Women’s History was rather overlooked before the later twentieth century. Before then History was written, almost completely, by men. Naturally, like all writers, they dwelled on what they or their patrons found relevant. Thus, History was once centred on the lives of national rulers and on the wars and treaties between men.
Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that women were completely “invisible” in History’s primary sources. The texts which male Historians based their academic work upon can be reread with a different agenda and this can make the lives of women in the past “visible” again. Furthermore this reading of primary sources with women-friendly agendas, throws light on another interesting part of History, namely the different attitudes of men towards women. By way of a bonus they also reveal fascinating asides which may otherwise have remained hidden. Offering these to mainstream readers is what the study of History is all about – or should be!
Image from Wikipedia Migration of the Visigoths – route and dates
Two Histories of Her | Gregory of Tours and Paul of Merida
Two men, both writers and both living in Western Europe around the same time. The first to be considered is Gregory of Tours lived in that city which is now in modern France in the early seventh century. The second is Paul of Merida lived in that city in the late sixth century which is now in modern Spain. Both were descendents of once North European, barbarian and pagan tribes who had migrated to inhabit the Roman Empire during the fourth century. Gregory’s ancestors were Franks; Paul’s were Visigoths. Both were leading ecclesiastics in the Catholic Church. With so much in common you might expect they held similar attitudes towards women but you’d be completely wrong.
Misogyny in the Seventh Century | All Women Avaricious and Irresponsible
It seems that Gregory of Tours hated all women with the exception (which made the rule) of his own mother. Gregory suspected that all other women were up to no good, for instance, he wondered:
“Why do you female (but not male) minds succumb to seeking after others’ possessions?” Gregory of Tours Life of the Martyrs Chapter 24
Even when women held high positions within his beloved Church Gregory assumed they were stupid as in this quote from his Glory of the Martyrs
“I turned to the abbess and said ”Is your thinking so irresponsible that you cannot provide an unbroken lamp in which the oil can be burned, but instead you use a cracked lamp from which the oil can drip?”” Gregory of Tours Glory of the Martyrs Chapter 5
The abbess went on to explain that the lamp miraculously remained full to overflowing. So do you think Gregory apologised once he discovered his mistake? No way!
Paul conversely, as we shall see, had a more caring attitude towards women.
Symeon and Nanctus | Two Stories When Holy Men Meet Unholy Women
The contrast of attitudes between the two men was amplified when both recounted stories about saints who withdrew from society to devote their lives more fully to God.
Gregory’s story was about saint Simeon who withdrew to the desert in Syria and lived on a tall pillar. Gregory wrote:
“After [Simeon’s] conversion… he never looked at any woman with open eyes. But in his zeal for holiness after he placed himself on a higher pillar he did not allow himself to be seen by women, not only by unrelated women but even his own mother”
The scene set, Gregory continued:
“…some say that a woman clothed herself in the garments of a man and wished to enter the church [dedicated] to the pillar. When she came to the church she lifted her foot to cross the threshold, immediately fell backwards, toppled over and died.” Gregory of Tours Glory of the Confessors Chapter 26.
Paul of Merida’s story was about an African abbot Nanctus who also wished to avoid contact with the female sex. Not put off, another woman planned to glimpse the holy man and hid in a vantage point and waited for him to walk by, Paul continued:
“When the woman’s gaze fell upon Nanctus without his knowing, he fell to the ground with a loud groan as though he had been struck a hard blow with a great stone…” Paul of Merida Lives of the Holy Fathers of Merida, vii-viii.
The Difference | Gregory of Tours and Paul of Merida
Could two perspectives be any different? You haven’t heard the half of it! In part two of this article we will touch on Gregory and Paul’s attitude to marriage, sex and how women should be treated – with disdain (unless it served other aims) in the case of Gregory of Tours or with care and appreciation in the case of Paul of Merida*.
In Part 2 of This Article
The second part of this article will look at two firsts in Western literature: one in Gregory of Tours, the other in Paul of Merida’s text. It will also discuss the motivations of the two authors. The third and final part will give some tentative conclusions and provide a bibliography to the primary sources quoted.
NOTE *We have attributed the name Paul of Merida as the writer of The Lives of the Holy Fathers of Merida in these articles. Nothing is known of the author’s life and his name is not always attributed as writer of this text.
Image from Wikipedia
An Icon featuring Simeon Stylites and the church by his pillar.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Obscene comments will not be published.