
Sara Parvis - Women and the Reception of Nicaea
 7 snips 
 Oct 14, 2025  Dr. Sara Parvis explores the significant yet often overlooked role of women in the reception of Nicaea. She discusses how women acted as educators, copyists, and patrons, contributing to theological discourse and church politics. Notable figures like Queen Mavia and various female networks helped shape early Christian thought and preserve essential texts. Parvis argues for a re-examination of history that highlights women's contributions rather than their absences, asserting their vital role in the Nicene tradition. 
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 Intro 
 00:00 • 3min 
 Context and Scope of the Talk 
 03:12 • 26sec 
 Which portraits and images frame Nicaea? 
 03:37 • 1min 
 What problems and structure will guide this seminar? 
 04:51 • 5min 
 Why mark the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea? 
 09:29 • 6min 
 How is Nicaea being received across traditions? 
 15:28 • 2min 
 How are Reformed churches engaging Nicaea? 
 17:46 • 2min 
 Is Nicaea colonial or relevant globally? 
 20:08 • 54sec 
 How is Nicaea relevant to African Christian theology? 
 21:02 • 3min 
 Why dedicate a World Council of Churches issue to women and Nicaea? 
 24:13 • 1min 
 What can theologians say about women at Nicaea? 
 25:40 • 12sec 
 How can the term homoousios be read as egalitarian? 
 25:52 • 2min 
 Which canons and roles at Nicaea touch on women? 
 28:00 • 3min 
 Should historians reconstruct what ought to have happened? 
 30:39 • 40sec 
 What does 'reception of Nicaea' mean historically? 
 31:20 • 2min 
 Who hid Athanasius during his exiles? 
 33:11 • 2min 
 What role did women copyists and educators play? 
 35:04 • 1min 
 How were women subjected to state violence in the controversies? 
 36:16 • 3min 
 Could nuns have distributed Athanasius's texts clandestinely? 
 39:15 • 1min 
 How did elite women act as patrons and mediators? 
 40:28 • 48sec 
 What was Queen Mavia's role in church politics? 
 41:16 • 1min 
 Which other women supported clergy and church infrastructure? 
 42:40 • 47sec 
 How should historians include women in the Nicaea story? 
 43:26 • 14sec 
 Outro 
 43:40 • 49sec 


