Gender, Conversion, and the End of Empire in the Teaching of Jacob, Newly Baptized

The seventh-century apocalyptic dialogue text Doctrina Jacobi nuper baptizati (Teaching of Jacob, Newly Baptized) depicts forcibly baptized Jews coming to terms with their new situation in hidden meetings led by Jacob. At a key moment the text, last voices Jewish resistance belong wife and mother-in-law one participants. This essay uses this women's interrogate gendered nature conversion empire Jacobi; faith converts power are both feminized such way as dislocate orthodoxy from promote masculinized, non-Jewish, post-Roman eschaton. Although is often read defense imperially forced baptism, remains tenuous ambiguous, does that them. Jews, always incomplete, never quite reaching full Christianity, become sad mascots imperial failure, while orthodox Christians imagine own triumphant future. Nonetheless, I suggest, ambiguities Christian imaginary create space for future into baptism forms margins.