READING GUIDE FOR WEEKS 1-2
A. Gies and Gies, Marriage and the Family (pp. 3-15, 16-29,
29-42)
I will not normally provide specific questions for this book, as I
trust that you should be able to identify the important points within it.
If you have questions about Gies and Gies, or any other secondary source,
please bring them up in class. Nevertheless, bear in the mind the following:
1. The Gieses provide a very useful schematic and methodological outline
for the study of marriage, family, and women at pp. 6-15. Keep these
important points in mind as we approach these issues throughout the course.
2. Make sure you understand the distinction between matrilineal and
patrilineal descent.
3. The Gieses are correct to highlight the general trend towards exogamy
in western culture; nevertheless, keep in mind that the definition of exogamy
can vary significantly. That is, for one time or region, the "outside"
(or exogamous world) may be defined as those of another tribe, country
or region; or, the "outside" might simply be those outside of a certain
limit of biological kinship. We will see that later in the Middle Ages,
church authorities made concerted efforts to strictly define the limits
of endogamy and exogamy; they did this by defining "kinship" as lying within
a certain number of degrees of blood relation (my parents are 1 degree,
my grandparents 2 degrees removed, etc.).
4. The economic side of marriage is, as the Gieses point out, highly
significant for the Middle Ages. Make sure you understand the difference
between "brideprice", "dowry" and "dower". We will also encounter
another economic term, "morning gift" (morgengabe), in the near future.
B. Amt, on Roman Ideals (pp. 29-35)
1. For husband of Turia, what were the virtues of a good wife? Do they
involve "love" or mutual affection? Try to sift carefully through
affective virtues and more "civic" ones.
2. Seneca, too, praises the virtues of his mother - what were they?
3. What is a dowry? How much control did Roman women have over
their dowries?
4. Who seems to have the upper hand in Roman child custody cases?
Was there such a thing as a child-custody case? Why or why not?
5. What made a legal marriage, according to the lawyers?
6. What made for a legal divorce?
7. How "fair" is the law of adultery? While clearly antithetical to
the modern world, we still need to try to understand it in its context.
What cultural (or biological) assumptions led the Romans to see adultery
as they did?
8. It is obvious that there was an inequality between the sexes in
the Roman world. Perhaps a more interesting question is to ask "What ‘rights'
or legal abilities did Roman women have?" Does anything surprise you?
C. Aristotle and Galen on the Nature, Biology and Social Position
of Women (Handout)
1. According to the classical medical authorities, what is the explanation
for sexual difference? Why are there men and women?
2. How does conception occur? Which partner provides what substances/natures/etc
to conception? Why?
3. Galen in particular argued for the complementarity of human "generative
organs" (ie., genitalia). What does this mean? What explanation did he
give for it? What does that explanation suggest to you?
4. What conclusions about the capacity, ability, and social position
of women do their biological studies allow Aristotle and Galen to make
about women?
5. Biological explanation and social function are a bit of a chicken-and-egg
question, in which we, as modern historians, might well cynically ask "Which
came first, the biological explanation or the social reality?" Would
Galen or Aristotle have shared our doubts? Why or why not?
6. Notice the important Greco-Roman belief in philosophical dualism
- everything comes in two parts, one inferior and one superior. This
theme can be seen in their explanations of the nature of men and women,
the process of generation, and, of course, the actual roles and status
of women in society. Yet does "inferior" mean "evil"?
D. Christian Traditions: The Old Testament (Amt, pp. 13-16,
Reader, 1 page)
1. The story of the creation of human beings (from Genesis) was of
crucial importance to any understanding of men and women during the Middle
Ages (and remains highly charged today - witness the recent decision in
Kansas). Make sure you can identify the two separate descriptions
of creation located in Genesis.
2. How might the two versions of Creation suggest different implications
for the roles and value of men and women?
3. The "Fall" (ie., the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of
Eden), loomed very large in the minds of late classical and medieval theologians.
What happened?
4. How might the Fall be used by late classical or medieval theologians
to justify existing gender stereotypes?
5. The "curse" of God on Adam and Eve is highly significant - read
it carefully and think about its implications.
E. Christian Traditions: the New Testament (Amt, pp. 16-23; Reader,
2 pp.)
1. Just as Eve provides a central "negative" image for later interpretations
of women, Mary provided a positive image. Read the story of the Annunciation
(when she was informed that she would carry Jesus) - what might early Christians
have found virtuous about Mary?
2. The concept of a virgin birth is crucial - what does it suggest
about the capacity of women for virtue? What must they do?
3. Mary Magdalene is another highly symbolic figure for later interpretations
of women. Even though she is not so named, Mary Magdalene was quickly associated
with the "sinner woman" of Luke 8:2. Why is this appropriate given
what we have learned of classical beliefs about women?
4. Perhaps more importantly, Mary Magdalene was the first to learn
of the resurrection of Jesus. What does this suggest? How might M.M.'s
actions be applied or interpreted for subsequent women?
5. Compare the version of M.M.'s receiving the news of the resurrection
as it appears in Luke (Amt, p. 18-19) and Mark (reader); remember that
Mark was written earlier. What is similar? What different?
6. Paul's comment in Galatians 3:28 is an extremely important text
- what does it suggest about women and their place in society?
7. In contrast, what does Paul have to say about women and their place
in society in 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 14, I Peter, and so forth?
How do we reconcile them with Galatians 3:28? Was Paul calling for
social equality?
8. Why do historians find Romans 16:1-2 so significant? What implications
does it have?
F. Church Fathers (reader 6 pp, Amt, 23-28)
1. What does Tertullian have to say about women? How is female dress
and sin connected?
2. Ambrose uses an important metaphor to define the degree of Christian
faith that someone possesses. What is it? What does this suggest about
the capacity of women to be good Christians? Can they? How?
3. Jerome, in his Commentary on Ephesians, offers support for Ambrose's
suggestion. How, according to Jerome, can women achieve spiritual
perfection? What must they do?
4. What does Jerome tell Eustochium about marriage? When is it ok?
From his letter, can you discern Eustochium's marital and/or sexual status?
5. What does Jerome tell us about "alleged virgins"? Who or what were
these?
6. Jerome is famous for his ranking of women's sexual activity; the
virgin, he says, will receive a 100-fold reward in heaven; the widow who
remains chaste will receive a 60-fold reward in heaven; while the ordinary
married woman will only receive a 30-fold reward. How does Eustochium
fit in here? What about her sister Blaesilla?
7. Jerome also suggests that virgins do have a husband, the "Bridegroom".
Who is this? Why is it significant?
8. Make sure you can list the key features of the famous "Theophrastan"
misogyny, as presented by Jerome in his treatise Against Jovinian.
9. What did Jovinian believe about marriage, women, and chastity? How
did Jerome reply?
10. How ought Laeta to raise her little daughter, Paula, according
to Jerome? Why?
11. What does St. Augustine say about marriage and concupiscence? Does
it differ at all from Jerome's notions?