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The Medieval Transformation of The VOLUME 22, NUMBER 1 “PRISCILLA AND WINTER 2008 AQUILA”INSTRUCTED APOLLOS MORE” PERFECTLY IN THE WAY OF THE LORD” (ACTS 18)” 5 Women Martyrs in the Early Church: Hearing Another Side to the Story Andrea Lorenzo Molinari 11 Morphing Mary: The Medieval Transformation of the Mother of Jesus Christ Kristin Johnson 17 Equality and Pastoral Rule: Pope Gregory the Great’s Inner Conflict Whit Trumbull 21 Julian of Norwich: The Loving Motherhood of God Anne Clift Boris 23 Women and Liturgical Reform: The Case of St. Margaret of Scotland Bridget Nichols 29 Book Review: Andrea Lorenzo Molinari’s Climbing the Dragon’s Ladder Aída Besançon Spencer 31 Poems: Renunciation Christians for Biblical Equality and Jeanne d’Arc www.cbeinternational.org Jennifer Stewart Editor’s Ink � Eighteen hundred years ago, a cell group empire. She is valiant, unassuming, realistic, and completely loyal of Christians was arrested during the per- to her convictions. She stands today as a paradigm of the kind of secution of a.d. 20–03 that accompanied virtue that characterizes the most serious of our faith: generous a brief stopover at Rome of the pugnacious to others and unswerving in her dedication to God. Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus. Sadly, Severus chose his favorites poorly. His real enemy and At Antioch on January 1, 20, Severus had the actual enemy of the state was not Perpetua and her fellow declared his son Bassianus (nicknamed Christians; it was his own son Caracalla, his joint consul. Severus “Caracalla,” or “greatcoat” for the military heaped titles on him and kept gracing him with the names of outfit he habitually wore) joint counsel illustrious emperors, such as Marcus Aurelious Antoninus and with him and returned to Rome, only to Augustus. But this bestial individual, similar to a stock and self- set out for a trip to Africa in 03–04. caricatured villain in a silent movie, was both gross in appear- The leader of the cell group, twenty- to twenty-one-year-old ance and in temperament. One of the most cruel and ruthless Vibia Perpetua, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, had recently of emperors, his conduct so broke his father’s heart on a joint given birth and was still nursing her infant son. While awaiting campaign they waged in Britain against the Scots that we are told, execution, she and her catechetical teacher Saturus kept a record “Worn out by sickness and broken in spirit by Caracalla’s unfilial of their experiences. Perpetua recounted visits by her desperate conduct,” Severus gave up and died.1 On his deathbed, Severus pagan father, agony at the separation from her child and joy at is said to have encouraged his sons to live peacefully, invest in his return, the intercession and support of other Christians, the the military, and ignore everyone else. The brothers became joint visions she was afforded, and tremendous courage she and her rulers. But, Caracalla had his brother murdered in his mother’s companions displayed, shored up, as they were, with God’s grace. arms, accounted for the deaths of his father-in-law, wife, brother- The diary was smuggled out of prison, copied, and distributed in-law, and brother, and, by all indications, was “suspected of try- among the churches, and still is extant today in various collec- ing to hasten the end of his father.”2 He was a busy young man. tions, making it one of the earliest and most reliable first-person Finally, following the least valuable of his father’s advice, he in- accounts of the courage of martyrs of the early church (my copy vested so heavily in the army, built so irresponsibly, and swag- is Rosemary Rader’s edition in Patricia Wilson-Kastner, et al., gered so much that he managed to alienate one of his own officers A Lost Tradition: Women Writers of the Early Church [Lanham, enough to get himself murdered while on campaign in the Near Md.: University Press of America, 1981]). It is striking for the East in the eighth year of his rule. mildness of its language, lack of complaint or rhetoric against her Clearly, Septimius Severus would have done better if he persecutors, and absence of hysterics. Perpetua is revealed as a had not had a model of virtue like Perpetua murdered in what brave, pleasant, calm, mature individual whose concern is for the amounts to a drive-by persecution but had, instead, wisely made wellbeing of her family, encouragement of her friends, and ab- her the official tutor of his son. She could have schooled this solute loyalty and outspoken devotion to her God. She is exactly brute on godliness, filial loyalty, keeping one’s wits in times of the kind of person the emperor should have been valuing in his emergency, and true concern for his family and the country he Board of Reference: Miriam Adeney, Carl E. Armerding, Myron S. Editor • William David Spencer Augsburger, Raymond J. Bakke, Linda L. Belleville, Anthony Campolo, Lois McKinney Douglas, Gordon D. Fee, Richard Foster, John R. Franke, Associate Editor / Graphic Designer • Deb Beatty Mel W. Ward Gasque, J. Lee Grady, Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Vernon