Women in the Bible Quiz Flashcards
Legal Status of Women
- cannot attend, speak at, or vote in political assemblies;
- cannot hold office;
- technically, property held by husband (manus), father (patria potestas), or tutor appointed for the purpose
Univirae?
- women only married once;
- some cults particular to them, including Fortuna Muliebris, Mater Matuta.
Who is Judith? How she’s famous?
- a virtuous widow;
- saves the Jewish people via the murder of the enemy general Holofernes;
- historical context a little iffy;
- included in the Septuagint but not in the canonical Hebrew scriptures
Who is Esther? How she’s famous?
- a Jewish orphan girl;
- chosen by some Persian king (Xerxes or one of three Artaxerxes options);
- prevents a genocide of her people;
- commemorated by Purim;
- here in the synagogue at Dura-Europos
Marian Apocrypha - Protevangelium of James?
- Sometimes used liturgically
- Protoevangelium of James: early 4th century biography of Mary -> survives in many MS in Greek and Old Church Slavonic
- Gospel of Mary?
- Book of Mary’s Repose:
Survives only in Ge’ez early fifth century (at latest) - Six Books Dormition Apocryphon: 5th/6th century
- Mary does not die, she ascends into heaven
Laudatio Turiae?
- long funerary inscription;
- Document from first century BCE;
- He is legally commissioned to be killed as a political rival;
- His wife manages to get him back and they remain marry despite her infertility, they do not divorce
Good & Bad Women in Ancient Rome?
- Agustine wife;
- Nero mom;
- Lucricia;
- Malissa Mathis’s book on birth of republic and death of women.
OT Women?
- Eve:
Eve is bad, she functionally creates sin;
She is deceived by the serpent, she gets them kicked out of Eden. - Judith:
She is good;
A virtuous widow;
Saves the Jewish people via the murder of the enemy general Holofernes;
Historical context a little iffy;
Included in the Septuagint but not in the canonical Hebrew scriptures; - Esther:
A hero to the Jewish people;
A jewish orphan girl;
Chosen by some Persian King (Xerxes or one of the three Artaxerxes options);
Prevents genocide of her people;
Commemorated by Purim
Women in the New Testament
1) Mary:
- Amazingly scant in the canonical NT
- Very little in Paul
- Almost nothing in Mark
- Nativity
- Minimal in Matthew
- Very expansive in Luke
- Cana in John and Luke
- Acts: she is in the Upper Room
2) Marian Apocrypha
Sometimes used liturgically
Protoevangelium of James: early 4th century biography of Mary -> survives in many MS in Greek and Old Church Slavonic
Gospel of Mary?
Book of Mary’s Repose:
Survives only in Ge’ez early fifth century (at latest)
Six Books Dormition Apocryphon: 5th/6th century
Mary does not die, she ascends into heaven
Mary as a new eve vs Queen of Heaven
1) Mary as a new eve:
- Represents a sort of a replacement of the New Testament;
- Mary resisted sin, unlike Eve. Instead of bringing sin, she replaced it;
- Jesus is seen as the new Adam who fixed the things that God broke.
2) Mary as Queen of Heaven:
- This takes its initiation from revelation 12;
- The way the passage is described implied to some that Mary was a Queen of Heaven.
Marian Veneration?
- There was veneration of Mary starting in the 4th and 5th centuries;
- Images, hymns, processions, particularly at Jerusalem. She was very popular in Jerusalem and there was a prominent cult revolved around her;
- But, a lot of people were conflicted over this veneration of Mary:
▪ Part of it was people seeing her as perfect and not suitable to their idea of self-improvement through religion. - Mary was also very important to women, who was seen as a role model for them:
▪ Mary was seen as helpful to issues like childbirth
Marian Hymnography?
1) Lots of hymns dedicated to her:
▪ A prominent one is Chantbook which sung in the Old Jerusalem church. The hymn survived in Old Georgian.
▪ Ave Maria meaning Hail Mary also dedicated to her.
2) Mary is seen as speaking and intercepting for a person:
▪ Mary is not meant to be worshiped; she is only meant to be seen as an interceptor. This is why the veneration of Mary is controversial
because many would want to worship her.
Other Martyrs: Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, Apocrypha
- Mary Magdalene:
o We know from the New Testament, she is from Magdala;
o We know she had money and was able to distribute it herself;
o She supports Jesus’ mininstary financially;
o We know she was there when Jesus was killed. - Mary and Martha:
o Sisters of Lazarus, the man raised from the dead;
o One bustles around, one listens to Jesus. - Apocrypha:
o She appears in the apocalyptic acts
o She is an early lady in the church, she is martyred. Some consider her a proto-martyr, and she is seen as a competition to Mary which is why some people don’t pay as much attention to her.
