ABSTRACT

Obedience is a scriptural and theological virtue that has been urged upon all Christians in imitation of Christ. Scripture and biblical interpretation support the concept of human surrender of the will to God in an obedience that mirrors Jesus's obedience to God. Members of religious communities emulate Jesus's obedience to God in obedience and humility. This chapter deals with the models for obedience in Scripture and Christian texts, teaching and preaching about marriage in the medieval university, the sermons of clerics educated there, and hagiographical narratives that accentuate the theme of obedience, notably the lives of several thirteenth- and fourteenth-century women, including a surprising twist to one version of Elisabeth of Hungary's vita. For women in abusive relationships, the concept of obedience can go hand in hand with a theology of suffering and with a theology of ownership in a way that further justifies subordination and thereby abuse.