The term handmaid of God is an expression found in patristic literature. For example the term was used as an address in letters by

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

. In early Christian inscriptions the title ''ancilla Dei'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "handmaid of God") is often given to a deceased woman. From the meaning attached to this term in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

it has sometimes been assumed that the persons so qualified in the first age of Christianity were

consecrated virgin In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity as a bride of Christ. Consecrated virgins are consecrated by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical ...

s. The inscriptions containing this formula are of two classes: one, in which it is merely stated that a given person was ''ancilla Dei''; the other, from which it is clear that this title was sometimes given to persons who certainly were not religious. The former class is the more numerous, but one of the latter is quite explicit. This informs us that a certain monument was erected by a husband to his wife, whom he styles ''Dei ancilla'': "''(Laur)entius Rufine coniugi Dei anci(llae)...''". In a Roman inscription of the first quarter of the sixth century a certain Guttes is referred to as ''ancilla Dei'', and it is further stated that she was ''nonnes'': "in presence of the

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

Guttes, a handmaid of God" ("''sub presentiâ nonnes Guttes, ancille Dei''"). This reference shows that even in the sixth century, ''ancilla Dei'' is a title not peculiar to religious persons; the author regarded it as necessary to state explicitly that she was ''nonnes''. From the pontificate of

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

(590–604), however, only nuns, as a rule, were qualified by this title.Greg. M. Ep., vi, 23

References

{{Catholic, wstitle=Ancilla Dei Early Christian inscriptions Latin inscriptions Latin religious words and phrases