„…KI TALÁLHAT BÖLCS ASSZONYT?” NÉMI BETEKINTÉS A 16–17. SZÁZADI PAPNÉK MŰVELTSÉGÉBE
“WHO CAN FIND A WISE WOMAN?” SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE EDUCATION OF THE WIVES OF 16TH-17TH-CENTURY CALVINIST PRIESTS

Summary/Abstract: “Who Can Find a Wise Woman?” Some Insights into the Education of the Wives of 16th-17th-Century Calvinist Priests. The paper examines the literacy of pastors’ wives during the 16th-17th centuries. For a long time, the opportunity for women to acquire literacy was only the privilege of the upper social strata, but literacy was not widespread among them either. This trend came to an end in the 17th century, for which period we also found examples of the literacy of urban citizens. The daughters of the lower social strata were prepared primarily to be good wives, housewives, and good mothers in the family, especially next to their mothers.Examining the preachers’ wives as a well-defined social group is a problem due to the scarcity of resources. In most cases, we know nothing but the name of the preacher’s wife, and we do not have information about their origins and families; if we do, however, then their social situation and the occupation of their parents provide a basis for research into their education.The conclusion of the research is that even if they did not receive a formal education, the 16th-17th-century Calvinist pastors’ wives were educated women. In many cases, this knowledge – primarily wisdom, life experience, and piety – and the virtues necessary for the roles of housewife, mother, and wife were the main aspects of choice for their husband.

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