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{"id":4800,"date":"2009-06-03T13:15:22","date_gmt":"2009-06-03T13:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leithart.level2d.com\/?p=1800"},"modified":"2017-09-06T22:49:24","modified_gmt":"2017-09-06T16:49:24","slug":"constantine-feminist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leithart\/2009\/06\/constantine-feminist\/","title":{"rendered":"Constantine, Feminist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<\/head>

<\/p>

Mathew Kuefler ( The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity, and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity (The Chicago Series on Sexuality, History, and Society) <\/a> $\"\"$ ) notes that the traditional Roman patria potestas <\/em> , and the male sexual privileges associated with it, were already waning in the early empire. But Constantine gave the system a firm kick in the shins. <\/p>\n

By earlier rules, women could not manage property themselves. A widow would have to have her property managed by a man, as long as she lived. During the second and third centuries, jurists admitted that this was merely customary, but only with Constantine did the rules begin to change. He passed a law that \u201cpermitted women of good character over the age of eighteen to control their own property, although they still seem to have had to retain legal guardians.\u201d By the end of the century, women had gained the same rights as men over their property, and the tutela mulierum <\/em> had disappeared completely. Further, legislation in 414 ordered that all contracts made by women be considered as binding.\u201d <\/p>\n

Constantine changed the rules of divorce to the advantage of women as well. Earlier, men had been able to \u201crepudiate a marriage partner at will,\u201d and they often gave up one wife to secure a more socially advantageous wife, or one of proven fertility. Constantine denounced divorce \u201cfor trivial reasons,\u201d and specified the conditions under which a man could sue for divorce. Women, further, were allowed to sue for divorce from a murder, tomb robber, or medicamentarius <\/em> \u2013 Kuefler thinks this means \u201can abortionist or poisoner.\u201d She could not divorce a muliercularius <\/em> , which Kuefler suggests is \u201ca man who visited prostitutes,\u201d but the law clearly treats this as a serious breach of marriage. <\/p>\n

Finally, Kuefler suggests that Constantine was the first specifically to prohibit rape. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"