The Revolt of the Widows: A Feminist Guide to the Apocryphal Acts

1. The Revolt of the Widows: A Feminist Guide to the Apocryphal Acts

2. Non-canonical Acts • Acts of John • Acts of Peter • Acts of Paul • Acts of Andrew • Acts of Thomas • Acts of Xanthippe

3. The Acts of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca

4. The conjugal union: a device of the serpent, a disregard of the teaching, An injury to the seed, a gift of death, a work of destruction, a teaching of division, a work of corruption, a boorish rusticity, a second sewing of the enemy, an ambush of Satan, a device of the jealous one, an unclean fruit of parturition, a shedding of blood, a passion in the mind, a falling from reason, a token of punishment, an instruction of pain, an operation of fire, a sign of the enemy, the deadly malice of envy, the embrace of deceit, a union of bitterness, a morbid humor of the mind, an invention of ruin, the desire of a phantom, a converse with matter, a comedy of the devil, hatred of life, a fetter of darkness, a derision of the enemy, a hindrance………… From The Acts of John as quoted in the Epistle of Pseudo-Titus

5. Thomas on Children

6. Marriage in Roman Society

7. From a speech by Augustus to men of the equestrian class (9 CE)

8. Plutarch Coniugaliapraecepta

9. Ancient Greek Romances • Chariton, Callirhoe • Achilles Tatius, Leucippe and Clitophon • Longus, Daphnis and Chloe • Xenophon of Ephesus, Ephesian Tale • Heliodorous of Emesa, Aethiopica

10. Referring to Chariclia from the Aethiopica by Heliodorus: A heroine that is admirably assertive and fully equal in talents, both mental and physical, to those of the hero. This strong, likeable heroine is presented without any hint that this was a rare description of a female, or that her talents were unexpected. Comments by S.R. (whoever he may be) from an online translation

11. Aegeates to Maximilla from The Acts of Andrew “Give me first your right hand to kiss, you whom I shall not address as wife but as my lady, being so greatly refreshed, by your prudence and your love for me.”

12. A new word for your vocabulary: Misandry: Hatred of men

13. There is an alternative.

14. …bind yourselves each one of you in an indivisible, true and holy matrimony, waiting for the one incomparable and true bridegroom from heaven, even Christ, who is a bridegroom forever. A.Jn.

15. I have set at nought this husband and this marriage that passeth away from before mine eyes, it is because I am joined in another marriage; and that I have had no intercourse with a husband that is temporal, whereof the end is with lasciviousness and bitterness of soul, it is because I am yoked unto a true husband. A.Th. 14

16. Who wrote them? Possible answer – Widows!

17. Honor widows who are real widows. She who is a real widow , and is left all alone, has set her hopes on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age. 1 Timothy 5

18. From the Acts of Peter And suddenly some of the old blind widows… You holy and inviolate virgins of the Lord… But Peter arranged to go to Marcellus on the Lord’s day To see the widows… Divide these among the virgins of Christ who serve him.

19. And they brought much money for the service of the widows. A.Th.6:59 Out of the old women over sixty that are here… A.Jn.30 God is greater than our thoughts as we have learned from the aged widows. A.Pt.7

20. Theology Some bad news and some good news. Are you ready for this?

21. The Bad News But if we chance upon a place, and find there one believing woman only, and no other person be there but she only, we do not stop there, nor pray there, not read the scripture there, but we flee as if from the face of a serpent, and as before the face of sin. Not that we disdain the believing woman – far be it from us to be so minded towards our brethren in Christ! From Two Epistles Concerning Virginity by Pseudo-Clement

22. The Best News of All: Adam and Eve The Original Sin Undone The Initial Separation Reconciled