page 52
11b. Roman Matrons Who Wash the Statue of Venus on April 1......Page 54
11c. The Ritual Practices of an Old Woman......Page 55
12. Women’s Rites of Dionysos in Greek Cities......Page 56
13. Women Members of a Monastic Jewish Community Outside Alexandria......Page 57
14. (Jewish?) Women in Alexandrian Public......Page 61
15. The Women’s Court of the Jerusalem Temple......Page 62
16a. Devotees of Dionysos Protected by Women from the Town of Amphissa......Page 64
16c. How Women’s Bacchic Frenzy Explains an Epithet of the God (Bacchus)......Page 65
16e. Why Women Use Milk but Not Wine in Offerings to Rumina......Page 66
16h. Why Roman Women Wash Their Heads on the Ides of August......Page 67
17a. The Public and Secret Rites to Demeter Performed by Elder Women inCorinth......Page 68
17b. The Athletic Contests for Women in Honor of Hera at Elis......Page 69
17d. Women’s Rites to Demeter at Achaia......Page 70
17f. Women Attacked during a Festival to Demeter, Who Defend Themselveswith Sacrificial Implements......Page 71
18. The Religious Activities of Roman Women as Viewed by a SkepticalSatirist......Page 72
19. Women (and Men) in a Procession to Isis......Page 74
20. The Deeds of the Saga Meroe......Page 76
21. Photis Reveals the Nefarious Deeds of Her Mistress, Pamphile......Page 78
22. A Grieving Mother Resurrects and Interrogates the Corpse of Her Son Using “Magic Arts”......Page 80
23. Callirhoe Entreats Aphrodite at Her Shrines and Temple......Page 83
24. Festivals and Sacrifices at the Birth of Callirhoe’s Son......Page 85
25. Prospective Brides and Grooms at a Festival of Artemis of Ephesos......Page 87
26. Anthia Entreats Isis and Apis......Page 88
27. Offerings and Festivals for Helios at Rhodes......Page 89
29. Leucippe Takes Refuge in a Sanctuary of Artemis......Page 92
30. Chloe and Daphnis Worship the Nymphs......Page 93
32. A Woman Whose Acceptance of Ascetic Christianity Causes Her Husband to Bring Charges Against Her and Her Christian Teachers......Page 94
33. A Tour of Hellish Torments Related by a Murdered Christian Woman Raised from the Dead by the Apostle Thomas......Page 96
34. Admonitions against the Participation of Menstruating Christian Women (and of Men Who Have Had a Nocturnal Emission) in the Eucharist......Page 101
35. Rabbinic Purity Regulations Concerning Menstruation and Other Blood Flow......Page 103
36. Rabbinic Arguments Against a Misogynist Tradition......Page 107
37. Discussions between Matrona and Rabbi Jose ben Halafta......Page 109
37a. Selections from Genesis Rabbah......Page 110
37c. Exodus Rabbah 3.12.2......Page 112
37e. Numbers Rabbah 3.2......Page 113
38. Arabian Christian Women of Thracian Descent Who Bake Cakes to the Virgin Mary and Function as Priests......Page 114
39. A Heresiologist’s Attempts to Refute the Teachings of Christian Women with Regard to Mary and to Disparage the Rituals and Religious Offices of Women......Page 115
40. Why Christian Women May Not Write Books in Their Own Names......Page 122
41. Christian Women in Antioch Participating in Jewish Festivals and Attending Synagogue......Page 123
42. A Christian Matron from Rome Visiting the Hermitic Abbot Arsenius......Page 125
43. Women Monastics and Women Visitors at a Pachomian Women’s Monastery in Fourth-Century c.e. Egypt......Page 127
45. Exempting Women from the Obligation to Eat in the Sukkah during the Jewish Festival of Sukkoth......Page 129
46. Rabbinic Discussion on the Differences in Rabbinic Law between a Man and a Woman......Page 132
47. Jewish Women Forcibly Converted to Christianity (and a Christian Woman Visionary) on the Island of Minorca......Page 139
TWO: Researching Real Women: Documents to, from, and by Women......Page 146
48b. Epitaph of a Woman, Her Husband, and Daughter......Page 150
48e. A Dialogue Epitaph of a Young Married Woman......Page 151
49. Disposition of a Lawsuit between a Woman and a Man Living in Egypt, Both Called “Jews/Judeans”......Page 152
50. A Jewish/Judean Woman’s Attacks on a Pregnant Neighbor......Page 153
