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Christian Women in the Patristic World: Their Influence, Authority, and Legacy in the Second through Fifth Centuries
From facing wild beasts in the arena to governing the Roman Empire, Christian women--as preachers and philosophers, martyrs and empresses, virgins and mothers--influenced the shape of the church in its formative centuries. This book provides in a single volume a nearly complete compendium of extant evidence about Christian women in the second through fifth centuries. It highlights the social and theological contributions they made to shaping early Christian beliefs and practices, integrating their influence into the history of the patristic church and showing how their achievements can be edifying for contemporary Christians.
336 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 16, 2021
The term "patristic" itself is telling: the study of early Christianity is too often thought of as a man's world. Cohick and Hughes rightly correct this by centering the stories of prominent women in the early church, focusing on the widespread name recognition they enjoyed, the various types of authority they held, and the legacies that continue to this day. The usual suspects line up: Thecla, Perpetua and Felicitas, Egeria, Helena, and so forth. The authors also bring forth lesser-known women like Blandina and Jerome's crew. The one thing lacking, I felt, was a chapter dedicated to the Desert Mothers, but the origins of female monasticism are explored here.
Christian Women in the Patristic World is a satisfying introductory text, written for those who know the basic contours of the early church (doctrinal disputes, hierarchical structures, cultural differences) but not the state of scholarship on women in Late Antiquity. Without getting into the weeds, the authors point to major conflicts in the field and often cite opposing viewpoints when they choose one side of the argument. Overall, they focus on the extant evidence and present rollicking summaries of texts like Acts of Paul and Thecla before diving into analysis. Their chapter on catacomb art was particularly enjoyable, and they leaned heavily on the work of Robin Jensen.
Christian Women in the Patristic World effectively demonstrates that women held positions of power and prominence in the early church, often leveraging Christian beliefs to expand their agency. Many of the women we know and love from the early church are known in relation to their sons or brothers, often through their male voices (Monica, Helena, Macrina), but the authors take special care to present these women on their own terms as much as possible, while exploring other women like Thecla, Perpetua, and Felicitas, whose legacies are not tied up in biological relationships. (It is likely that Felicitas's daughter, of whom she was delivered in prison before her martyrdom, was known in the church; Thecla's story is likely that unique blend of reality and legend that ancient readers accepted without modern constraints about journalistic realism and authorship.)
I'd recommend this to any student of church history, not as a first text on the early church, but as a second or third. The authors don't expect a knowledge of ancient languages. It's easy and engaging to read (for academic literature) and provides a wealth of invigorating stories for anyone writing devotional literature, homilies, and the like. While the authors focus on how women participated in doctrinal disputes, it was nice (for once!) to read a text that did not hash out Arianism, Nestorianism, et c. for the nth time. You can find that anywhere and everywhere in early church studies--for good reason--but that seems to be the prior knowledge expected when reading Christian Women in the Patristic World.
I have the immense privilege of taking a class with Dr. Cohick soon, and I'm even more excited for it than I was before reading this book. Her enthusiasm for the subject is palpable, and having heard her speak before, I can only imagine what a joy studying under her will be. Compared to the other articles assigned for this course, Christian Women was the most enjoyable to read, next to the shamelessly dramatic Acts of Paul and Thecla and Robin Jensen's analysis of early Christian art.
Christian Women in the Patristic World is a satisfying introductory text, written for those who know the basic contours of the early church (doctrinal disputes, hierarchical structures, cultural differences) but not the state of scholarship on women in Late Antiquity. Without getting into the weeds, the authors point to major conflicts in the field and often cite opposing viewpoints when they choose one side of the argument. Overall, they focus on the extant evidence and present rollicking summaries of texts like Acts of Paul and Thecla before diving into analysis. Their chapter on catacomb art was particularly enjoyable, and they leaned heavily on the work of Robin Jensen.
Christian Women in the Patristic World effectively demonstrates that women held positions of power and prominence in the early church, often leveraging Christian beliefs to expand their agency. Many of the women we know and love from the early church are known in relation to their sons or brothers, often through their male voices (Monica, Helena, Macrina), but the authors take special care to present these women on their own terms as much as possible, while exploring other women like Thecla, Perpetua, and Felicitas, whose legacies are not tied up in biological relationships. (It is likely that Felicitas's daughter, of whom she was delivered in prison before her martyrdom, was known in the church; Thecla's story is likely that unique blend of reality and legend that ancient readers accepted without modern constraints about journalistic realism and authorship.)
