Women in Tertullian’s Works in the Context of the History of Salvation

Dariusz Zalewski

Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Ełku , Poland


Abstract

The analysis of the writings of Tertullian at an angle of his attitude towards women encounters a lot of difficulties. On one side when addressing to women he uses rather waspish, incisive language sometimes even with a rhetorical em­phasis. We can see it at some instructive, moral fragments of the letters such as De cultu feminarum or De virginibus velandis. Superficial reading of these versets could lead up to a conclusion about antifeminism of Tertullian. On the other side he highly appreciates women because of their participation by body and sole at the God’s redemption and universal resurrection. It is clearly seen at some of his theological works such as, for example, De resurrectione mortuorum. Tertullian is not a writer who habitually looks for and show every negative characteristic feature of woman’s character. All his manifestations of distrust to­wards women derive rather from his own character and prepossession to moral rigorism and partially reflect psyche of people constituting Christian communities at II and III centuries after Christ. At the same time we could say that the apparent discrepancy of his point of view towards women results not only from gradual changing of his attitude to women but mainly from the character of his works and aims he wanted to achieve.

Keywords:

Tertullian, woman, History of Salvation

Tertullianus, Ad martyras, ed. E. Dekkers, CCL 1, Turnholti 1954, 1-8, tłum. E. Stanula: Tertulian, Do męczenników, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, PSP 5, Warszawa 1970, 31-39.

Tertullianus, Ad Scapulam, ed. E. Dekkers, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 1125-1132, tłum. W. Myszor: Tertulian, Do Skapuli, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, II, PSP 29, Warszawa 1983, 109-116.

Tertullianus, Ad uxorem, ed. E. Kroymann, CCL 1, Turnholti 1954, 371-394, tłum. K. Obrycki: Tertulian, Do żony, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, II, PSP 29, Warszawa 1983, 147-164.

Tertullianus, Adversus Marcionem, ed. E. Kroymann, CCL 1, Turnholti 1954, 441-726, tłum. S. Ryznar: Tertulian, Przeciw Marcjonowi, PSP 58, Warszawa 1994.

Tertullianus, Adversus Praxean, ed. E. Kroymann – E. Evans, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 1159-1205, tłum. E. Buszewicz: Tertulian, Przeciw Prakseaszowi, w: Trójca Święta. Tertulian, Przeciw Prakseaszowi, Hipolit, Przeciw Noetosowi, ŹMT 4, Kraków 1996, 35-86.

Tertullianus, Apologeticum, ed. E. Dekkers, CCL 1, Turnholti 1954, 77-171, tłum. J. Sajdak: Tertulian, Apologetyk, POK 20, Poznań 1947.

Tertullianus, De anima, ed. J.H. Waszink, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 781-869.

Tertullianus, De cultu feminarum, ed. A. Kroymann, CCL 1, Turnhout 1954, 341-370, tłum. D. Sutryk: Tertulian, O strojeniu się kobiet, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, III, PSP 65, Warszawa 2007, 33-56.

Tertullianus, De exhortatione castitatis, ed. E. Kroyman, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 1013- 1035, tłum. K. Obrycki: Tertulian, Zachęta do czystości, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, II, PSP 29, Warszawa 1983, 165-181.

Tertullianus, De monogamia, ed. E. Dekkers, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 1227-1254, tłum. E. Stanula: Tertulian, O jednożeństwie, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, III, PSP 65, Warszawa 2007, 59-82.

Tertullianus, De oratione, ed. G.F. Diercks, CCL 1, Turnholti 1954, 257-274, tłum. W. Kania: Tertulian, O modlitwie, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, PSP 5, Warszawa 1970, 114-132.

Tertullianus, De resurrectione mortuorum, ed. J.G.Ph. Borleffs, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 919-1012.

Tertullianus, De virginibus velandis, ed. E. Dekkers, CCL 2, Turnholti 1954, 1207-1226, tłum. K. Obrycki: Tertulian, O noszeniu zasłony przez dziewice, w: Tertulian, Wybór pism, III, PSP 65, Warszawa 2007, 85-103.

