Five influential women stand out in the history of the church between the time the Apostolic
Constitutions laid out guidelines for ordaining women to the diaconate
in 375 CE and the Council of Orange in 411 CE when the practice was halted.
Marcella (325-410)
Olympias the Elder (330-361)
Melania the Elder (350-410)
Olympias the Younger (368-408)
Melania the Younger (383-439)
What happened in this short period of time that would trigger such a swift change
in the church's policy? There is scant evidence in the lives of these influential women of a scandal that would motivate the Holy
See to back away from the decision to elevate women to positions of
authority in the church. It seems likely that women deacons were caught in the crossfire during the period of hostile rivalry between Rome, Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria that
ultimately led to the schism between East and West.
