Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe

by John Boswell

This book has been widely acclaimed. Boswell contends that during the Middle Ages Catholic and Orthodox churches developed liturgical rites for solemnizing unions between pairs of males. If the thesis of the book is correct, the clear implication is that homosexual relationships, even those with an erotic aspect, have not always been regarded by Christians as sinful. Indeed, they may have been viewed at times as exemplary of Christian virtue. A further implication is that the current position of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, that homosexual activity is gravely sinful, may be a cultural accretion that does not have its roots in authentic Christian belief.

Most Christians, even those in sympathy with Boswell, will find his claims surprising. However, his reputation, as holder of the Griswold Chair in History at Yale, and the apparent weight of his evidence have impressed many readers. His research seems to be meticulously thorough, and his text is copiously supplemented with notes documenting often obscure sources in Greek, Latin, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Serbian, French, German and various other languages.

Boswell took care to footnote everything. It is true that this might have been an attempt to overwhelm any opponent, but a momentary consideration of the context removes such a possibility: if Boswell had written without footnotes we all know that he would have been dismissed out of hand.

two same sex union rites

The only thing needed to create a marriage was for both partners to state their consent to take one another as spouses. Witnesses were not always necessary, nor was the presence of the clergy. In Italy, for example, the marriage was divided into three parts. The first portion consisted of the families of the groom and bride drawing up the papers. The bride didn't have to even be there for that. The second, the betrothal, was legally binding and may or may not have involved consummation. At this celebration, the couple exchanged gifts (a ring, a piece of fruit, etc.), clasped hands and exchanged a kiss. The "vows" could be a simple as, "Will you marry me?" "I will." The third part of the wedding, which could occur several years after the betrothal, was the removal of the bride to the groom's home. The role of the clergy at a medieval wedding was simply to bless the couple. It wasn't official church policy until the council of Trent in the 15th century that a third party [a priest], as opposed to the couple themselves, was responsible for performing the wedding. In the later medieval period, the wedding ceremony moved from the house of the bride to the church. It began with a procession to the church from the bride's house. Vows were exchanged outside the church and then everyone moved inside for Mass. After Mass, the procession went back to the bride's house for a feast. Musicians accompanied the procession.

a reflection

The more we examine the facts, the more clear becomes the question: Is the modern concept of "Christian marriage" derived more from the same sex unions of the Middle Ages than the marriages described in the Old Testament? Those who seek simple slogans are attracted to, "celebacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage". It is difficult to find many biblical role models for such sexual behaviour. An examination of the lives of biblical characters as recorded in the old and new testament yield a diversity of experiences, which expand our understanding of the richness of God's good gift of sexuality. We are confronted with the amazing grace of a God whose purposes are fulfilled through the many ways people express their sexulaity, including same sex relationships (David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi), bigamy (Jacob married two sisters Leah and Rachel), adultery (David and Bathseba), pre marital sex (Boaz and Ruth) and sex with a prostitute (Tamar and Judah). And that is just the ancestors of Jesus listed in the Gospel of Matthew.

footnote: see the story of Tamar and Judah, Genesis chapter 38, especially versus 13 to 22. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute to trick her father in law Judah into fathering a child for her.