medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Much of what has been written on this subject in the last several
decades is informed by partisanship regarding the question of ordaining
women. Thus it is a minefield.
Basically, the "order of deaconesses" is known from some of the early
Greek patristic sources, notably the Apostolic Constitutions of the 4th
c. (if memory serves me correctly), which contains descriptions of
liturgical/sacramental practice. It mentions deaconesses as assisting
at the baptism of women, presumably for the sake of modesty, since
people were baptized stark naked. There are a few other primary
sources that mention the order of deaconesses and briefly describe them,
but the sources are relatively limited.
I don't know of evidence that deaconesses assisted in the doctrinal
preparation of children for baptism but am ready to be corrected. My
guess is that someone has extrapolated this claim from the more mundane
role in the baptism of women mentioned above. Most of the doctrinal
teaching came after baptism, not before. Catechumens were instructed in
moral principles, listened in on the bishop's preaching, but had to
leave before the Eucharistic liturgy began. They were taught the
Apostles' Creed by rote shortly before baptism, then baptized, received
their first Holy Communion, and then were instructed about the mysteries
of the faith, the meaning of the sacraments etc. _after_ they had
received the initiation sacraments. These catechetical instruction
cycles or baptismal instruction cycles,given during the Easter Season,
after baptism, survive from Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose, Gregory of
Nyssa (or is it Gregory of Nazianzus, I can't remember).
The order of deaconesses appears to have been something more along the
lines of the "enrolled widows"--women who had pledged themselves to some
sort of consecrated life rather than marry/remarry. It would be closer,
in many ways, to early monastic life for women than to the office of the
deacon. The order of deaconesses seems not to have caught on very much
in the Latin West and did not survive to any great degree even in the
East. These are all very broad generalizations on my part, but I think
they represent what can be said more or less by consensus. Beyond that,
all sorts of claims have been made about roles played by deaconesses.
You might consult Jean Colson, _La fonction diaconale aux origines de
l'eglise_ (Desclee de Brouwer, 1960) and Aime Georges Martimort,
_Deaconesses: An Historical Study_ (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1986;
originally published in French).
Dennis Martin
>>> [log in to unmask] 06/12/02 05:05AM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
Thank you for all the rich thinking that comes from this discussion
list.
I wonder whether someone can point me to information regarding the role
of
deaconess in the early church and how it evolved up to medieval period.
My
current understanding is that a deaconess could carry out most offices
but
not preside over the Eucharist (?) Special roles included teaching and
preparing children for baptism.
Any sources would be appreciated.
Philip Atherton
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