Answering the questions 'May a Man Marry a Man?' and 'Who am I?' in the Middle Ages

<h4>May a Man Marry a Man? A Medieval Debate </h4>Charles J. Reid, a Professor at the University of St.Thomas and writer on religious issues for the <i>Huffington Post</i>, recently posted <b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-j-reid-jr/medieval-same-sex-marriage_b_4619072.html">May a Man Marry a Man? A Medieval Debate</a></b>, which takes look at how medieval writers approached the issue of same-sex marriage. The surprising thing, notes Professor Reid, is that they actually talked about this issue. He begins by referencing the work of Henry of Segusio, better known as Hostiensis, a 13th century canon law expert, who penned the question: "May a man marry a man?"<br /><br />The answer was an emphatic no, and would remain so throughout the Middle Ages. Reid does it find interesting that many of the arguments against same-sex marriage that were first written over 800 years ago remain prominent today.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-j-reid-jr/medieval-same-sex-marriage_b_4619072.html">Click here to read his article</a></b>. <br /><br /><h4>Thomas Aquinas – Toward a Deeper Sense of Self</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUdIHlDe6HoaTz4Q51K5aDTUq9qvhfeidvJrQynJGA4J_G79kz3mSrWrLyqMAU9BZkXNGP7PNbvFw_XpOlbKf-lCGtfwLhdd0SEud0HssgrL9ScjdabG-5Ly6xD_MELEea1YLjnytoSY/s1600/Thomas+Aquinas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUdIHlDe6HoaTz4Q51K5aDTUq9qvhfeidvJrQynJGA4J_G79kz3mSrWrLyqMAU9BZkXNGP7PNbvFw_XpOlbKf-lCGtfwLhdd0SEud0HssgrL9ScjdabG-5Ly6xD_MELEea1YLjnytoSY/s1600/Thomas+Aquinas.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>Therese Scarpelli Cory has written a very insightful piece on the Cambridge University Press blog on <b><a href="http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2014/01/thomas-aquinas-toward-a-deeper-sense-of-self/">Thomas Aquinas – Toward a Deeper Sense of Self</a></b>. It explores how St. Thomas Aquinas might approach the question 'Who am I?' and introduces us to Cory's new book A<i>quinas on Human Self-Knowledge</i>. She writes:<br /><br />"It’s a common scholarly myth that early modern philosophers (starting with Descartes) invented the idea of the human being as a “self” or “subject.” My book tries to dispel that myth, showing that like philosophers and neuroscientists today, medieval thinkers were just as curious about why the mind is so intimately familiar, and yet so inaccessible, to itself. (In fact, long before Freud, medieval Latin and Islamic thinkers were speculating about a subconscious, inaccessible realm in the mind.) The more we study the medieval period, the clearer it becomes that inquiry into the self does not start with Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am.” Rather, Descartes was taking sides in a debate about self-knowledge that had already begun in the thirteenth century and earlier."<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2014/01/thomas-aquinas-toward-a-deeper-sense-of-self/">Click here to read her blog post</a></b>

Answering the questions 'May a Man Marry a Man?' and 'Who am I?' in the Middle Ages

May a Man Marry a Man? A Medieval Debate  Charles J. Reid, a Professor at the University of St.Thomas and writer on religious issues for the...

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20 Bizarre Examples Of Medieval Marginalia