Cameron A., Early Christianity and the Discourse of Female Desire, w: Women in Ancient Societies: An Illusion of the Night, ed. L.J. Archer – S. Fischler – M. Wyke, London 1994, 152-168. (Crossref)

Church F.F., Sex and Salvation in Tertullian, HTR 68 (1975) fasc. 2, 89-101. (Crossref)

Cooper D.M, Was Tertullian a Misogynist? A re-examination of this charge based on a rhetorical analysis of Tertullian’s work, Exeter 2012.

Fiorenza E.S., In Memory of Her: a feminist theological reconstruction of Christian origins, London 1983. (Crossref)

Freppel C.E., Tertullien. Cours d’éloquence sacrée fait à la Sorbonne pendant l’année 1861-1862, Paris 1887.

Gourevitch D., Le mal d’être femme. La femme et la médecine dans la Rome antique, Paris 1984.

Gramaglia P.A., La condizione femminile in Tertulliano, w: Tertulliano, De virginibus velandis. La condizione femminile nelle prime comunità cristiane, ed. tenże, Roma 1984, 174-214.

Lamirande A., Tertullien misogyne? Pour une relecture du „De cultu feminarum”, „Science et Esprit” 39 (1987) 5-25.

Łuźniak A., Matrimonio, verginità, vedovanza negli scritti di Q.S.F. Tertulliano, Roma 2008.

Mara M.G., I Padri della Chiesa e la donna, „Parole di Vita” 30 (1985) 411-419.

Mattioli U., Aspetti della femminilità nella letteratura classica, biblica e cristiana antica, Roma 1983.

Moretti P.F., La Bibbia e il discorso dei Padri Latini sulle donne. Da Tertulliano a Girolamo, w: Le donne nello sguardo degli antichi autori cristiani. L’uso dei testi biblici nella costruzione dei modelli femminili e la riflessione teologica del I al VII secolo, ed. K.E. Børresen – E. Prinzivalli, Trapani 2013, 137-173.

Prinzivalli E., Donna e generazione nei Padri della Chiesa, w: La donna nel pensiero cristiano antico, ed. U. Mattioli, Genova 1992, 79-94.

Prinzivalli E., Early Christian Antropology: Gender Models in Creation and Resurrection, w: Christian and Islamic Gender Models, ed. K.E. Børresen, Roma 2004, 43-65.

Sfameni Gasparro G., La donna nell’esegesi patristica di Gen 1-3, w: La donna nel pensiero antico, ed. U. Mattioli, Genova 1992, 17-50.

Sfameni Gasparro G., Donna e creazione negli scritti dei Padri: aspetti e problemi dell’esegesi patristica di Gen 1-3, w: Dizionario di Spiritualità Biblico-Patristica, ed. S.A. Panimolle, t. 11: Creazione, Uomo, Donna negli scritti dei Padri, Roma 1995, 217-239.

Tibiletti C., La donna in Tertulliano. Misoginia e maschilismo in Grecia e in Roma, Ge¬nova 1981.

Turcan M., Être femme selon Tertullien, „Vita Latina” 119 (1990) 15-21. (Crossref)

Uglione R., Donna e matrimonio in Tertuliano, w: tenże, Tertuliano. Teologo e scrittore, Brescia 2002, 75-111.

Weiser A., Die Rolle der Frau in der urchristlichen Mission, w: Die Frau im Urchristentum, hrsg. G. Dautzenberg – H. Merklein – K. Müller, Freiburg 1983, 158-181.


Published
2018-12-01


Zalewski, D. (2018). Kobiety u Tertuliana w kontekście historii zbawienia. Vox Patrum, 66, 57–69. https://doi.org/10.31743/vp.3445

Dariusz Zalewski 
Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Ełku



License

Papers published in Vox Patrum are covered by the Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) licence. Authors and users can use published works licensed under the CC-BY-ND since 2018. For earlier publications, copyrights are available under fair use rights in accordance with the Act of February 4, 1994 on copyrights and related rights.