Same Sex Unions
Book Review: Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell The question
of same-sex unions and their legitimacy in many different societies is a topic
that has been hotly debated for centuries. One society in particular is
pre-modern Europe. Noted author and historian Dr. John Boswell looks extensively
at the topic of same-sex unions in his book Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe.
Dr. Boswell argues extensively in his book that the Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox churches not only sanctioned unions between partners of the same sex,
but actually sanctified them. This critique examines some specific aspects of
the book, and analyzes them. Before an analysis of the Same Sex Unions in
Premodern Europe can be evaluated, it’s important to know a little about the
author himself and what he stood for. Dr. Boswell was a professor at Yale
University and Chairman of Yale’s history department for many years. He was an
award winning scholar, author and historian.
In addition to writing Same Sex
Unions in Premodern Europe he also wrote several other works such as
Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality. Two of his greatest
professional achievements included being a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Fulbright
scholar. It is his extensive training as a Historian and an understanding of his
own homosexuality that gave him unique insight into the writing of Same Sex
Unions in Premodern Europe. In Same Sex Unions in Modern Europe, Boswell takes a
highly controversial position in saying that the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
churches actually sanctified same sex unions, while at the same time, presenting
his viewpoints in such a way that any well educated historian would… very
carefully.
He almost contradicts himself at several points in the book and
mentions that his ideas are subject to debate among his peers. Boswell, in
writing this book has essentially established a Premodern Europe where
heterosexual marriage was largely ignored by pagans and discouraged by the
church. Also, according to Boswell, men would essentially pair off in order to
perform duties that were considered essential to society such as war, trade,
education, friendship, etc. As Boswell puts it “it is hardly surprising that
there should been a Christian solemnizing same sex unions.” I do not agree with
him on this premise, although homosexuality has existed in animal species and in
humans since the beginnings of our existence, how can he be so bold as to assume
that the majority of these supposed pairs were homosexual? In my opinion that
broad of a statement is like saying that any two men that shake hands or embrace
must automatically be gay. There is a second specific point that I wish to point
out with regards to medieval priest and the monastic life. Boswell points out in
Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe that young boys caught performing homosexual
acts were “punished” by being sent to a monastery. Was this meant as
“punishment” to deprive these boys of their youth or to isolate them from the
supposed forces that made them perform these acts? Boswell points out “in any
event, being placed with monks was likely to provide the best environment to
locate other men romantically interested in their own gender.” That’s all well
and good, but he undermines his own thesis here. If the Christian Right of the
time so vehemently supported same sex unions, then why would boys who engaged in
same-sex acts be “punished” at all? Should not they be encouraged to be
homosexual? Boswell not only mildly contradicts himself here, he goes a step
further and practically destroys his own thesis.
Through reading Same Sex Unions
in Premodern Europe, relating it to my own experiences as a history major, and
gay male, not to mention discussions in class, I do not believe that same sex
unions were as heavily sanctioned in Premodern Europe by churches as Boswell
would have us believe. It is my opinion that there have fluctuations between
then and now as to exactly how much homosexuality is tolerated by the so-called
mainstream society. There were places such as Ancient Greece where it was
accepted and modern day liberal locations such as San Francisco, California that
have a large gay/lesbian population. In both places both in the past and
present, a certain percentage of religions Christian or non-Christian have
spoken out against same sex unions. In one respect I can agree with Boswell in
that perhaps in the past (in certain premodern Europe geographical locations)
that same sex unions were more tolerated than they are today here in the United
States. This is especially true in the so called “Bible Belt” which comprises
many of the Southern and South Western states where groups such as the Christian
Coalition and the Moral Majority have gained a lot of political clout with their
conservative (and anti-gay) viewpoints. These groups tend to be at the forefront
of what I consider to be backwards thinking.
They do not recognize that many
gays and lesbians wish to have families and be considered as “normal” members of
society, instead these groups and others view them as “deviants” and “sinners”
because of whom they chose to have relationships with. In recapping some of the
major themes of Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by Dr. John Boswell, I find
his basic thesis in his book to be how openly both the Catholic Church and
Eastern Orthodox Church supported same sex unions. Although he provides some
good evidence that there was some recognition, I believe he makes the mistake of
assuming that most, if not all of these unions were sexual partners and
companions. While some may have been, certainly not to the degree that he
states. Furthermore in looking into other church records of the time period, it
is clear that the Catholic Church did not support same sex marriages or unions.
Bottomline, Boswell makes some good points and provides some evidence, but it
was not persuasive enough for me to agree with his thesis, there are too many
open ends in terms of his interpretations of documents and other sources.
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