Some crazy examples of what people in the Middle Ages drew in their manuscripts. Lots of <i>sex</i> and <i>violence</i>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeygcmb_n5_vwLZvOn91U31UPav8npjvGXlFT9s9M-YzpkPgnniKYn2ktl_9ezQERVKrCKT4jc-lC0UnFdY2RX4LoTrt2g_D9cD1gIhlJLrYCd-JsuSpR6MSELLIUr4Xr720o8L5Hx1Lw/s1600/enhanced-buzz-18938-1348846741-18.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeygcmb_n5_vwLZvOn91U31UPav8npjvGXlFT9s9M-YzpkPgnniKYn2ktl_9ezQERVKrCKT4jc-lC0UnFdY2RX4LoTrt2g_D9cD1gIhlJLrYCd-JsuSpR6MSELLIUr4Xr720o8L5Hx1Lw/s640/enhanced-buzz-18938-1348846741-18.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiL1SnCMRvIJjPHsajAUVx2Wb8I8g1PbTWNRHs4JBMDTX_PunYfDvoUdHfyXGw4KP74jskJrYTHILPmx3HO3Izi6eaGLGX81kxwJ-ePrzTyQOd4uu76FzzjlFKVOUJHF7hyphenhyphenTZEZ7JN-0/s1600/enhanced-buzz-23703-1348802229-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiL1SnCMRvIJjPHsajAUVx2Wb8I8g1PbTWNRHs4JBMDTX_PunYfDvoUdHfyXGw4KP74jskJrYTHILPmx3HO3Izi6eaGLGX81kxwJ-ePrzTyQOd4uu76FzzjlFKVOUJHF7hyphenhyphenTZEZ7JN-0/s640/enhanced-buzz-23703-1348802229-3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/babymantis/20-bizarre-examples-of-medieval-marginalia-1opu" target="_blank">Click here to see all twenty images from Buzzfeed</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />

20 Bizarre Examples Of Medieval Marginalia

Some crazy examples of what people in the Middle Ages drew in their manuscripts. Lots of sex and violence . Click here to see all twenty im...

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Todd Akin’s views are, literally, medieval

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciBHseRaQFP0fgwFRohq-jSrVUXDOZhoHetL5k1hT1-t0QMTvflPLasMPowb33Mmwvnqw2IZo9Pl5lh3tPueyDG8k4MbbB8Hju9EM7HryqvWZGeUNBgTImzZDyXP0b6XiA2LnID-s2Z4/s1600/toddakinmedieval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciBHseRaQFP0fgwFRohq-jSrVUXDOZhoHetL5k1hT1-t0QMTvflPLasMPowb33Mmwvnqw2IZo9Pl5lh3tPueyDG8k4MbbB8Hju9EM7HryqvWZGeUNBgTImzZDyXP0b6XiA2LnID-s2Z4/s1600/toddakinmedieval.jpg" /></a></div>Republican congressman Todd Akin’s astonishing observations with respect to pregnancy resulting from rape continue to ricochet around the media in the United States. The nuances of his comments have gotten lost in the ensuing controversy over what constitutes illegitimate rape. His words are, in fact, worth considering again.<br /><br /><br />“It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that it’s [pregnancy resulting from rape] really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”<br /><br />Mr. Atkin reveals a troubling ignorance about the mechanism of conception. Indeed, his scientific ignorance is equally as troubling as his social views about rape. They both come from a different time and a very different world.<br /><br />The notion that a woman’s body will experience different biological responses to intercourse depending on whether the sex act is consensual or coerced can be traced back to the Middle Ages. At this time the scientific and medical texts of Greek and Roman antiquity were being translated and appropriated by European doctors and philosophers, all of whom, without exception, were not only male but also members of the Roman Catholic clergy. Thus, science and medicine were given a distinctly ideological and theological spin.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/todd-akins-views-are-literally-medieval/article4494067/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from The Globe and Mail</a></b><br />

Todd Akin’s views are, literally, medieval

Republican congressman Todd Akin’s astonishing observations with respect to pregnancy resulting from rape continue to ricochet around the me...

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Erectile dysfunction in the Middle Ages – historian examines medieval impotence cases

Like today, the problem of male impotence in the Middle Ages was often serious, and had important consequences for marriages and families. A recent article deals with the issue, explaining how it showed up in court cases in 14th century York.<br /><br /> ‘Privates on Parade: Impotence Cases as Evidence for Medieval Gender’, by Frederick Pederson, a senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, analyses two cases where wives attempted to annul their marriages because they claimed their husbands were impotent. They are among six cases from the city’s records that deal with impotence that survive from the Middle Ages.<br /><br /> These cases were adjudicated in ecclesiastical courts, also known as consistory courts, where decisions were based on canon law. Church officials were responsible for issues relating to marriages and could pronounce an annulment in cases of impotence.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/08/03/erectile-dysfunction-in-the-middle-ages-historian-examines-medieval-impotence-cases/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b>

Erectile dysfunction in the Middle Ages – historian examines medieval impotence cases

Like today, the problem of male impotence in the Middle Ages was often serious, and had important consequences for marriages and families. A...

