The Presbyters Project

Chapter 26

Quod nefas sit feminas sacris altaribus ministrare, vel aliquid ex ii, quae virorum sunt officiis deputata, praesumere.

26. Nihilominus impatienter audivimus, tantum divinarum rerum subiisse despectum, ut feminae sacris altaribus ministrare firmentur, cunctaque non nisi virorum famulatui deputata sexum, cui non competunt, exhibere.

A long tirade against the priests (sacerdotes) who allow such things follows.

(ed. Thiel 1868: 361.376-377)

Chapter 26

That it is unlawful for women to minister at the sacred altars, or to take on themselves any of those duties allotted to men.

26. No less have we heard with impatience that such a disregard has come upon divine affairs that women are encouraged to minister at the sacred altars, and that they openly perform everything that has been assigned only to the service of the male sex, to which they do not correspond.

A long tirade against the priests (sacerdotes) who allow such things follows.

(trans. Neil – Allen 2014: 145.155)

Discussion:

Letter 14 of Pope Gelasius, written on 11 March 494, was addressed to the bishops of Lucania and Bruttium (ie. nowadays Calabria) and Sicily. They were under Gelasius' direct metropolitan jurisdiction. The long letter is a "decretal", and contains mainly various norms regulating the rights and obligation of clergy.

This is a rare example of a source hinting that some liturgical functions (not specified here) may have been performed by women. For more information on the topic see Otranto 1982.

Place of event:

Region

Rome
Italy south of Rome and Sicily

City

Rome

About the source:

Author: Gelasius I
Title: Epistulae, Letters
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome between AD 492 and 496.

Edition:

Thiel A. ed., Epistulae Romanorum pontificum genuinae et quae ad eos scriptae sunt a S. Hilario usque ad Pelagium II, 1, Braunsberg 1868, 287-510.

Translation:

B. Neil, P. Allen edd., The Letters of Gelasius I (492-496): Pastor and Micro-Manager of the Church of Rome, Turnhout 2014.

Bibliography:

B. Neil, P. Allen edd., The Letters of Gelasius I (492-496): Pastor and Micro-Manager of the Church of Rome, Turnhout 2014.

G. Otranto, "Note sul sacerdozio femminile nell’antichità in margine a una testimonianza di Gelasio I”, Vetera Christianorum 19 (1982), 341–360.

Categories:

Described by a title - Sacerdos/ἱερεύς

Female ministry

Impediments or requisits for the office - Gender

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: S. Adamiak, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1981, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1981