medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Episcopa is used for a woman depicted in the San Zenone chapel at Santa Prassede in Rome. Whether this means wife or mother of the pope who founded the church is uncertain.
Tom Izbicki
Thomas Izbicki
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Eisenhower Library
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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Quote:
Custom and legislation provided for the status of clerical wives. On the day
of the husband's ordination, the wife received a special blessing. Such
wives, known as presbyterissae (presbyterae) and diaconissae (diaconae),
wore a distinctive garb and were not permitted to remarry, even after the
death of their husbands (Orléans, c. 573, c.22; Les 'Ordines Romani' du haut
moyen-âge 4:140*41).
Ends
Can anyone say to what period this refers ? And for how long this practice
and terminology survived ?
I am remembering that in their "Letters", Abelard refers to his wife Heloise
as "Deaconess" (even after she has become the abbess of the Paraclete) and
that this term has caused a good deal of puzzlement to Abelardian
commentators who are at a loss to account for it. Might this be the
explanation ? Could this term have survived to the 12th century ?
Brenda M. C.
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