Agapetae
Sign in to saveIn the 1st century AD, the Agapetae (from the Greek word ἀγαπηταί (agapetai), meaning 'beloved') were virgins who consecrated themselves to God with a vow of chastity and associated with laymen.
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- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
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In the 1st century AD, the Agapetae (from the Greek word ἀγαπηταί (agapetai), meaning 'beloved') were virgins who consecrated themselves to God with a vow of chastity and associated with laymen.
The practice was also known as Syneisaktism (spiritual marriage).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Agapetae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.