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The fetishization of female exempla: Mary, Thecla, Perpetua and Felicitas
Parkhouse, Sarah
Parkhouse, Sarah
Author
Abstract
Mary, Thecla, Perpetua and Felicitas are often seen as female exempla both in the early Christian world and in their modern reception. They are considered model teachers, martyrs and apostles, and counter-cultural as they surpass the normative gender hierarchy. Yet, the texts that tell their stories are not so clear-cut. In characterising their protagonists, they repeatedly place them in sexualized or subordinate roles – they are condescended to, distrusted and exhibited. In the end, the women are favoured by the divine but hold little power over their male peers. Even as these texts appear to challenge the patriarchal society from which they stem, they reinscribe it.
Keywords
Date
2017
Type
Journal article
Journal
New Testament Studies
Book
Volume
63
Issue
4
Page Range
567-587
Article Number
ACU Department
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Open Access Status
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Controlled