The Image of the Woman and Cult of Mary

Although the influence of women`s and gender studies has elicited unprecedented interest among researches in Byzantine studies, there nonetheless continue to exist substantial gaps in our knowledge about women in Byzantium. The project proposal, "The Image of the Woman and the Cult of Mary: Development of the Image of the Woman as Mirrored in the Hymnography of the Pre-Islamic Period" proposes to fill one of these gaps. Considered in the historical context, the influence of the cult of Mary brought about a real change in the social position of the Byzantine woman. The aim of the project is to use the cult of Mary to examine how the image of the woman changed over the course of the centuries during which the value system of Hellenistic society was transformed under the influence of Christianity. The project will thus seek to explain the extent to which hymnography as a propaganda tool with a broad influence on the masses reflected the development of the image of the woman, which can be reconstructed using other sources. The subject is to be studied in the context of linguistic usage related to the cult of Mary. Hymnography will be compared both with types of sources that depict actual circumstances and those which formed the normative, i.e. dogmatic-ideological and legal, framework of women`s position in Byzantine life. Relevant references will be extracted from the sources by using concepts that correlate with the cult of Mary and the image of the woman. This method will endeavour to develop a manner of reading and interpretation that will act as a guidepost for future Byzantine scholarship. While adhering to the strict standards of classical philology, it is hoped that through critical "cross reading" this new method will lead to the systematic identification of new fields of information. By overcoming-at least in part-the male-dominated confines of Byzantine writers and through systematic and critical questioning, the project aims to depict the development of the mentality and situation of Byzantine women, without regard to specific social groups, in a manner which not only provides more information but is also richer in nuances than heretofore. The result will be to correct the stereotypical, one-sided and petrified image of the Byzantine woman. The project proposal is intended to form a foundation for further research on the development of the image of the woman in Byzantium as a reflection of the ideological development of the empire itself.

The aim of the project was to use the cult of Mary to examine how the image of the woman changed over the course of the centuries during which the value system of Hellenistic society was transformed under the influence of Christianity. The period which was investigated covered three centuries, up to the beginning of the seventh century. The project`s goal was to explain the extent to which hymnography as a propaganda tool with a broad influence on the masses reflected the development of the image of the woman, which can be reconstructed using other sources. The results of the project confirm that early Byzantine hymnography provides a valuable source for the study of women in Byzantium, a source, which was hardly exploited before, for it became evident that hymnographic literature suits to socio-historical approaches. In this case the cult of Mary served as reasonable setting for comparison. Modern psycho-sociological theories was succesfully employed in analysis and interpretation. The chosen reading technique yielded female models which are applicable more generally to socio-historical research focusing on Medieval women and gender. Three publications, specifically, illustrate by examples the development of new methods.