I'd recommend this to any student of church history, not as a first text on the early church, but as a second or third. The authors don't expect a knowledge of ancient languages. It's easy and engaging to read (for academic literature) and provides a wealth of invigorating stories for anyone writing devotional literature, homilies, and the like. While the authors focus on how women participated in doctrinal disputes, it was nice (for once!) to read a text that did not hash out Arianism, Nestorianism, et c. for the nth time. You can find that anywhere and everywhere in early church studies--for good reason--but that seems to be the prior knowledge expected when reading Christian Women in the Patristic World.
I have the immense privilege of taking a class with Dr. Cohick soon, and I'm even more excited for it than I was before reading this book. Her enthusiasm for the subject is palpable, and having heard her speak before, I can only imagine what a joy studying under her will be. Compared to the other articles assigned for this course, Christian Women was the most enjoyable to read, next to the shamelessly dramatic Acts of Paul and Thecla and Robin Jensen's analysis of early Christian art.
April 29, 2021
This book challenges the idea that women in the early church were systematically silenced and subjugated. On the contrary, they proved themselves to have commitment to Christ, as shown by some of the early martyrs. Some, like Monica and Macrina, had wisdom to be philosophers, teachers and interpreters of Scripture. Many women of high station, such as the Empress Helena and the friends of St. Jerome had devotion enough to make pilgrimages, found religious houses and help the poor. A few even took part in theological controversies and fought in defense of orthodoxy.
January 6, 2022
Read this for a class last semester and it was probably my favorite of all of them. I loved learning the stories of women in the Early Church!
March 25, 2021
A must read for anyone interested in early Christianity.
December 1, 2024
“Standing in the streets of Ephesus, could she fathom a church council being held there in the theater, with imperial women engaged in the wider doctrinal debates? Could a third-century female slave entering an arena to be martyred imagine that she would be remembered and honored by generations of Christians? Such thoughts would have been beyond their imagination. We, too, face a struggle to imagine women active in all areas of the early church.”
But they were there. In all areas of the early church. Women were there and are equally called to be there.
This book was a very scholarly look at Christian women in the Patristic era. Another one of my reads for GCTS.
But they were there. In all areas of the early church. Women were there and are equally called to be there.
This book was a very scholarly look at Christian women in the Patristic era. Another one of my reads for GCTS.
August 30, 2022
What I love about this work is that it is not simply a summary of the lives of early church women, but it includes nuanced methodologies on how to study Greco-Roman women of this era. Additionally, I find it interesting that there were low ratings for it being a “dry, academic read.” For one, it is a lively description on the lives of these women, with helpful tools along the way to honor their lives in studying them. Secondly, of course it’s academic - two leading scholars in the field wrote it. :)
February 23, 2018
This is a nerdy book analyzing texts but it is inspiring and I loved learning more about these women.
June 1, 2020
Can all academic books be this readable and engaging please???
December 20, 2020
A wonderful book! Clearly written and engaging. It helped me understand scripture better and the church as well. It made me want to dig into all kinds of primary sources!
February 23, 2018
Christianity, like most religions, has been dominated by men, even if a majority of adherents are women. While this is true, there have always been women who have made a mark on the expansion and development of the faith. The question is, how do we bring signs of this influence to light? Where should we look?
Lynn Cohick and Amy Brown Hughes have done an excellent job bringing the stories of important women who left their mark on the Christian faith. They take the position here to focus on women who were active agents, and they focus on women who one would consider orthodox. Thus, one will not find discussion of Gnostic texts or even of the Montanists. What they want to do is look "at women of various regions, backgrounds, situations, and temperaments from the earliest centuries of Christianity and remembering the many ways they assumed authority, exercised power, and shaped not only their legacy but also the legacy of Christianity" (p. xxv). They admit that this book is an act of advocacy for the place of women in Christian life and leadership. They territory they trod has been covered in previous efforts, but they take a particular tact, one that stays centered on voices that one might consider mainstream.
The authors begin with the story Thecla, who appears as a companion of Paul and in their words "protomartyr and virgin of the church." I have known aout this story, but they bring much more detail about its early influence, beginning in the second century. So, that is our starting place. From there we move to the stories of Perpetua and Felicitas, women who were mothers and martyrs in third century North Africa. They stand out because they stood up to their family systems, gave up their babies, and faced the arena with strength and courage. I was surprised to not read more here about the connection that some have made with Montanism, a second century charismatic movement that featured women prophets (and Perpetua and Felicitas have visions) and were present in North Africa. As they note, Tertullian did affirm the orthodoxy of the message, even if the form it took stood apart from the mainstream of the church.
