Crispina and Her Sisters

Women and Authority in Early Christianity

Christine Schenk

• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781506411880
• eBook ISBN: 9781506411897
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Discovering reliable information about women in early Christianity is a challenging enterprise. Most people have never heard of Bitalia, Veneranda, Crispina, Petronella, Leta, Sofia the Deacon, and many others even though their catacomb and tomb art suggests their authority was influential and valued by early Christian communities. This book explores visual imagery found on burial artifacts of prominent early Christian women. It carefully situates the tomb art within the cultural context of customary Roman commemorations of the dead. Recent scholarship about Roman portrait sarcophagi and the interpretation of early Christian art is also given significant attention. An in-depth review of women's history in the first four centuries of Christianity provides important context. A fascinating picture emerges of women's authority in the early church, a picture either not available or sadly distorted in the written history. It is often said "a picture is worth a thousand words." The portrait tombs of fourth-century Christian women suggest that they viewed themselves and/or their loved ones viewed them as persons of authority with religious influence.

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Appendix M: Table 7.1: Portraits of Couples (n=64)

Man and Woman in Same Clipeus (28)

RS 1: nos. 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 112, 187, 241, 385, 435, 625, 650, 689, 778, 1010

RS 2: nos. 6, 12, 20, 102, 103, 108, 150

RS 3: nos. 38, 40, 41, 83, 203, 211

Each in Separate Clipei, Parapetasma on Lid or Casket Portrayal (8)

RS 1:^[1] nos. 120*, 220*, 772*

RS 2: nos. 148, 375

RS 3: nos. 49, 77, 555

Dextrarum Iunctio (Marriage Iconography) (8)

RS 1: nos. 86, 678, 952

RS 2: nos. 148, 149, 151, 245

RS 3: no. 51

Married Couple Worshipping at Base of Triumphant Christ (11)

RS 1: nos. 241, 675, 679

RS 2: nos. 102, 149, 150

RS 3: nos. 25, 80, 81, 291, 428

Other Couple Portrayals (End Figures or Standing Figures) (8)

RS 1: nos. 680, 747*

RS 2: nos. 12, 298, 379

RS 3: nos. 51, 607*, 642

Embedded Couple/Family Portrayal (1)

RS 3: no. 323

Female-Male Role Reversal? (7)

RS 1: nos. 120, 811

RS 2: nos. 12, 123, 148

RS 3: nos. 51, 77

Addenda (also included above)

Couple Portrayals with Female Orans (4)

RS 1: nos. 220, 747, 772

RS 3: no. 607

Couple Portrayals with Male Orans (2)

RS 1: nos. 120, 220

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1. * = indicates orans figure ↵
   

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Appendix N: Listing of Dates of Christian Portrait Sarcophagi

Third Century (n=9)

Second third of third century (n=1)	RS 3: no. 108
Last third of third century (n=4)	RS 1: nos. 747, 778, 811, 985
Last quarter of third century (n=1)	RS 1: no. 914
Late third century (n=2)	RS 1: no. 768 RS 2: no. 6
End of third-early fourth century (n=1)	RS 2: no. 95

Fourth Century (n=218)

Fourth century (n=4)	RS 1: nos. 225, 536, 652 RS 3: no. 201
Around 300 (n=2)	RS 2: nos. 242, 420
Beginning of the fourth century (n=8)	RS 1: nos. 46, 67, 83, 120, 820 RS 2: nos. 93, 180 RS 3: no. 18
First decade of the fourth century (n=1)	RS 2: no. 10
Up to 330 (n=1)	RS 3: no. 37
300–325 (n=1)	RS 1: no. 6
310–20 (n=1)	RS 2: no. 245
310–30 (n=1)	RS 2: no. 96
320–30 (lower casket) (n=1)	RS 2: no.32
Around 325 (n=1)	RS 3: no. 38
Around 330 (n=1)	RS 3: no. 33
Around or shortly after 330 (n=1)	RS 2: no. 102
First quarter of the fourth century (n=40)	RS 1: nos. 4, 7, 9, 33, 73, 75, 85, 99, 143, 144, 226, 364, 4...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table Of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Women and Early Christianity: Sociocultural Context
• Women and Early Christianity: Female Authority Opposed
• Interpreting Early Christian Art
• Women in Catacomb Frescos and Inscriptions
• Commemorating the Dead: Roman Funerary Customs and Practices
• Crispina and Her Sisters: Portraits on Christian Sarcophagi
• More Portraits on Christian Sarcophagi
• Women and Authority in the Fourth Century: Integrating the Literary Evidence
• Appendix A: In Pace Inscriptions (n=36)
• Appendix B: Christian Portraits with Uncertain/Unclear Facial Features (n=113)
• Appendix C: Tables 6.5 and 6.8: Christian Portraits by Type and Statistical Analysis of Solo Male and Female Portraits
• Appendix D: Table 6.9: Portrait Figures with Scrolls or Capses by Gender with Statistical Computations
• Appendix E: Table 6.11: Statistical Computations for Orans-Only Portrait Figures by Gender
• Appendix F: Table 6.10: Summary of Statistical Outcomes for All Learned Portraits, Including Orans, Scroll, and Capsa Depictions
• Appendix G: Table 6.12: Speech Gestures on Christian Portraits and Statistical Outcomes
• Appendix H: Table 6.13: Both Scroll and Speech Motifs by Gender with Statistical Outcomes
• Appendix I: Table 6.14: Statistical Computations for Scroll-Speech Iconography as a Representation of Religious Authority
• Appendix J: Table 6.15: Listing of All Portraits with In-Facing “Apostle” Figures by Gender with Statistical Computations
• Appendix K: Table 6.16: Christ Reliefs with In-Facing “Apostle” Motifs and a Comparison of In-Facing “Apostle” Characteristics on Portraits with In-Facing “Apostle” Characteristics on Christ Portrayals
• Appendix L: Table 6.17: List of Images for Scroll-Capsa Learned Portraits with In-Facing “Apostle” Figure with Statistical Computations
• Appendix M: Table 7.1: Portraits of Couples (n=64)
• Appendix N: Listing of Dates of Christian Portrait Sarcophagi
• Bibliography
• Index