51. The Contract of a Wet Nurse, Possibly Jewish/Judean......Page 154
52. A Divorce Agreement from Egypt, Perhaps Jewish/Judean......Page 155
54. Sale of a House between Two Women, the Buyer Perhaps Jewish/Judean......Page 156
55. Jewish Women Enumerated in a Tax Document from Egypt......Page 157
56. Manumission of a Jewish/Judean Female Slave......Page 159
58. A Woman Seeking to Attract the Love of Another Woman with a Spell......Page 160
59. A Woman Imploring Oserapis to Avenge Her Against Her Daughter’s Father......Page 161
60a. Herodias......Page 162
60b. The Daughters and Other Descendants of Herod the Great......Page 165
60c. Drusilla......Page 166
61a. Josephus on Berenice......Page 167
61b. Tacitus on Berenice......Page 169
61c. Suetonius on Berenice......Page 170
61e. A Late Epitome on Berenice......Page 171
62. Personal Papers of Babatha of Maoza......Page 172
62a. Babatha’s Marriage Contract......Page 173
62b. Babatha Summons the Guardian of Her Son to Court in Petra......Page 174
62c. Babatha’s Deposition, Including a Statement of Her Illiteracy......Page 175
62d. Babatha’s Registration of Land, Sworn by the Genius of the Emperor......Page 176
62e. Babatha’s Loan to Her Second Husband, Judah......Page 178
62f. The Marriage Contract of Babatha’s Stepdaughter, Shelamzion......Page 179
62g. A Deed of Gift from Babatha’s Husband, Judah, to His Daughter, Shelamzion......Page 180
63. The Personal Papers of Salome, Also Called Komaise......Page 181
63a.Deed of Gift from Salome Gropte to her Daughter, Salome Komaise......Page 182
63b. Marriage Contract of Salome Komaise and Her Second Husband......Page 183
63c. Canceled Marriage Contract, Where the Bride’s Mother Gives the Bride......Page 184
64. A Divorce Bill, Possibly Given by a (Jewish) Woman, Shelamzion, to Her Husband, Eleazar......Page 185
65a. Origen Teaches Women and Men......Page 186
65c. Juliana’s Copies of the Works of Symmachus......Page 187
66. Burial Inscriptions, Vows, and Donations of and by Women in Asia Minor......Page 188
66b. Sarcophagus Inscription of a Jewish/Judean Woman, Her Husband, and Their Children......Page 189
66e. A Christian Woman Establishes a Family Tomb......Page 190
66h. The Epitaph of a Married Couple, Probably Christian, with the Husband’s Bequests to His Wife and Others......Page 191
67. Tablet in Greek to Reunite a Woman and a Man Using Language Reminiscent of Jewish Scriptures in Greek......Page 192
69. A Letter from the Abbot Shenoute to Tachom, Head of a Convent in Egypt......Page 194
70. Instruction for Rearing a Virgin Christian Daughter......Page 196
71. The Life of Paula, Leader in Women’s Early Monasticism......Page 206
72. Discord between an Ascetic Mother and Daughter, Each of Whom Was Living with a Monk......Page 233
73. The Life of Marcella, a Founder of Women’s Ascetic Enclaves......Page 241
74. A Consoling Letter from the Exiled John Chrysostom to His Friend Olympias, Seeking Her Political Support......Page 249
75. The Life of Olympias, Ascetic and Supporter of John Chrysostom......Page 256
76. The Pilgrim Egeria Visits the Shrine of St. Thecla and the Deaconess Marthana......Page 265
77. Epitaph of a Gnostic Woman, Flavia Sophe......Page 267
79. Donation by a Christian Shipowner and Her Daughter......Page 268
THREE: Religious Office......Page 270
81. The Institution of the Vestal Virgins......Page 274
82. How Vestal Virgins Are Chosen......Page 276
83. Honors for Priestesses......Page 277
83b. Honors for the Priestess Berenice......Page 278
84. Juliane, the First High Priestess of Asia......Page 279
85b. Epitaph of Sophia of Gortyn, Head of the Synagogue......Page 280
86. An Unnamed Woman Head of a Synagogue in Ancient Cappadocia......Page 281
88b. CIJ 581; JIWE 1:59......Page 282
89. Three Epitaphs of Jewish Women Possibly Called “Priestess”......Page 283
89c. Epitaph of the Mother of a Jewish Woman Called “Priestess”......Page 284
90b. Epitaph of Ammion, Perhaps Montanist......Page 285
