The Overlooked Queer History of Medieval Christianity
June 25, 2021 5:16 AM Subscribe
"As historians, our role is not simply to regurgitate what was written, but to read between the lines. That’s the only way we’ll unearth the realities of subjects whose lives were either shielded by secrecy or erased, often on purpose, by the history that followed." - Roland Betancourt writing in Time Magazine.
Younger Mefites might be unaware of Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe, the crucial scholarly text on this topic from 1994 by John Boswell (RIP). He meticulously documents the history of same sex marriages, including church liturgy. It's a remarkable forgotten history.
posted by Nelson at 7:37 AM on June 25, 2021 [12 favorites]
posted by Nelson at 7:37 AM on June 25, 2021 [12 favorites]
Interesting!
From the article:
Today, it would be easy to assume that same-gender desire, particularly among men, is at odds with the history of Christianity. After all, many elements of modern conservative evangelical Christianity, from the infamous campaigns of the Westboro Baptist Church to faith-based pushes for anti-LGBTQ policy, give the impression that the religion is fundamentally opposed to the LGBTQ
I think it is a general issue that nothing else in time or space is quite like conservative Christianity in the US today - across denominations.
That is not to say that earlier versions of religions haven't been evil or hateful or stupid or politically activist. US Christianity is just it's own thing, just think of the Catholic bishops right now going against the pope in order to condemn Joe Biden, probably the most truly devout president since Carter.
To get back on topic, I don't think we really understand medieval culture. I am constantly surprised by what they did and why. We probably can't project much of our own understanding of the world back on to them, and that is a good thing, IMO.
posted by mumimor at 7:38 AM on June 25, 2021 [9 favorites]
From the article:
Today, it would be easy to assume that same-gender desire, particularly among men, is at odds with the history of Christianity. After all, many elements of modern conservative evangelical Christianity, from the infamous campaigns of the Westboro Baptist Church to faith-based pushes for anti-LGBTQ policy, give the impression that the religion is fundamentally opposed to the LGBTQ
I think it is a general issue that nothing else in time or space is quite like conservative Christianity in the US today - across denominations.
That is not to say that earlier versions of religions haven't been evil or hateful or stupid or politically activist. US Christianity is just it's own thing, just think of the Catholic bishops right now going against the pope in order to condemn Joe Biden, probably the most truly devout president since Carter.
To get back on topic, I don't think we really understand medieval culture. I am constantly surprised by what they did and why. We probably can't project much of our own understanding of the world back on to them, and that is a good thing, IMO.
posted by mumimor at 7:38 AM on June 25, 2021 [9 favorites]
Catholic bishops right now going against the pope...
At one point there were three of them, all going against the others.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:43 AM on June 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
At one point there were three of them, all going against the others.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:43 AM on June 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
Nelson beat me, I came to swoop in with the same rec!
posted by wellifyouinsist at 8:00 AM on June 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by wellifyouinsist at 8:00 AM on June 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
Another rec for Boswell. I was lucky enough to see hm lecture once — he was clear, dynamic, and engrossing. His books are, likewise, and he’s one of the few academics where the footnotes are always worth reading. He died way too soon. To hell with AIDS, the Reagan administration, and all that went with it. Yay for cool medieval and ancient scholarship.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:25 AM on June 25, 2021
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:25 AM on June 25, 2021
Interesting article, interesting subject. I'd echo mumimor in saying we really shouldn't try to project our understanding of the world onto those times and cultures. Their concepts of gender and sexuality were very different from contemporary concepts, whether conservative or progressive. And our concepts are probably going to look dated and strange to people centuries from now... maybe even to our grandchildren.
On that tip, it's good that Betancourt acknowledges that Boswell's initial presentation of some of this evidence was, well, un-nuanced. Boswell interpreted his findings in a somewhat selective way, to sell a provocative thesis.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 3:20 PM on June 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
On that tip, it's good that Betancourt acknowledges that Boswell's initial presentation of some of this evidence was, well, un-nuanced. Boswell interpreted his findings in a somewhat selective way, to sell a provocative thesis.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 3:20 PM on June 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
On that tip, it's good that Betancourt acknowledges that Boswell's initial presentation of some of this evidence was, well, un-nuanced.
That is not actually what Betancourt said. The line was "While scholars over the years have added a great deal of nuance to Boswell’s initial argument, they have also strongly attempted to deny any form of same-gender desire behind the rite." Adding nuance does not mean that the original analysis lacked nuance, just that more could be added later, which is how history is done.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:25 PM on June 25, 2021
That is not actually what Betancourt said. The line was "While scholars over the years have added a great deal of nuance to Boswell’s initial argument, they have also strongly attempted to deny any form of same-gender desire behind the rite." Adding nuance does not mean that the original analysis lacked nuance, just that more could be added later, which is how history is done.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:25 PM on June 25, 2021
Maybe a better way to put it would be that Boswell was not as nuanced as he could have been.
And maybe I wasn't either!
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 5:04 PM on June 25, 2021
And maybe I wasn't either!
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 5:04 PM on June 25, 2021
That is not to say that earlier versions of religions haven't been evil or hateful or stupid or politically activist. US Christianity is just it's own thing
The USA is a nation literally founded by religious zealots who were too extreme to continue to live in their home countries so they moved to an "empty" place where they could zealot all they wanted.
That's the foundation of this country. That and slavery. It's sad, but true.
posted by hippybear at 8:01 PM on June 25, 2021 [8 favorites]
The USA is a nation literally founded by religious zealots who were too extreme to continue to live in their home countries so they moved to an "empty" place where they could zealot all they wanted.
That's the foundation of this country. That and slavery. It's sad, but true.
posted by hippybear at 8:01 PM on June 25, 2021 [8 favorites]
Maybe a better way to put it would be that Boswell was not as nuanced as he could have been.
This has been a very slow response; in my defense, I had to consult with a Medieval Historian to make sure my memory lined up with facts.
I am afraid you are still off the mark. Boswell was pretty literally the first scholar to engage with the "Queer Middle Ages" in a systematic way, so he was not "not as nuanced as he could have been," he was doing foundational work, which, by it's very nature, is incomplete. Boswell could not have written with "full nuance," because he was feeling his way in the dark. And, by the way doing it as an out gay man in 1980s America. His work is still foundational, and even influenced the Supreme Court of Canada on Same-Sex Marriage issues. So, maybe cut the guy some slack, eh?
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:08 PM on June 29, 2021
This has been a very slow response; in my defense, I had to consult with a Medieval Historian to make sure my memory lined up with facts.
I am afraid you are still off the mark. Boswell was pretty literally the first scholar to engage with the "Queer Middle Ages" in a systematic way, so he was not "not as nuanced as he could have been," he was doing foundational work, which, by it's very nature, is incomplete. Boswell could not have written with "full nuance," because he was feeling his way in the dark. And, by the way doing it as an out gay man in 1980s America. His work is still foundational, and even influenced the Supreme Court of Canada on Same-Sex Marriage issues. So, maybe cut the guy some slack, eh?
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:08 PM on June 29, 2021
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posted by lysimache at 7:10 AM on June 25, 2021 [1 favorite]