Female diaconate in the early church

[Ben Mincey]

I really did not know where to put this,so I thought the General Discussion area would work best for the subject matter.One of the most interesting and important aspects of the Church,is Her history.As a student of history(I hope to one day FINALLY finish up my B.A.-God willing),it was Orthodoxy's past that first attracted me to the Faith.In my reading,I found reference to a Female Diaconate in the Early Church.I found this to be quite intriguing!!!
What was the role of the Female Diaconate in the Early Church?What role did they play in the formation of the Early Church.Is there a similar role for women in the Church today and if not,could a Female Diaconate one day be reinstated?Why was the Female Diaconate discontinued,or did it "metamorph" into something else?As a male convert to Orthodoxy,I ask about this out of historical interest,as well as to expand my knowledge of the Church.I think that for obvious reasons Orthodox women might find this subject of particular interest.Women have always played an important role in the Church,indeed we are all equal in the sight of God,be we male or female.But a Female Diaconate is something I never knew existed.I brought up this subject at our last Bible study at Church.A few people had heard about a Female Diaconate in the Early Church,but no one knew much about the subject.If you have any information about the Female Diaconate of the Early Church or just an opinion about the subject,please feel free to post awayhttp://www.monachos.net/mb/clipart/happy.gif!!!

In Christ,
Ben Mincey

[Razhden Guriadze]

Ben,
Welcome, and God bless. The deasonesses used to do things like holding up the hems of robes for women when they entered the baptismal pool, and then helping them put on the white baptismal robe as the women came out of the water.
As the Church allowed people to be baptized in some sort of clothing that position was no longer necessary. I realize that deaconesses had other functions.
I am Georgian Orthodox. The Church Canons state that baptisms should be performed "naked in running water" barring that possibly various states of dress and/or standing water are acceptable.
We are told that if we are in the desert and come upon someone who is in danger of dying laity can baptize by applying saliva with the side of the thumb to the person's forehead. Make the sign of the cross threes times while reciting "I baptize thee(you) in the name of the Father+, and the Son+, and the Holy Spirit+."
If the person lives and wants to become Orthodox then a priest completes the service. Sorry for the verbal tangent.
As to what happened to the office of deaconess, I guess it depends on the particular jurisdiction.
I don't remember whether the Georgian Church had them or not.

[Ben Mincey]

Greetings in Christ,

Thank you Fr. Razhden,and may Christ bless youhttp://www.monachos.net/mb/clipart/happy.gif!
It is wonderful to find out interesting facts about the Church.The wealth of Knowledge and Tradition that She contains knows no bounds.What you have told me is the most concrete information that I have seen.I hope God willing,that I find more.Thank you again,and please pray for me a sinner.

In Christ,
Ben Mincey

[Razhden Guriadze]

POI, I was born Razhden. That is not the name I was ordained.
So please, just plain Razhden.
ICXC,
Razhden

[Ben Mincey]

Sorry about that Razhden,I was just going by your profile.I hope I did not offend you.If I did, please accept my sincere apologies.

In Christ,
Ben

[Jordan Henderson]

There is a helpful article on the female diaconate in the early Church in Women and the Priesthood. It is available from SVS Press, and edited by Fr. Thomas Hopko, though I don't recall who wrote this particular article.

Jordan

[Justin]

I'm not sure when the practice of female Deacons was discontinued, but Saint John Chrysostom was friends with a female Deacon when he was Bishop of Constantinople, so the practice must have lasted at least into the late fourth century.

"Close to the bishop's [Chrysostom's] residence was a large and thriving convent of two hundred and fifty virgins, presided over by Deaconess Olympia, then in her early thirties, who abounded in wealth, that of the world no less than virtue. From the outset they became friends, and maintained a keen spiritual and intellectual sympathy. [...] Mother Olympia took care of his garments and prepared simple meals, which she sent daily to the episkopeion. She understood his dietary needs, since she also damaged her digestive system with excessive fasting." - The Lives of the Three Great Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, (Holy Apostles Convent, 1998), p. 153

"Many women also supported the bishop [Chrysostom]. Chief among his true spiritual friends was his confidante Olympia, and the Deaconesses Pentadia, Procla, Sylvina, and Nicarete." - Ibid., p. 155

[Razhden]

Greetings in Christ,
It would appear that the use of Deaconesses has not been abolished,only fallen into disuse.
There are several sites listing Deaconesses.
I found several documents from the Georgian Church for the blessing of Deaconesses. One of them mentions that while the Priest reads the words of Baptism and Chrismation the Deaconess does the physical part such as applying chrism, etc.
They also did(do) the instruction of women and children.
I pray that if anyone in Georgia reads this that they will contact me.
I have been in the US since 1946 and do not know(remember) much about the Georgian Church.
God bless all,
ICXC,
Razhden


http://www.monachos.net/mb/icons/mime_html.gifBlessing of Deaconesses geofd.htm (http://www.monachos.net/mb/messages/4227/geofd-1143.html) (4.0 k)

[Gregory Orloff]