The opening chapters deal with martyrdom, which are followed by an interesting chapter on catacomb art. They helpfully note the role of catacombs in Roman life and in the church. They explore the presence of pictures of women seemingly in liturgical acts. The question is, are these Christian women? That can't be answered in full. With this conversation serving as transition, we move more fully into that moment when the church moves from facing martyrdom to embracing asceticism as the culture moves from pagan to Christian.
The remaining five chapters explore the role of women, starting with Constantine's mother, Helena, in the development of Christianity in the post toleration era. We see Helena travel to Palestine, where she plants churches and seeks pilgrimage sites. We then move on to the stories of women who took pilgrimage to the Holy Land, like Egeria, whose account of her pilgrimage encouraged others, especially women to take a journey to the Holy Land. There are stories of Macrina, the sister of Gregory of Nyssa and Basil of Caesarea, a leader in ascetic movement and a theologian in her own rite. There are stores of Paula, Marcella, and Melanias, also ascetics and scholars, this time connected with Jerome. They too had connections to the Holy Land.
Finally, they introduce us to two politically powerful women, the empresses Pulcheria and Eudocia, both of whom played important roles in the theological debates of the fifth century. Pulcheria, sister of the emperor, was an opponent of Nestorius and backer of Cyril of Alexandria. In the end she was able to bring Leo I into the conversation leading to the Chalcedonian definition. Eudocia was the emperor's wife, and a learned theologian as well. She was closer to Nestorius, and ended up in Palestine, writing theology. Both women played important roles in setting the stage for the future in ways that the emperor did not.
None of the women were priests. None were front stage theologians. Yet they left their mark on theologians such as Augustine, Gregory and Basil, and Jerome. They inspired Christians stand firm in the face of martyrdom. They stand as witnesses to the church of today.
This is an excellent book. It's scholarly. It goes into great detail. While I understand the decision to focus on mainstream theology, I still wonder why so little is said about Montanism (New Prophecy) in relationship to Perpetua and Felicitas. That aside, this is an excellent book that should be widely read.
Lynn Cohick and Amy Brown Hughes have done an excellent job bringing the stories of important women who left their mark on the Christian faith. They take the position here to focus on women who were active agents, and they focus on women who one would consider orthodox. Thus, one will not find discussion of Gnostic texts or even of the Montanists. What they want to do is look "at women of various regions, backgrounds, situations, and temperaments from the earliest centuries of Christianity and remembering the many ways they assumed authority, exercised power, and shaped not only their legacy but also the legacy of Christianity" (p. xxv). They admit that this book is an act of advocacy for the place of women in Christian life and leadership. They territory they trod has been covered in previous efforts, but they take a particular tact, one that stays centered on voices that one might consider mainstream.
The authors begin with the story Thecla, who appears as a companion of Paul and in their words "protomartyr and virgin of the church." I have known aout this story, but they bring much more detail about its early influence, beginning in the second century. So, that is our starting place. From there we move to the stories of Perpetua and Felicitas, women who were mothers and martyrs in third century North Africa. They stand out because they stood up to their family systems, gave up their babies, and faced the arena with strength and courage. I was surprised to not read more here about the connection that some have made with Montanism, a second century charismatic movement that featured women prophets (and Perpetua and Felicitas have visions) and were present in North Africa. As they note, Tertullian did affirm the orthodoxy of the message, even if the form it took stood apart from the mainstream of the church.
The opening chapters deal with martyrdom, which are followed by an interesting chapter on catacomb art. They helpfully note the role of catacombs in Roman life and in the church. They explore the presence of pictures of women seemingly in liturgical acts. The question is, are these Christian women? That can't be answered in full. With this conversation serving as transition, we move more fully into that moment when the church moves from facing martyrdom to embracing asceticism as the culture moves from pagan to Christian.
