
Sara Parvis - Women and the Reception of Nicaea
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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


