scholarly journals What did Women do for the Early Church? The Recent History of a Question

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 261-281
Author(s):  
Judith M. Lieu

The question posed in the title deliberately reverses one that has accompanied me through my academic career: what did the early church do for women? The reversal signals what will prove to be an underlying theme of what follows, namely the role of women in history as objects or as the subjects of action and of discourse. Yet already the question as conventionally phrased highlights different points of stress that reflect where it belongs within reflective historiography, the subject of this volume. Firstly, ‘What did the early church do?’ The coming of early Christianity, it is implied, brought blessings or perhaps curses, evoking a way of writing church history which goes back to Eusebius and which continues both through Edward Gibbon and through those who still portray the social and religious context of the time as one of the inarticulate search for alternative conceptions of the divine or for alternative social values that Christianity would answer. Secondly, ‘for women’: thus, a deliberate rejection of any universalizing interpretation of such effects; a recognition, or at least a suspicion, that any apparently universalizing claim is actually spoken from a ‘normal’ that is already gendered as male; an invitation to ask how women’s experience could be recovered, what the sources would look like, and, indeed, whether it can be recovered from the extant sources.

Vox Patrum ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 667-676
Author(s):  
Wojciech Teister ◽  
Andrzej Uciecha

The subject of this article deals with Persian Christians in the period of the persecution of Shapur II. The ruler derived from the Sassanid dynasty had gov­erned the Persian Empire since 309 to 379 and on that time of his reign Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era. The three source accounts were analysed: Demonstrations of Aphrahat, The History of the Hermias Sozomenus and Chronica Seertensis – nestorianical source dated from the IX or X century. Each of analysed reports concerning the persecution of the Persian Christians appears to be interesting and noteworthy. In his Church History Hermias accepted the role of external factors in origin and turn of events of Church persecution in Persia in the IV century (magicians and Jews). Nestorian author of Chronica Seertensis has also made observations of these groups in forming the antichristian politics of the Persian ruler but besides that he even expands theological reflection: the persecution should be interpreted as the time of trial, strengthening the faith and calling on to convert. The Aphrahat in his Demonstrations, particularly in his Synodical Letter had briefed the similar historical-redemptive conception in the martyr theology but judging the posture of Simeon negatively.


2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-475
Author(s):  
S. M. Brink

Much has been written about globalisation. Something truly insightful rarely comes to light. This article is no such attempt, it merely attempts to reconcile disparate views and tie some loose strands on the subject of increasing international integration. More specifically, the features and implications of current trade and investment patterns are awarded attention. The prominence of technological innovation is emphasised, as is the role of FDI in the diffusion of technical progress. Globalisation has implications both for developing and developed economies; for instance, its effect on growth, the consequences for macroeconomic stability and the effect on income inequality - particularly for low-skilled workers. Trade invites arbitrage in social values; social tension and populist demands for protectionism arise from this. Also, globalisation heightens economic risk and while the pressure on governments to mitigate this rises, their ability to respond effectively is dwindling, eroding the social consensus required to maintain open markets.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Nathan Bracher

This introduction outlines Ivan Jablonka’s theory and practice of writing the social sciences as foregrounded in three of his most noted, recent books, A History of the Grandparents I Never Had, History is a Contemorary Literature, and Laëtitia. As he outlines in his own contribution here, Jablonka advances rigorous, methodical research that nevertheless details the subjective investment of the researcher while at the same time utilizing creative “literary” techniques to engage a wide spectrum of readers well beyond the habitual circles of academic specialists. The essays contributed by Julie Fette, Sarah Fishman, Melanie Hawthorne, Don Reid, and Nathan Bracher explore various facets of Jablonka’s approach, including, respectively: writing history with family stories, resisting the erosion of factual reasoning in the Trump years, pursuing biographies of supposedly non-descript lives, appreciating the importance of Communist cultural networks in postwar France, and revisiting the role of the subject in the social sciences.


1943 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Telfer

The subject of this study is, perhaps, the most commonly known of the manuscript sources of early church history. Beginners in the subject, who are apt to take for granted the text of their sources, nevertheless presently learn that they owe the beginning of the story of the Meletian schism in Egypt and much of the later history of Athanasius to their discovery, early in the eighteenth century, by the Marchése Maffei, in a volume belonging to the Chapter library of Verona. But the fact is that this codex as a whole possesses great interest and presents the student with many fascinating problems. These have been attacked, and in part solved, by a succession of scholars, beginning with Maffei himself and two other Veronese savants, the Ballerini brothers, continuing later with Maassen and Batiffol, and in our own times with Professors C. H. Turner and E. Schwartz. The work of these and others, on this subject, is scattered through many books and periodicals, and the time is ripe for a résumé in English of the whole story. It is even possible to carry the work forward in one or two respects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-106
Author(s):  
V. I. Marshev ◽  
J. B. Otaboev