The remaining five chapters explore the role of women, starting with Constantine's mother, Helena, in the development of Christianity in the post toleration era. We see Helena travel to Palestine, where she plants churches and seeks pilgrimage sites. We then move on to the stories of women who took pilgrimage to the Holy Land, like Egeria, whose account of her pilgrimage encouraged others, especially women to take a journey to the Holy Land. There are stories of Macrina, the sister of Gregory of Nyssa and Basil of Caesarea, a leader in ascetic movement and a theologian in her own rite. There are stores of Paula, Marcella, and Melanias, also ascetics and scholars, this time connected with Jerome. They too had connections to the Holy Land.
Finally, they introduce us to two politically powerful women, the empresses Pulcheria and Eudocia, both of whom played important roles in the theological debates of the fifth century. Pulcheria, sister of the emperor, was an opponent of Nestorius and backer of Cyril of Alexandria. In the end she was able to bring Leo I into the conversation leading to the Chalcedonian definition. Eudocia was the emperor's wife, and a learned theologian as well. She was closer to Nestorius, and ended up in Palestine, writing theology. Both women played important roles in setting the stage for the future in ways that the emperor did not.
None of the women were priests. None were front stage theologians. Yet they left their mark on theologians such as Augustine, Gregory and Basil, and Jerome. They inspired Christians stand firm in the face of martyrdom. They stand as witnesses to the church of today.
This is an excellent book. It's scholarly. It goes into great detail. While I understand the decision to focus on mainstream theology, I still wonder why so little is said about Montanism (New Prophecy) in relationship to Perpetua and Felicitas. That aside, this is an excellent book that should be widely read.
May 25, 2024
Loved this unique work on church history. The women of church history are often overlooked figures in the field of study, and many misconceptions abound about women’s’ roles as many historians even diminish the significance and influence of Christian women in the historic church. I was very intrigued by Justo Gonazales’s account of female leaders in the early church when I read his “Story of Christianity,” and this book satisfied that curiosity. I especially loved the chapter on catacomb art and what the work communicated about the role of women in the early church. I also enjoyed the discussion in this work on the Origenist controversy as I concentrate my academic work on the theology of Origen.
It is really cool to see a historical theologian and New Testament scholar come together to work on a book—though I am not sure what sections belong to Amy Hughes and what sections belong to Lynn Cohick. Both authors are Egalitarians and explain early in the book that they are providing feminist account of church history. I did disagree with their evaluation of the ascetic lifestyle and the motivation for that lifestyle, but I loved the authors’ treatment on the forgotten role of women in the key theological debates of the early church. Anyone who says that only males exercised leadership and authority in the early church must reckon with the scholarship produced by Hughes and Cohick.
It is really cool to see a historical theologian and New Testament scholar come together to work on a book—though I am not sure what sections belong to Amy Hughes and what sections belong to Lynn Cohick. Both authors are Egalitarians and explain early in the book that they are providing feminist account of church history. I did disagree with their evaluation of the ascetic lifestyle and the motivation for that lifestyle, but I loved the authors’ treatment on the forgotten role of women in the key theological debates of the early church. Anyone who says that only males exercised leadership and authority in the early church must reckon with the scholarship produced by Hughes and Cohick.
February 28, 2023
This book was referenced in a New Testament book I was reading. The subject of early Christian views of women and how that influenced history and influences today has fascinated me for some time. I am not a scholar. I rarely read scholarly books. I started this book yesterday and was surprised how much of a page turner it was for me. This book was very accessible for non-scholarly me. I learned much about early Christian history and influences of women I knew nothing of.
“This book introduced the different ways Christian women lived and shaped the story of Christianity.”
I feel one of the authors’ purposes in writing the book is important: “telling the stories of women in Christianity and recognizing their contributions so that there is a context for women contributing to the Christian story in fundamental and not merely peripheral ways”. It’s important to understand and to share these stories so “a fuller picture of the Christian story” is gained.
“This book introduced the different ways Christian women lived and shaped the story of Christianity.”
I feel one of the authors’ purposes in writing the book is important: “telling the stories of women in Christianity and recognizing their contributions so that there is a context for women contributing to the Christian story in fundamental and not merely peripheral ways”. It’s important to understand and to share these stories so “a fuller picture of the Christian story” is gained.
November 5, 2017
Wow—such stunning historical detail in this academic work. Not only do you learn about the lives and legacies of the women highlighted, but you also learn a lot about their cultural context. I was impressed with the two women who authored this book and the clear effort they put into telling these stories.