91a. Epitaph of Sophia the Deacon, the Second Phoebe......Page 286
91c. Epitaph of the Deacon Maria......Page 287
92. Opposition to Teaching and Baptizing by Women......Page 288
92a. On Baptism 17......Page 289
92c. On the Prescription against Heretics 41......Page 290
93. A Montanist Visionary Who Submits Her Revelation to Careful Scrutiny......Page 291
94. Hippolytus on the Montanist Prophets Maximilla and Priscilla......Page 292
95. Women Bishops, Presbyters, and Prophets among the Followers of Quintilla and Priscilla......Page 293
96a. Eusebius on Maximilla......Page 294
96c. Sayings of Maximilla......Page 295
97. Epitaph of the Female Prophet Nanas......Page 296
99. Regulations for Deaconesses......Page 297
100. Regulations for Christian Widows......Page 299
101. Regulations for Deaconesses, Virgins, Widows, and Other Christians during the Worship Service......Page 306
FOUR: New Religious Affiliation and Conversion......Page 308
102. The Spread of the Bacchic Rites to Rome in 186 b.c.e., Attracting Women and Men to Their Frenzied Observance......Page 312
103. Helena, Queen of Adiabene, Converts to Judaism......Page 321
104b. Poppaea Sabina, wife of the Emperor Nero......Page 325
105. Thecla of Iconium, an Ascetic Christian and the Prototypical Convert......Page 326
106. How the Egyptian Virgin Aseneth Becomes a Devotee of the God of Israel and Marries the Patriarch Joseph......Page 337
107b. CIJ 523; JIWE 2.577......Page 356
108b. CIJ 642; JIWE 1.9......Page 357
FIVE: Holy, Pious, and Exemplary Women......Page 358
109. The Exemplary Self-Control and Piety of a Jewish/Judean Mother Forced to Watch the Martyrdom of Her Seven Sons......Page 361
110. The Spiritual Inheritance of the Daughters of Job......Page 369
111. Two Juxtaposed Narratives of the Gullibility of Pious Women......Page 372
112. The Trial Account of Carthaginian Christian Women and Men......Page 375
113. The Martyrdom of the Christian Blandina and Three Male Companions in 177 c.e.......Page 377
114. A First-Person Account of a Christian Woman’s Persecution......Page 385
115. The Martyrdom of Potamiena in the Early Third Century c.e.......Page 397
116. Women Martyred at Antioch under Diocletian in the Early Fourth Century c.e.......Page 398
117a. Praises for the Traditional Roman Piety of Aconia Fabia Paulina......Page 399
117b. Epitaph of Regina, Extolled for her Piety and Observance of (Jewish) Law......Page 401
117c. Epitaph of Theodora, Teacher of the Faith......Page 402
118. Charikleia, Condemned as a Poisoner, Rescued by Divine Intervention......Page 403
119. A Letter Written in the Name of a Woman to “Ignatius of Antioch”......Page 404
120. A Former Prostitute Becomes a Christian Ascetic, Taking on Male Disguise......Page 406
121. An Orphaned Prostitute Returns to the Christian Asceticism of Her Youth......Page 424
122. The Endurance of Two Syrian Christian Monastic Women......Page 433
123. A Syrian Monastic Woman Living in a Hut in Her Mother’s Garden......Page 434
124a. Sayings Attributed to Amma Sarah......Page 437
124b. Sayings Attributed to Amma Syncletica......Page 438
124c. Sayings Attributed to Amma Theodora......Page 442
SIX: The Feminine Divine......Page 444
125. The Principal Version of the Myth of Demeter......Page 447
126a. ovid Fasti 4.247–348......Page 456
126b. livy Annals of Rome 29.14......Page 459
127. Imagery of Lactation and Childbearing in a Christian Ode......Page 460
128. The Female Spirit of the Lord......Page 461
129. A Version of the Myth of Isis......Page 462
130. The Experiences of a Male Initiate of Isis......Page 467
131a. P. Oxy. 11.1380......Page 483
131b. The Kyme Aretalogy......Page 485
132. Aspects of Female Divinity in Three Gnostic Texts......Page 487
132a. Thunder, Perfect Mind......Page 488
132c. The Hypostasis of the Archons; or, The Reality of the Rulers......Page 494
133. The Fall and Deliverance of the Soul, Which Is Feminine......Page 501
Index of Female Names......Page 508
Index of Ancient Sources......Page 513
Back Cover......Page 517