Agapetae
Encyclopedia
In the 1st century AD to the 3rd century the Agapetae were Christian
virgins who consecrated themselves to God with a vow of chastity
. They were one of a number of Early Christian 'classes' of virgins who associated with men as 'sisters'. The Agapetae lived with laymen, originally in a spiritual community of mutual support. The laymen too took vows of chastity, and looked after the material interests of their 'sisters'.
Abuses and scandals occurred, however. St. Cyprian and St. Jerome both condemned the practice. In 314 the Council of Ancyra forbade virgins consecrated to God to live with men as sisters. The practice did continue for some years. The Agapetae are distinct from the Virgines subintroductae, who were another class of virgins who lived with clerics. The name comes from the Greek
word agapetai, meaning 'beloved'.
The Agapetae were also a branch of the Gnostics in the late 4th century, who held that sexual relations were only improper if the mind was impure.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
virgins who consecrated themselves to God with a vow of chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
. They were one of a number of Early Christian 'classes' of virgins who associated with men as 'sisters'. The Agapetae lived with laymen, originally in a spiritual community of mutual support. The laymen too took vows of chastity, and looked after the material interests of their 'sisters'.
Abuses and scandals occurred, however. St. Cyprian and St. Jerome both condemned the practice. In 314 the Council of Ancyra forbade virgins consecrated to God to live with men as sisters. The practice did continue for some years. The Agapetae are distinct from the Virgines subintroductae, who were another class of virgins who lived with clerics. The name comes from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word agapetai, meaning 'beloved'.
The Agapetae were also a branch of the Gnostics in the late 4th century, who held that sexual relations were only improper if the mind was impure.