Editorial Consultant • Aída Besançon Spencer Grounds, David Joel Hamilton, Roberta Hestenes, Gretchen Gaebelein President / Publisher • Mimi Haddad Hull, Donald Joy, Robbie Joy, Craig S. Keener, John R. Kohlenberger President Emerita • Catherine Clark Kroeger III, David Mains, Kari Torjesen Malcolm, Brenda Salter McNeil, Alvera Mickelsen, Roger Nicole, Virgil Olson, LaDonna Osborn, T. L. Editors Emerita • Carol Thiessen† & Gretchen Gaebelein Hull Osborn, John E. Phelan, Kay F. Rader, Paul A. Rader, Ronald J. Sider, On the Cover • “Perpetua Before Hilarianus” by Tyler J. Walpole Aída Besançon Spencer, William David Spencer, Ruth A. Tucker, Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Timothy Weber, Jeanette S. G. Yep Board of Directors: Gwen Dewey, Mary Duncan, Martine Extermann, Sarah Harrison, Vince Huffaker, KeumJu Jewel Hyun, John Kohlenberger III, Ruby Lindblad, Tom McCarthy, Nancy Graf Peters, Sara Robertson, Arbutus Sider, Rhonda Walton Priscilla Papers (issn 0898-753x) is published quarterly by Christians for Biblical Equality, © 2008. 1 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 218, Minneapolis, MN 55404-451. For address changes and other information, phone: 61-87-6898; fax: 61-87-6891; or e-mail: [email protected]. CBE is on the Web at www.cbeinternational.org. Priscilla Papers is indexed by New Testament Abstracts. • Priscilla Papers ◆ Vol. , No. 1 ◆ Winter 008 ruled. In short, she might have made an outstanding emperor Edmund Rice School of Pastoral Ministry in Arcadia, Florida, of him (or made an outstanding empress herself). As it was, he who is the author of a delightful and painstakingly researched made a thoroughly lousy emperor—a standout embarrassment novel on Perpetua, which is also reviewed in this issue, leads off to his line. She, today, is an admired champion of Christ. with an edifying survey of Perpetua’s spiritual sisters, other wom- As an academic, I must note that en martyrs in the early church. Next, I am constantly reading complaints hen rulers do not create the conflict, Kristin Johnson, executive director heaped on the Emperor Constan- Wtrue Christians make the best and most of OneByOne, which is also Florida- tine—a favorite target among revision- loyal citizens any nation could want. Like Jesus based, revisits the first great Christian ist historians who ignore the joy and woman, Jesus’ mother Mary, and exam- their Lord, they dedicate themselves to doing respect of early church leaders like the ines how her image fared in the Middle good to others. historian Eusebius and the guardian of Ages. Charlotte, North Carolina-based orthodoxy Athanasius who saw him Whit Trumbull next takes an intrigu- as the deliverer of the church from persecution. Instead, we are ing look at the inner conflict about implementing equality in the counseled these days that Constantine ruined the church by wed- thinking of Pope Gregory. Then, we take a look at two controver- ding it to the state as an institution. He has also come into a bad sial saints: Julian of Norwich by Washington, D.C.-based Anne reputation with the ninth commandment breaking calumnies of Clift Boris and St. Margaret by Bridget Nichols of the Diocese of Dan Brown in his historical travesty The Da Vinci Code. Ely in England. Finally, Jennifer Stewart, who is based in Lithu- While, of course, there is merit to the argument the state co- ania, contributes a wonderful poem on the controversial warrior opted the church, we also need, at the same time, to recognize saint, Joan of Arc. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary senior the great service Constantine did in rescuing countless believ- professor of New Testament, Aída Besançon Spencer, completes ers like Perpetua from senseless slaughter. While the blood of the issue with a careful review of Dr. Molinari’s novel on Perpet- martyrs may be the fertilizer that nourished the church, since ua. The beautiful cover illustration from the novel was graciously God’s word never returns without effect (see Isa. 55:11), those provided by the artist Tyler J. Walpole and President Molinari. contemporary Christians I keep hearing who shake their heads Our hope for this issue is that readers will be encouraged by and lament, “Maybe we need another persecution here to clean the examples of these dedicated saints of our history so that we up the church,” have obviously never themselves suffered. They might emulate the best of their thoughts and actions and disre- don’t need a persecution. They need to get serious about their gard the rest. At the same time, as we review the heartrending own faith, clear their heads of their own whining, take a serious record of what they underwent in their dedication to bringing in look around at the plight of Christians suffering all around the Christ’s rule, let us feel gratitude for the vast and heroic record of globe, and get Constantinian in praying and acting for the pres- the devotion of those who went before us to preserve and foster ent martyrs in Nigeria, the Sudan, Pakistan, Columbia—actually, our Christian faith and be even more cognizant of our responsi- all across the world.
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