Abstract

Throughout the development of Christianity, from ancient Rome to the Medieval period, the influence and role of women at the local level has been in flux. In this essay I examine the role played by women who, due to both circumstance and tradition, expanded and passed on the same knowledge as outside the traditional framework. The importance of an anchorite can and should be taken in the context of her active participation in society, physically living as an ascetic did not remove the anchorite from influencing the daily life of the laity. By being present at the heart of Medieval social structure, the Church, she would have been a living point of access to the divine for the faithful. Having this public place high in the moral network of the local population both gave the anchorite power, and dictated her behavior as a model of morality. The fact that anyone was able to converse with her did, however, allow for free access to a point of access to knowledge from which the common man would otherwise have been barred.

Presenters

Milo Rhys Teplin
Asst. Archeologist, Cultural Resources Management, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Texas, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Religious Foundations

KEYWORDS

Medieval, Religion, Church Doctrine, Social Role, Women's Studies, Anchorites, Christianity

Digital Media

Videos