Manichaean Women in a Pseudo-Augustinian Testimony: An Analysis of the North African Testimonium de Manichaeis sectatoribus

The article analyses the rather unknown and understudied Testimonium de Manichaeis sectatoribus. This Pseudo-Augustinian text has come down to us in two Latin manuscripts (one from Saint Gervais, Paris; the other from a Vatican codex) and interestingly elucidates the place and role of women among th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Vigiliae Christianae
Main Author: Oort, Johannes van 1949- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2017
In: Vigiliae Christianae
RelBib Classification:BF Gnosticism
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
KBL Near East and North Africa
Further subjects:B Testimonium de Manichaeis sectatoribus women Manichaeism Augustine of Hippo persecution Early Christianity Roman North Africa religious (re)naming
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:The article analyses the rather unknown and understudied Testimonium de Manichaeis sectatoribus. This Pseudo-Augustinian text has come down to us in two Latin manuscripts (one from Saint Gervais, Paris; the other from a Vatican codex) and interestingly elucidates the place and role of women among the Manichaeans of Roman Africa. Differences between the mss lead to the conclusion that, in all likelihood, the text underwent some ‘masculinisation’ in the course of its tradition. In its (in all probability) most original form, i.e., in the ms from Saint Gervais, Manichaean women appear to have played a major role. On the basis of the Testimonium, furthermore, it may be suggested that—at least in Roman Africa—female Manichaeans were (re)named with names that were highly symbolic to the ‘Religion of Light’.
ISSN:1570-0720
Contains:In: Vigiliae Christianae
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700720-12341258