Women in Early Christianity: Translations from Greek Texts (review)

From the first page of Women in Early Christianity, the reader becomes aware that this is not a sourcebook in the traditional sense. Miller does not simply intend to collect and assemble scattered documents into a single, accessible volume but to communicate a particular message: that "the history of women in early Christianity was as varied as the religion itself" (1). Through the format of the work the editor draws attention to the diversity of women's roles as "teachers, prophets, martyrs, widows, deaconesses, ascetics, virgins, patrons, wives, mothers and sisters, and metaphors" from the second to sixth centuries C.E. (1).

The book is structured into five interlocking sections: I. "Women's Roles in the Church," II. "Women and Virginity," III. "Portraits of Ascetic Women," IV. "Women and Domestic Life," and V. "Female Imagery and Theology," where one encounters individuals such as Thecla, Blandina, Macrina, Olympias, and Mary Magdalene.

Although readers will enjoy sampling from sections of the book, when read from cover to cover the volume paints a diverse series of portraits of early Christian women, serving to illustrate Miller's main contention that "from harlot-saints to aristocratic ascetics, women were intimately involved in the complex history of the church in late antiquity" (14). Miller claims that "the question of woman" directly affected the early church, provoking theological controversy, demanding reexamination of ecclesiastical hierarchy, and contributing to the development of Christian identity and values (5). This emphasis on the role of women in Christian history is supported by the inclusion of sources which focus on the lives of real women, fictional figures, male representations of women, and the metaphor of "woman" in theological texts.

The editor cites sources from a range of different genres, including acta martyrum, ascetic biographies, ecclesiastical rules, and theological treatises. We find extracts from Clement of Alexandria, Methodius, the Cappadocian fathers, and John Chrysostom. The sources are introduced with concise details of authorship, date, genre, and explanations of terminology to aid those who are less familiar with the texts and authors. However, several important texts are left out. For example, the section on female martyrdom, a small subcategory incorporated into Section I, entitled "Women's Roles in the Church," presents only three sources, all of which are acta martyrum. Although the introduction to female martyrdom briefly mentions that "[a] cult of the martyrs developed in the fourth century" (40), this statement is neither elaborated on, nor is it supported by any sources. In light of the significance of martyrdom in early Christianity and the prominent role of women among the martyrs, this section would have benefited from the inclusion of sources reflecting the presence of women within the cult of the martyrs. For example, Miller could have included Asterius of Amasea's ekphrasis on the martyr Euphemia or Chrysostom's homilies on the martyrs Pelagia or Drosis. Incidentally, Chrysostom's homilies on the mother of the Maccabean martyrs and on Domnina are not mentioned in either the section on martyrdom or the section on motherhood though the two women are held up as exemplary Christian martyrs and mothers.

Miller's aim to be "as comprehensive as possible in its presentation of women in early Christian thought" (5) and to convey the diversity of the history of women in this period is somewhat hindered by restricting the selection of texts to those originally composed in Greek. The book thereby excludes the nuances and rich resources that are available through the idiosyncratic personalities, geographical locations, social contexts, theological traditions, and ecclesiastical controversies in other languages. One might question whether it is possible to speak meaningfully about female comportment without Tertullian, martyrdom without Perpetua, virginity without Ambrose, asceticism without Jerome, motherhood without Monica, and marriage without Augustine.

However, despite these criticisms, Women in Early Christianity is an accessible collection of texts which, with its inclusion of appendices, lists of suggested further reading, and frequent cross-referencing, will be a valuable introductory resource for the study of women...