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

In discussing the historical phenomenon of deaconesses in the Church, it might be useful to remember the original and true function of deacons in the Church. While today we consider them to be primarily liturgical ministers, assistants to presbyters and bishops, and the diaconate to be a temporary "stepping stone" to the presbyterate (priesthood), in earlier days the diaconate was a more permanent ministry, and the function of the deacon was one of dispensing charity and caring for the needs of the needy members of the Church -- visiting the sick, distributing food and clothing to the needy, bringing the Eucharist to those unable to come to church, etc. -- in addition to liturgical functions -- such as preparing candidates for baptism and chrismation. Deaconesses served this function in cases where women were involved, so decency and propriety would not be violated -- for example, preparing unclothed candidates for the immersion and anointing of baptism and chrismation, or tending to the medical care of the sick, etc. Does the Church need deaconesses today? Perhaps the question should be framed another way: does the Church need to rediscover and recover the original meaning and intent of the diaconate, period? All of us know that our bishops and presbyters, for the most part, are overworked and spread thin in too many directions -- they can't do everything. They need help, and lots of it. And in a world of chronic sickness, spousal abuse, child abuse, cancer and HIV epidemics, lonely shut-ins, homelessness, substance abuse, underfed and undereducated children -- ad infinitum! -- many opportunities exist for the Church to reach out with a compassionate hand and bring the consolation, encouragement and concrete help of Christ to those crying out for such. Perhaps having more qualified, permanent deacons in the ranks of the Church is the solution to this problem. And if deaconesses are needed to help women in these specific populations in need with the discretion, decency and propriety that gender-related issues often require, perhaps it is time for the bishops of the Church to discuss, with all seriousness, the revival of this order, putting the effectiveness of the Church's ministry -- the manifestation of Christ's living and concrete love for the world -- first and foremost in their considerations. After all, there's nothing really new here: it's already part of our Orthodox Tradition.

Gregory Orloff

[Razhden]

Greetings in Christ,
I think if you check out the Coptic Church you will find that they, for one, have re-instituted the Deaconess.
God bless,
Razhden

[Paul Cowan]

I'm not sure when the practice of female Deacons was discontinued, but Saint John Chrysostom was friends with a female Deacon when he was Bishop of Constantinople, so the practice must have lasted at least into the late fourth century.

"Close to the bishop's [Chrysostom's] residence was a large and thriving convent of two hundred and fifty virgins, presided over by Deaconess Olympia, then in her early thirties, who abounded in wealth, that of the world no less than virtue. From the outset they became friends, and maintained a keen spiritual and intellectual sympathy. [...] Mother Olympia took care of his garments and prepared simple meals, which she sent daily to the episkopeion. She understood his dietary needs, since she also damaged her digestive system with excessive fasting." - The Lives of the Three Great Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, (Holy Apostles Convent, 1998), p. 153

"Many women also supported the bishop [Chrysostom]. Chief among his true spiritual friends was his confidante Olympia, and the Deaconesses Pentadia, Procla, Sylvina, and Nicarete." - Ibid., p. 155

I read this and thought of a thread recently regarding Deaconesses and found this one instead.


Commemorated on July 25

Saint Olympias the Deaconess was the daughter of the senator Anicius Secundus, and by her mother she was the granddaughter of the noted eparch Eulalios (he is mentioned in the life of St Nicholas). Before her marriage to Anicius Secundus, Olympias's mother had been married to the Armenian emperor Arsak and became widowed. When St Olympias was still very young, her parents betrothed her to a nobleman. The marriage was supposed to take place when St Olympias reached the age of maturity. The bridegroom soon died, however, and St Olympias did not wish to enter into another marriage, preferring a life of virginity.

After the death of her parents she became the heir to great wealth, which she began to distribute to all the needy: the poor, the orphaned and the widowed. She also gave generously to the churches, monasteries, hospices and shelters for the downtrodden and the homeless.

Holy Patriarch Nectarius (381-397) appointed St Olympias as a deaconess. The saint fulfilled her service honorably and without reproach.

St Olympias provided great assistance to hierarchs coming to Constantinople: Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, Onesimus of Pontum, Gregory the Theologian, St Basil the Great's brother Peter of Sebaste, Epiphanius of Cyprus, and she attended to them all with great love. She did not regard her wealth as her own but rather God's, and she distributed not only to good people, but also to their enemies.

St John Chrysostom (November 13) had high regard for St Olympias, and he showed her good will and spiritual love. When this holy hierarch was unjustly banished, St Olympias and the other deaconesses were deeply upset. Leaving the church for the last time, St John Chrysostom called out to St Olympias and the other deaconesses Pentadia, Proklia and Salbina. He said that the matters incited against him would come to an end, but scarcely more would they see him. He asked them not to abandon the Church, but to continue serving it under his successor. The holy women, shedding tears, fell down before the saint.

Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria (385-412), had repeatedly benefited from the generosity of St Olympias, but turned against her for her devotion to St John Chrysostom.She had also taken in and fed monks, arriving in Constantinople, whom Patriarch Theophilus had banished from the Egyptian desert. He levelled unrighteous accusations against her and attempted to cast doubt on her holy life.

After the banishment of St John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down.

All the supporters of St John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned St Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. St John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 St Olympias entered into eternal rest.

St Olympias appeared in a dream to the Bishop of Nicomedia and commanded that her body be placed in a wooden coffin and cast into the sea. "Wherever the waves carry the coffin, there let my body be buried," said the saint. The coffin was brought by the waves to a place named Brokthoi near Constantinople. The inhabitants, informed of this by God, took the holy relics of St Olympias and placed them in the church of the holy Apostle Thomas.

Afterwards, during an invasion of enemies, the church was burned, but the relics were preserved. Under the Patriarch Sergius (610-638), they were transferred to Constantinople and put in the women's monastery founded by St Olympias. Miracles and healings occurred from her relics.