Women Praying and Prophesying in Corinth (eBook)

Cover 1
Preface 6
Table of Contents 8
Abbreviations 13
Introduction 16
I. From “Women Praying or Prophesying” to “Let Women Be Silent” 17
II. Project Plan 20
Chapter 1. Interpreting Women’s Speech in Corinth: Rhetoric and Historical Reconstruction 24
I. Reading 1 Corinthians and Reconstructing the Corinthian Situation 24
A. Ferdinand Christian Baur’s Corinthian Factions 25
B. Sources of Problems: Gnosticism, Realized Eschatology, Paul’s Teachings 25
C. The Sociological Turn: Theissen, Meeks, and Schüssler Fiorenza 28
II. Women in the Corinthian Assembly 31
A. Men and Women in Worship and the Galatians 3:28 Connection 33
B. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Paul’s Ambivalent Impact for Women 36
C. Antoinette Clark Wire’s Corinthian Women Prophets 37
D. Jorunn Økland and the Discourse of Gender and Sanctuary Space 39
III. Defining Prophecy and Prayer in Tongues 41
A. Origins and Backgrounds for Prophecy and Tongues 42
B. Form and Content of Prophecy and Tongues 43
C. The Question of Mental States and Ecstasy 45
D. Paul’s Rhetorical Goals in Defining Inspired Speech 46
IV. Women Prophets in Ancient Mediterranean Divination 47
A. Cataloging and Defining Divination 48
B. The Anthropological Turn: Jean-Pierre Vernant and Followers 49
C. Gender Dynamics in Oracular Institutions 51
V. Summary of Research and Questions Remaining 54
Chapter 2. Women Praying and Prophesying: Archaeological Evidence from Corinth 58
I. Introducing Corinth 58
A. History and Archaeology 58
B. Temples and Religious Spaces in Roman Corinth 62
II. Women’s Presence in the Roman Forum: Inscriptions 63
III. Women Praying: Devotion to Demeter and Isis 66
A. The Sanctuary of Demeter in the Roman Period 66
1. Earliest Use: Curse Tablets on the Lower Terrace 67
2. Temple Construction in the Late First Century 73
B. Sanctuaries for Isis in Corinth and Kenchreai 76
1. Literary Evidence: Pausanias and Apuleius 76
2. Archaeological Evidence 76
3. Apuleius’s Isis Festival in Kenchreai (Metamorphoses, Book XI) 78
IV. Women Prophesying: Corinth and Oracular Temples of Apollo 81
A. Connections to Trans-Regional Oracles 81
B. Apollo Temples and Images in Corinth 84
V. Conclusion 85
Chapter 3. Ambivalence toward Women’s Speech: Livy, Philo, and Plutarch 88
I. Livy’s History: Roman Matrons Speaking in the Forum 90
II. Philo of Alexandria: Women and the Female Part of the Soul 97
A. Philo’s Gender Dualism 98
B. De specialibus legibus 3.169–80: Spaces for Women’s Speech 100
C. De vita contemplativa: Men, Women, and Ecstatic Speech 104
III. Plutarch: Virtue and Speech in State and Household 113
A. Women’s Form, Fame, and Speech in Virtues of Women 114
B. Women Inside and Outside of the Home in Conjugalia Praecepta 117
IV. Conclusion 122
Chapter 4. Women Prophets in Philosophical, Poetic, and Oracular Literature 124
I. Philosophical Traditions 128
A. History and Philosophy: Interrogating Communication with Gods 128
1. Herodotus’s History 129
2. Plato’s Three Forms of Madness 130
B. The Pythia in Plutarch’s De defectu oracularum and De Pythiae oraculis 132
II. Poetic Traditions 141
A. Poetry: Dramatizing Communication with Gods 141
1. Athenian Drama 142
2. Latin Epic Poetry 145
B. The Sacrifice of the Pythia in Lucan’s De bello civili 148
III. Oracular Traditions 156
A. Prophecy: Recording Communication with Gods 156
1. Male and Female Prophets in the Hebrew Bible 156
2. Sibylline Collections in Greek and Roman Traditions 160
B. The Sibyl’s Embodiment of Apocalyptic Prophecy in the Sibylline Oracles 161
IV. Conclusion 170
Chapter 5. Women Praying or Prophesying: The Ambivalent Argument of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 172
I. The Structure and Difficulties of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 174
II. The Situation: Keeping Traditions, Praying, and Prophesying (11:2) 175
III. Theological Premise: Heads and Bodies (11:3) 177
IV. Cultural Norms of Gender Differentiation (11:4–6) 180
V. Creation Narratives and Gender Identity (11:7–12) 183
VI. More Cultural Arguments: Propriety, Nature, and Custom (11:13–16) 191
VII. Conclusion 193
Chapter 6. Voiceless Idols, Voiceless Women: The Argument from 1 Corinthians 11:16 to 14:40 196
I. Argumentative Movements in 11:17–14:25 196
A. The Ritual Meal in Assembly: 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 197
B. Voiceless Idols, One Speaking Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 200
C. The Body of Christ: 1 Corinthians 12:12–31 204
D. A Better Way: 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 208
E. Defining Prophecy and Praying in Tongues: 1 Corinthians 14:1–25 210
1. Pursue Prophecy in Order to Build Up (14:1–5) 210
2. The Limited Efficacy of Speaking in Tongues (14:6–12) 212
3. Mindlessness of Speaking in Tongues (14:13–19) 213
4. Responses of Outsiders to Inspired Speech (14:20–25) 214
II. Instructions for Order for Praying or Prophesying (14:26–40) 218
A. The Textual Integrity of 14:34–35 218
B. The Rhetorical Integrity of 14:26–40 222
III. Conclusion 228
Conclusion 230
I. The Gender Dynamics of Inspired Speech 230
II. Implications of this Research 234
Bibliography 236
Index of Ancient Sources 256
Hebrew Bible and Septuagint 256
Deuterocanonical Books 257
Pseudepigrapha 258
Ancient Jewish Authors 258
New Testament 259
Early Christian Writings 262
Greek and Latin Literature 262
Subject Index 268