Gender Differences and the Making of Liturgical History: Lifting a Veil on Liturgy's Past (Liturgy, Worship and Society Series)

Mapping uncharted territory in the study of liturgy's past, this book offers a history to contemporary questions around gender and liturgical life. Teresa Berger looks at liturgy's past through the lens of gender history, understood as attending not only to the historically prominent binary of 'men' and 'women' but to all gender identities, including inter-sexed persons, ascetic virgins, eunuchs, and priestly men. Demonstrating what a gender-attentive inquiry is able to achieve, Berger explores both traditional fundamentals such as liturgical space and eucharistic practice and also new ways of studying the past, for example by asking about the developing link between liturgical presiding and priestly masculinity. Drawing on historical case studies and focusing particularly on the early centuries of Christian worship, this book ultimately aims at the present by lifting a veil on liturgy's past to allow for a richly diverse notion of gender differences as these continue to shape liturgical life. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Abbreviations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Preface......Page 14 Part I Gendering Liturgy’s Past: The Trouble, the Task, and the Tools......Page 20 1 Gender History in Liturgy’s Past—Why Not?......Page 22 Liturgy’s Past: History, Historiography, Tradition......Page 23 The Traditional Writing of Liturgy’s Past: Gender-Challenged......Page 27 Contesting Conventional Histories......Page 36 Women: Beginning to Make Liturgical History Gender-Attentive......Page 38 2 From Women to Gender Differences in Liturgy’s Past......Page 42 Gender History: Beyond Women’s Ways of Worship......Page 44 Why Gender History for Liturgy’s Past?......Page 49 Methodological Principles: Gender History and the Writing of Liturgy’s Past......Page 51 Lifting a Veil on Liturgy’s Past: What for?......Page 53 Part II Tracing Gender in Liturgy’s Past......Page 56 3 Sacred Spaces and Gendered Bodies......Page 58 Egeria: Gender and Sacred Sites......Page 59 Interpreting Gender in Sacred Space......Page 61 Fragments from the Biblical Foundations......Page 65 Entering the Earliest Christian Sanctuaries: The Household as Sacred Space......Page 68 Entering Public Sanctuaries......Page 72 Gender Separations in Liturgical Space......Page 73 Gender Separation, Set in Stone......Page 78 Why Gender Separation in Sacred Space?......Page 79 Beyond Sanctuary Binaries......Page 82 Outside the Bounds of the Nascent Public Church......Page 83 Leaving the Sanctuary......Page 85 4 Eucharistic Fragments: Gender on and under the Table of Tradition......Page 88 Introduction......Page 89 Jesus as Both Host and Food......Page 91 The Eucharist as Mother’s Milk......Page 93 Breaking Bread and Blessing It, in Women’s Hands?......Page 109 Gathering the Fragments, “that nothing may be lost” (John 6:12)......Page 114 5 Presence at Worship: Bodily Flows as Liturgical Impediments......Page 116 Liturgical Anxieties about Bodily Flows......Page 118 Liturgical Constraints Related to Menstruation......Page 119 Liturgical Anxieties over Nocturnal Emissions......Page 130 Sexual Relations as an Impediment to Prayer......Page 135 Liturgical Prohibitions Related to Birth-giving......Page 142 Conclusions......Page 146 Introduction......Page 148 Liturgical Leadership and the Politics of Gender......Page 149 Circumscribing Priestly Masculinity......Page 161 A Priestly Womb and Priestly Breasts: Mary, the Mother of God......Page 168 Part III Gender, History, and Liturgical Tradition......Page 176 7 The Lasting Presence of Liturgy’s Past......Page 178 The Challenge: Writing Liturgical History without Veiling Gender......Page 181 Liturgical Tradition: What Happens When Lex Orandi and Gender History Meet?......Page 188 The Past’s Presence, or Offering a History of Gender Trouble to Liturgical Life Today......Page 193 Finally, “To Be within the Veil”......Page 201 Bibliography......Page 204 Scripture Index......Page 230 General Index......Page 232 Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Abbreviations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Preface 14 Part I Gendering Liturgy’s Past: The Trouble, the Task, and the Tools 20 1 Gender History in Liturgy’s Past—Why Not? 22 Liturgy’s Past: History, Historiography, Tradition 23 The Traditional Writing of Liturgy’s Past: Gender-Challenged 27 Contesting Conventional Histories 36 Women: Beginning to Make Liturgical History Gender-Attentive 38 2 From Women to Gender Differences in Liturgy’s Past 42 Gender History: Beyond Women’s Ways of Worship 44 Why Gender History for Liturgy’s Past? 49 Methodological Principles: Gender History and the Writing of Liturgy’s Past 51 Lifting a Veil on Liturgy’s Past: What for? 53 Part II Tracing Gender in Liturgy’s Past 56 3 Sacred Spaces and Gendered Bodies 58 Egeria: Gender and Sacred Sites 59 Interpreting Gender in Sacred Space 61 Fragments from the Biblical Foundations 65 Entering the Earliest Christian Sanctuaries: The Household as Sacred Space 68 Entering Public Sanctuaries 72 Gender Separations in Liturgical Space 73 Gender Separation, Set in Stone 78 Why Gender Separation in Sacred Space? 79 Beyond Sanctuary Binaries 82 Outside the Bounds of the Nascent Public Church 83 Leaving the Sanctuary 85 4 Eucharistic Fragments: Gender on and under the Table of Tradition 88 Introduction 89 Jesus as Both Host and Food 91 The Eucharist as Mother’s Milk 93 Breaking Bread and Blessing It, in Women’s Hands? 109 Gathering the Fragments, “that nothing may be lost” (John 6:12) 114 5 Presence at Worship: Bodily Flows as Liturgical Impediments 116 Liturgical Anxieties about Bodily Flows 118 Liturgical Constraints Related to Menstruation 119 Liturgical Anxieties over Nocturnal Emissions 130 Sexual Relations as an Impediment to Prayer 135 Liturgical Prohibitions Related to Birth-giving 142 Conclusions 146 6 Liturgical Leadership: Gender-Troubled 148 Introduction 148 Liturgical Leadership and the Politics of Gender 149 Circumscribing Priestly Masculinity 161 A Priestly Womb and Priestly Breasts: Mary, the Mother of God 168 Part III Gender, History, and Liturgical Tradition 176 7 The Lasting Presence of Liturgy’s Past 178 The Challenge: Writing Liturgical History without Veiling Gender 181 Liturgical Tradition: What Happens When Lex Orandi and Gender History Meet? 188 The Past’s Presence, or Offering a History of Gender Trouble to Liturgical Life Today 193 Finally, “To Be within the Veil” 201 Bibliography 204 Scripture Index 230 General Index 232 Mapping uncharted territory in the study of liturgy's past, this book offers a history to contemporary questions around gender and liturgical life. Berger looks at liturgy's past through the lens of gender history, understood as attending not only to the historically prominent binary of "men" and "women" but to all gender identities, including inter-sexed persons, ascetic virgins, eunuchs, and priestly men. Drawing on historical case studies, Berger explores traditional fundamentals such as liturgical space and eucharistic practice and new ways of studying the past Gender history in liturgy's past : why not? From women to gender differences in liturgy's past Sacred spaces and gendered bodies Eucharistic fragments : gender on and under the table of tradition Presence at worship : bodily flows as liturgical impediments Liturgical leadership : gender-troubled The lasting presence of liturgy's past. Mapping uncharted territory in the study of liturgy's past, this book offers a history to contemporary questions around gender and liturgical life. It looks at liturgy's past through the lens of gender history, understood as attending not only to the historically prominent binary of 'men' and 'women' but to all gender identities.