*This review is based on a free digital copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
*This review is based on a free digital copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
April 19, 2019
Most of us know little or nothing about Christian women in the early centuries of the church. I am one of them. This would not appeal outside of academia, but it covers a wide range of important, influential women...martyrs, ascetics, scholars, even empresses. It took a month or so to get through it, chapter by chapter. I learned a great deal and appreciate the effort of these women scholars.
July 4, 2018
This is the best book I have read about Christian women in the patristic world. Wait a minute...
But seriously. It was good.
But seriously. It was good.
June 10, 2022
"Responsibly remembering the women who helped construct Christianity at such an influential time allows us today to build on their legacy, influencing towards good, and using what authority we may have to bless our neighbors."
I loved reading about the women in this book. It's hard to find anything on historical influential Christian women especially this far back. The authors do amazing work basing these women firmly in history though it's impossible to know exactly how some of the women truly lived but we know how they were remembered. It is my great wish that the church remembers their mothers and sisters of the faith so we can learn from them as well as the church fathers and brothers.
I loved reading about the women in this book. It's hard to find anything on historical influential Christian women especially this far back. The authors do amazing work basing these women firmly in history though it's impossible to know exactly how some of the women truly lived but we know how they were remembered. It is my great wish that the church remembers their mothers and sisters of the faith so we can learn from them as well as the church fathers and brothers.
March 11, 2025
Women are always some what off to the side in patristic studies. Or if the topic of women comes up it is often about how the pastristics were anti-woman. What I loved about this book is that it brings women to the forefront of the discussion. It tells the stories of how women in the patristic world had deep influence and power.
The book does not try to dismiss the fathers as misogynistic, nor does it try to exonerate them. It simply does good historical work in trying to explain who these women were and their place in the world. I loved hearing their stories.
This is the kind of work patristic studies should strive to be. Anyone who wants to engage patristic studies should read this one. It is still fairly academic so I might not recommend it for the average lay person.
The book does not try to dismiss the fathers as misogynistic, nor does it try to exonerate them. It simply does good historical work in trying to explain who these women were and their place in the world. I loved hearing their stories.
This is the kind of work patristic studies should strive to be. Anyone who wants to engage patristic studies should read this one. It is still fairly academic so I might not recommend it for the average lay person.
February 27, 2019
This is a fascinating, accessible and informative and book. It covers the history of the early church with particulyreference to women. It gives insight into the early church and the cultural, social, religious and political environment within which the church grew. I read it in preparation for an essay for my university course and it was very helpful for that but would also recommend it for anyone interested in church history and/or women’s issues. An excellent book.
October 15, 2024
Informative, engaging, and thoughtful provoking
A worthwhile read - not just for those interested in early Christian female voices (although - worth a read on those merits alone), buy anyone interested in the context of the early church and a nuanced look at the way gender, politics, literature, faith and life collided between the time of Christ to just after the council of Chalcedon.
A worthwhile read - not just for those interested in early Christian female voices (although - worth a read on those merits alone), buy anyone interested in the context of the early church and a nuanced look at the way gender, politics, literature, faith and life collided between the time of Christ to just after the council of Chalcedon.
August 26, 2024
This was an interesting book. I learned quite a bit about a lot of women I'd never heard of. And it's interesting how historians have to work pretty hard to figure out what these women were like, since they weren't really writing about themselves. It's a highly academic book. I found myself wishing someone would write a popular level version about these gals.
November 16, 2023
4-5 For a history book of the early church, which some may think is a boring topic, these women make the chapters come alive. The avoid dismissing early writers as misogynistic and work hard to provide a "contemporary 21st century" view of early church life.
August 15, 2018
Very dry and informational writing on what is a very important and pivotal aspect of life in the early church.
August 13, 2019
Everyone drop whatever you’re reading and pick this masterpiece up PRONTO
November 6, 2020
Definitely an academic book. I enjoyed learning about the women of early Christianity. Their lived experience was so different from mine!
September 9, 2021
A book full of women whose names we should know and whose stories should be shared within the church.
August 24, 2018
The title was somewhat daunting for a reader, such as myself, so far removed from academia. (No, there isn’t a test.) However, being a lifelong Christian and father of four girls, I picked it up. As a layperson, I’m hardly qualified to comment on the subject matter, but I was quite surprised that I wasn’t the least bit familiar with any of these women’s stories or their influence. I found them fascinating! It was “lighter” than I expected and very well written. Starting the book, I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much! Highly recommended! Just keep a dictionary close by. I’m looking forward to the documentary.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews