The Sorrows of Mattidia: A New Translation and Commentary

127 Pages·2019·3.296 MB·English

by  Curtis Hutt, Jenni Irving

THE SORROWS OF MATTIDIA
The Sorrows of Mattidia is a fictional story in the Ps-Clementine
writings that narrates the adventures and conversion of a noble
woman to Christianity. The authors’ approach to these texts with
their complex conceptual and methodological problems is well
argued, and a new translation based on a text-critical reconstruction
of the Greek Homilies is a welcome addition. These texts from
the Ps-Clementines are generally interesting and will hopefully
generate worthwhile discussions among scholars and students.
Annewies van den Hoek, Harvard University, USA
This volume offers a new translation of the Pseudo-Clementine family narrative
here known as The Sorrows of Mattidia. It contains a full introduction that explores
the obscured origins of the text, the plot, and the main characters, and engages in
a comparison of the portrayal of pagan, Jewish, and Christian women in this text
with what we encounter in other literature. It also discusses a general strategy for
how historians can utilize fictional narratives like this when examining the lives
of women in the ancient world. This translation makes this fascinating source for
late antique women available in this form for the first time.
Curtis Hutt is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska
at Omaha, USA, and the Founding Executive Director of the Leonard and Shirley
Goldstein Center for Human Rights.
Jenni Irving is an epigrapher and lecturer of Ancient Languages and Classical
Studies at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and the University of
Nebraska at Omaha, USA. She also is an instructional designer for a Fortune 500
company.
ROUTLEDGE CLASSICAL TRANSLATIONS
Routledge Classical Translations provide scholars and students with accurate,
modern translations of key texts that illuminate distinctive aspects of the clas-
sical world and come from a range of periods, from early Greece to the Byzan-
tine empire. Volumes include thematic groupings of texts, texts from important
authors, and texts from the Byzantine period that are relevant for the study of
the classical world but that remain inaccessible. Each volume has accompanying
notes and commentary that provide a solid framework for deeper understanding
of the material. As well as providing translations of significant texts, the series
makes available material that is untranslated into English or difficult to access,
and places these texts within new contexts to open up areas of study and support
research.
THE HISTORY OF ZONORAS
From Alexander Severus to the Death of Theodosius the Great
Thomas Banchich and Eugene Lane
CTESIAS’ “HISTORY OF PERSIA”
Tales of the Orient
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and James Robson
BYZANTINE READINGS OF ANCIENT HISTORIANS
Texts in Translation, with Introductions and Notes
Anthony Kaldellis
THE LOST HISTORY OF PETER THE PATRICIAN
An Account of Rome’s Imperial Past from the Age of Justinian
Thomas Banchich
THE SORROWS OF MATTIDIA
A New Translation and Commentary
Curtis Hutt and Jenni Irving
www.routledge.com/classicalstudies/series/CLTRA
THE SORROWS OF
MATTIDIA
A New Translation and Commentary
Curtis Hutt
Translated by Jenni Irving
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Curtis Hutt and Jenni Irving
The right of Curtis Hutt and Jenni Irving to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
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registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hutt, Curtis, editor. | Irving, Jenni, translator.
Title: The Sorrows of Mattidia: a new translation and commentary/
Curtis Hutt; translated by Jenni Irving.
Description: New York: Routledge, 2018. | Series: Routledge classical
translations | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018008878 (print) | LCCN 2018010290 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780429507915 (ebook) | ISBN 9780429018756 (web pdf) |
ISBN 9780429018749 (epub) | ISBN 9780429018732 (mobi/kindle) |
ISBN 9781138579613 (hardback: alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Christian literature, Early. | Recognitions (Pseudo-Clementine) |
Clement I, Pope—Fiction. | Women in Christianity—History—Early church,
ca. 30—600. | Christian literature, Early—History and criticism.
Classification: LCC BR65.C55 (ebook) | LCC BR65.C55 R4313 2018 (print) |
DDC270.1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018008878
ISBN: 978-1-138-57961-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-50791-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
List of illustrations vii
Acknowledgements viii
PART I
Women of the Clementina 1
1 What is The Sorrows of Mattidia? 3
A Introduction 3
B Obscured origins 4
C An ancient romance 8
2 Women of the Clementina 17
A Overview 17
B Women of the Clementina 19
i Mattidia 19
a Historical background: Mattidia the Elder and
Mattidia the Younger 19
b Mattidia, the mother of Clement 29
ii Mattidia and the widow(s) of Arados 33
iii Mattidia and the wife of Peter 37
iv Justa and her daughter, Bernice 39
v Helena and female prophecy 42
3 Women and gender relations in the community of Peter 53
A Feminist historiography and The Sorrows of Mattidia 53
B Peter, Paul, and women 61
C Jewish, Christian, and other women in the ancient
Mediterranean world 64
v
CONTENTS
4 Sylvia’s gift 72
PART II
The Sorrows of Mattidia 83
5 The Sorrows of Mattidia: author, text, bibliography,
and translation 85
6 The Sorrows of Mattidia 87
TRANSLATED BY JENNI IRVING WITH CURTIS HUTT
A Introduction: The Sorrows of Mattidia
(Homilies 12.8–12.14) 87
B The first recognition: Mattidia on Arados
(Homilies 12.15–12.24) 89
C The second recognition: Mattidia and her twins
(Homilies 13.1–13.8) 92
D An interlude: concerning Justa and Simon Magus
(Homilies 2.19–2.25; 3.73–4.1) 94
E The third recognition: Mattidia and Faustus
(Homilies 13.9–13.13; 13.20–14.10) 97
F Mattidia and the magi (Homilies 20.11–20.23) 102
Bibliography 107
Index 115
vi
ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1 Clementina and sources 6
2.1 Stemma for the Imperial women on the early second century ce 20
2.2 Marble portrait of Mattidia the Elder. New York: Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Accession Number 13.229.3 21
2.3 Denarius of Trajan. London © British Museum 23
2.4 Aureus of Trajan. London © British Museum 23
2.5 Sestertius of Hadrian. London © British Museum 23
2.6 Aureus of Antoninus Pius. London © British Museum 24
2.7 Seal of the Order of Cîteaux (modern cast), c. 1300–50. Paris:
Archives Nationales B 1540. Photo: Genevra Kornbluth 25
2.8 Icon of Our Lady of Valor. Tel Aviv: Our Lady of Valor Pastor
Center. Photo: St. James Vicariate for Hebrew Speaking
Catholics in Israel, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem 26
2.9 Antigua Parroquia de Indios. Mexico City: Basilica of Our Lady
of Guadalupe. Photo: Curtis Hutt 27
2.10 Marble Portrait of Mattidia the Younger. New York:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number 21.88.35 28
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is the result of a few decades of work. Several people have helped
along the way. I want to especially thank Ross Kraemer, Nicole Kelley, Charles
King, and anonymous reviewers who supplied comments on earlier versions of
the text. Robert Dylan Campbell has worked on the permissions and index. I am,
of course, extremely grateful to Jenni Irving for her work on the translation. She
has also created the charts found in the text. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York, the British Museum, and David M. Neuhaus, S. J., from the St.
James Vicariate of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem have supplied images for
the publication.
Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Anna Dunaevsky, who has supported my
labors every step of the way. May we never be separated.
Curtis Hutt
viii
Part I
WOMEN OF THE CLEMENTINA