The Grammar of Sanctity: Reading Gender in the Greek, Latin and Syriac versions Lecture Review

The lecture that I attended, The Grammar of Sanctity: Reading Gender in the Greek, Latin and Syriac versions of the Life of Euphrosyne who was called Smaragdus, showcases the impact that Roman culture and storytelling had on the later Mediterranean world. Much like the story of Perpetua, this story, which was written between 1000-1100 AD, focuses on religion and the Patria Potestas. The main character in this tale was going to be married to a man in an arrangement that the father made. However, when the character visits a monastery, they fall in love with it. The character,  just like Perpetua, defies the power of the Patria Potestas with their feet by changing their appearance to appear masculine and running away to the monastery and live the monastic life. The parallels between the Roman story and its more modern counterpart showcase that Roman morals such as power of fathers and and emphasis on religion still impact the thoughts of other and more modern societies.

This story also follows another Roman storytelling tradition, exploring what happens when there is a violation of social norms. While it is unclear if this is a rule, the fact that the main character (who’s given name was Euphrosyne but later went by Smaragdus) went out of the way to appear masculine was uncomfortable and confusing to both readers and translators alike. Throughout various written versions of the story, it’s hilarious to me to see that there isn’t even pronoun agreement within the same text. This symbolizes that across the mediterranean, people are uncomfortable with change, but they also embrace it. This is the same mentality that their roman forerunners possessed. Even the new name the character picks for themselves hints that they might be uncomfortable with change: Smaragdus sounds like a masculine name, but it is actually feminine. However, the fact the character went by Smaragdus for some parts of the story indicates that the authors were willing to be flexible about gender for at least a temporary period. This implies that the people of the mediterranean are willing to discuss revolutionary ideals just like their roman ancestors.