The Exegetical Speeches of Methodius of Olympus’s (Female) ‘Symposium’

In this paper, I examine Methodius of Olympus’s Symposium, a text which contains ten exegetical speeches on the themes of virginity and chastity from the lips of women. A careful study of the speeches demonstrates that the women are presented as scriptural experts, who work with common exegetical-rhetorical methods and strategies to make their encomia on virginity. I contend that this presentation of women as knowledgeable and well-versed in scripture and exegetical practices had (at least) literary precedent given Methodius’s interpretation of the female figure of Thecla. I argue as well that such a presentation of female virgin-exegetes would likely have been recognizable to Methodius’s readership given that ascetic commitment in his period for men and women alike would most certainly have included serious scriptural engagement. Hints from elsewhere in Methodius’s corpus and social setting also point in this direction.