The history of management of various social objects — family, private, public, church, regional, state — has been around for many millennia. And at the same time objectively constantly there were questions “What should heads (managers) of these objects do for ensuring their survival, growth and development?”, “What roles should leaders of social organizations play?”, “What competencies should a leader have in order to effectively and efficiently perform their roles?”. The evolution of views on the role of managers of social organizations from ancient times up today is stated in the paper. There are given results of scientific research on the subject “the role of managers”, which have been revealed the “national”, regional and industrial specific of managerial roles, a completely new role, and above all — the rating of managerial roles at various stages of the social organizations lifecycle.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 305-323
Author(s):  
Rafał Kubicki

Source input to the history of St. Elisabeth hospital in The Old City of Gdańsk in the years 1429–1454 The subject of this edition are sources regarding the hospital of St. Elisabeth in the Old City of Gdańsk in the years 1429–1454 deposited in archives in Gdańsk and Berlin. They present various aspects of the institution’s operations in the first half of the 15th century. Alongside issues pertaining to the confirmation of its land estate border (no. 1), individual bestowals on its behalf conducted by assorted donors (no. 2, 5, 7, 8, 12) and the management of the hospital’s inventory (no. 4), it also contains documents confirming agreements of lifetime residencies in the hospital (no. 9, 10, 11). We also have here accounts created in reference to the foundation of vicarage in the hospital chapel (no. 3) and the matters of personnel working in the service of the hospital (no. 6). All of them show the complexity of issues the persons connected with the institution handled, most of all in the case of the hospitaler, and alongside him the commander of Gdańsk, who somewhat held a supervising function on behalf of the Teutonic Order. They also confirm the important role of women in terms of nurturing care provided by the hospital, including primarily the head of the female personnel, here referred to as the mother or the mother of the poor. On the other hand, they are also a testimony to the social significance of the institution in the city, presenting the circle of people closely connected to her at the time.


1997 ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Borys Lobovyk

An important problem of religious studies, the history of religion as a branch of knowledge is the periodization process of the development of religious phenomenon. It is precisely here, as in focus, that the question of the essence and meaning of the religious development of the human being of the world, the origin of beliefs and cult, the reasons for the changes in them, the place and role of religion in the social and spiritual process, etc., are converging.


Author(s):  
G. M. Ditchfield

Explanations of the abolition of the slave trade have been the subject of intense historical debate. Earlier accounts tended to play up the role of individual, heroic abolitionists and their religious, particularly evangelical, motivation. Eric Williams argued that the decline in profitability of the ‘Triangular trade’ was important in persuading people that the slave trade hindered, rather than helped, economic progress. More recent work has rehabilitated the role of some abolitionists but has set this alongside the importance of campaigning and petitioning in shifting public opinion. The role that the slaves themselves played in bringing attention to their plight is also now recognized. Consequently, the importance of abolitionism for a sense of Dissenting self-identity and as part of broader attempts to influence social reform needs to be reconsidered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the 2016 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to compare them with those that took place in 2012. It seeks to evaluate the background of the candidates who stood for office in 2016, the policies that they put forward, the results of the contests and the implications of the 2016 experience for future PCC elections. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based around several key themes – the profile of candidates who stood for election, preparations conducted prior to the contests taking place, the election campaign and issues raised during the contests, the results and the profile of elected candidates. The paper is based upon documentary research, making particular use of primary source material. Findings The research establishes that affiliation to a political party became the main route for successful candidates in 2016 and that local issues related to low-level criminality will dominate the future policing agenda. It establishes that although turnout was higher than in 2012, it remains low and that further consideration needs to be devoted to initiatives to address this for future PCC election contests. Research limitations/implications The research focusses on the 2016 elections and identifies a number of key issues that emerged during the campaign affecting the conduct of the contests which have a bearing on future PCC elections. It treats these elections as a bespoke topic and does not seek to place them within the broader context of the development of the office of PCC. Practical implications The research suggests that in order to boost voter participation in future PCC election contests, PCCs need to consider further means to advertise the importance of the role they perform and that the government should play a larger financial role in funding publicity for these elections and consider changing the method of election. Social implications The rationale for introducing PCCs was to empower the public in each police force area. However, issues that include the enhanced importance of political affiliation as a criteria for election in 2016 and the social unrepresentative nature of those who stood for election and those who secured election to this office in these contests coupled with shortcomings related to public awareness of both the role of PCCs and the timing of election contests threaten to undermine this objective. Originality/value The extensive use of primary source material ensures that the subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by an academic perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Gregory Siy Ching

Academic identity is an important aspect of organizing an academic career. An academic identity is distinct and unique and can be defined as the core attitudes that determine how individuals approach the concept of work. In the current era of neoliberalism, changes to university governance in Taiwan have transformed working conditions and hiring practices in academia. Inevitably, role conflicts have emerged, and work stress within higher education institutions has increased. The current study summarizes the narratives of nine academics from the social sciences. The study is anchored in the concept that academic identity formation is rooted in the doctoral education stage. Using a qualitative narrative inquiry lens, interactions between different communities of practice during the doctoral education stage are analyzed, along with later career decisions and the role communities of practice play in those decisions. The findings show that doctoral mentors and fellows all contributed to the formation of a core academic identity, while later career decisions were equally affected by neoliberal policies. It is hoped that by recognizing the role of academic identity, administrators may be able to influence how academics adapt amidst the competing pressures within the academe.


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