Enslaved Virgins: Slavery, Sexuality, and Asceticism in Late Antiquity

This paper considers how enslaved women in Late Antiquity were expected to conform to the Christian ascetic practices of their households through consecrated virginity. Enslaved people did not have control over their sexual practices and were often exposed to abuse. This paper argues that ascetic practices and dedication to virginity were another way to control enslaved women’s sexual choices. Though this system does not include the same expectations of sexual and reproductive labor, it still illustrates Roman slavery’s erasure of bodily autonomy through limiting sexual choices in a different way.

Recent scholarship has delved into the complexities of virginity in Late Antiquity (Lillis; Undheim). Though Lillis and Undheim touch on slavery, their focus is on virgins and the concept of virginity broadly. Undheim especially complicates what it means to be a virgin through her concept of “borderline virginity”, which includes enslaved people since they cannot control their sexual experience. Other scholars have considered the sexual abuse and labor of enslaved women and its importance to the Roman slavery system (such as: Brooten; Huemoeller; Phang). This paper joins this growing interest in the discourse of Late Antique virginity with the discussion of the sexual labor of enslaved women by considering virginity as a subset of other sexual practices. The paper will bridge scholarship on early Christianity and Roman slavery to contextualize new Christian practices within their Roman setting.

This paper is concerned with the enslaved women whose enslavers dedicated them to virginity. Women, whether in private households or monastic communities, commonly made vows of consecrated virginity in Late Antiquity. Enslaved women had to follow the practices of their enslaver if they lived in an ascetic household, which is one possible reason for dedicating an enslaved woman as a virgin. Enslaved people would also often follow an enslaver who joined a monastic community. Jerome advises virgins and widows to enslave only women because “Mistresses are also judged because of the habits of her slave women” (ex ancillarum quoque moribus dominae iudicantur; Letter 79.9, LCL 262; all translations are my own). Whether dedicated to virginity or not, enslaved women were expected to follow the behavior of their enslaver. Due to the scarcity of source for slavery, this paper considers the texts of several church leaders like Jerome from the fourth to fifth centuries CE for their description of virginity in ideal households. In particular, the paper will analyze Gregory of Nyssa’s Life of Macrina for its descriptions of enslaved women surrounding ascetic matrons. When she decides on virginity, Macrina declares to her mother that she will “consider her slave and those under her power as sisters and equals to herself” and live humbly like them (εἶχε μεθ’ ἑαυτῆς ἐκ δουλίδων καὶ ὑποχερίων ἀδελφὰς καὶὁμοτίμους ποιησαμένη, Macrina 7, SC 178). Though this is a statement of humility for Macrina, her decision also imposes a certain lifestyle on the enslaved people. This paper will explore how enslaved women participated in virginity and asceticism imposed by figures like Macrina.