Hernani. Femmes et savoirs. From the Many to the Few. Kate Cooper reassesses Brent Shaw’s 1994 article on women in the early Church, which reveals a key historical principle.
Graffiti from the catacomb of Domitilla in Rome of a woman in the early attitude of prayer next to Christian symbols of the doveWhile Constantine was waging the civil war that would result in his conversion at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the Christians of Carthage were arguing over how to treat the bones of the holy dead: ‘In AD 312 at Carthage, Lucilla, a wealthy woman of high social standing, refused to apologise for her practice of bestowing a kiss on a holy relic.’ Writing in 1994, Brent Shaw argued that it was a woman who triggered a contest that would divide Christianity – or perhaps the tendency of the clergy to dismiss a woman’s views.
Divers. Polémique Maison de l'histoire de France. Revues historiques.