Prof. Rvd. Natale Loda (Pontifical Lateran University, Italy)

The Deaconesses: From Nicaea (325) to the end of the fourth century

At the time of the Council of Nicaea, the ecclesiastical communities scattered throughout the Roman Empire constituted a body, a unity in a variety of ministries. The bishop acted as the head of these communities, and had a specific ministry. Around the bishop in the Church, there were some faithful who, depending on their charisms, carried out special ministries and pastoral functions. Already within the first Christian communities, as inferred from the Pauline letter to the Romans, there were female figures called deacons, who had auxiliary roles under the direct dependence of the episkopoi. Together with the missionary role, the female deacon also had the task of guiding and teaching. The diaconal institution was divided into a male one directed at men, and a female one for women. By virtue of this function, always depending directly on the bishop, the deaconesses exercised a certain authority over the communities. Male deacons had the function of being intermediaries between the bishop and the laity when they turned to him. Thus, deaconesses were intermediaries between women and the bishop himself. The main ministry of the female deacon was the anointing in the administration of the baptism of catechumens, which was followed by formation in the Christian life. Other pastoral functions were also foreseen for deaconesses, such as charitable work, visiting sick women, helping them, and bringing communion on Easter day to pregnant women. Along with these tasks, there were more practical ministries such as indicating places in the assembly for the women of the community. At the time of Nicaea, although there had already been references to the institution of female diaconate, especially in some writings such as the Didascalia of the Apostles, however, there still remained some obscure points regarding the breadth of the scope of this ecclesial ministry. The 19th canon of the Council of Nicaea refers to the sect of the Paulinians, which gave baptism in a Trinitarian form, within an erroneous doctrinal framework. Canon 19 required all Paulinist faithful whishing to return to communion to undergo a new baptism, since the previous one was considered invalid. Thus, even priests and clerics, in addition to baptism, had to undergo a new consecration. Regarding Paulinist deaconesses, if ordained with the cheirotesia (χειροθεσία), they had to be treated like other members according to their ministry. Ordained deaconesses returned to the ordo (rank, place) while those without ordination had to be numbered among the laity. From canon 19 to the time of the Council of Nicaea, it is difficult to make a certain reconstruction of the institution of the female diaconate that could be satisfactory. Due to a certain autonomy and to the variety of customs among Christian communities scattered in the East, it becomes problematic to establish with precision the ministry, role, offices and tasks of the deaconesses in the ecclesial community. Certainly, the female diaconal institution has become more and more stabilized in ministries and pastoral functions over time. However, for men, one does perceive an expansion, while for women, a compression to the point of almost disappearing.

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