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No sexy outfits nuns told in 1,300-year-old 'rule' book

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gaoM90TLk_3GHeMWjRv9-QDhP5ogZmYGS5gNzYUtjcH-shBwyApUgL7Kmo0htJkQDZelP25DVC1ZeRTo2cJeTj1F8RuMnXTSWOJwV2yeBYNmongS3zuTtfIwULpfPJASke2l_Rx8i-w/s1600/Medieval_Nuns.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gaoM90TLk_3GHeMWjRv9-QDhP5ogZmYGS5gNzYUtjcH-shBwyApUgL7Kmo0htJkQDZelP25DVC1ZeRTo2cJeTj1F8RuMnXTSWOJwV2yeBYNmongS3zuTtfIwULpfPJASke2l_Rx8i-w/s1600/Medieval_Nuns.jpeg" /></a></div>They were held up as paragons of virtue, but one congregation of Essex nuns appear to have needed some pointers on how to conduct themselves.<br /><br />In a book of advice for the cloistered women written more than 1,300 years ago, they were reminded of the benefits of virginity, warned of the sin of pride, and cautioned against wearing garments which “set off” the body.<br /><br />The guidance came from the Anglo-Saxon cleric Aldhelm in a text dedicated to the abbess nuns of Barking Abbey, the oldest surviving version of which is now up for sale. In the work, De Laude Virginitatis [In Praise of Virginity], the author tells the nuns that abstinence from sex is not enough - their “stainlessness of bodily virginity” must be accompanied by a “chastity of the spirit” if they are to avoid the “untamed impulses of bodily wantonness”.<br /><br />Addressing the issue of clothing, he writes: “If you dress yourself sumptuously and go out in public so as to attract notice, if you rivet the eyes of young men to you and draw the sighs of adolescents after you, and nourish the fires of sexual anticipation ... you cannot be excused as if you were of a chaste and modest mind.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9335865/No-sexy-outfits-nuns-told-in-1300-year-old-rule-book.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from The Telegraph</a></b>

No sexy outfits nuns told in 1,300-year-old 'rule' book

They were held up as paragons of virtue, but one congregation of Essex nuns appear to have needed some pointers on how to conduct themselves...

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Research examines the ‘abortionist saints’ of medieval Ireland

A recent article on sexuality and childbirth in early medieval Ireland reveals some surprising attitudes towards abortion held among the Christians during this period, and that hagiographical texts recount four Irish saints performing abortions.<br /><br /> 'Of Vanishing Fetuses and Maidens Made-Again: Abortion, Restored Virginity, and Similar Scenarios in Medieval Irish Hagiography and Penitentials', by Maeve Callan, appears in the latest issue of the<i> Journal of the History of Sexuality</i>. Callan examines a wide range of hagiographical works and other sources from medieval Ireland. She writes, “these accounts celebrate saints who perform abortions, restore female fornicators to a virginal state, contemplate infanticide, and result from incest and other ‘illegitimate’ sexual unions. Moreover, the texts themselves generally reflect a remarkably permissive attitude toward these traditionally taboo acts, an attitude also found in Irish penitentials and law codes.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/06/07/research-examines-the-abortionist-saints-of-medieval-ireland/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b>

Research examines the ‘abortionist saints’ of medieval Ireland

A recent article on sexuality and childbirth in early medieval Ireland reveals some surprising attitudes towards abortion held among the Chr...

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Civil partnership, medieval style: In the days when same-sex marriage was a Christian rite

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs5V1CHJS0EpHGt-6ek0Rc5kr-fcjHK-53j8Tg4xpuh0XOyI4iHxKgNouU5Ct29vbaAML887zdb49nNpqhxumUgdewzvGZUkv558hPIdg403Ok9P0BbojPSxWcbyzanVWkT5P-I5kOEg/s1600/TwoWomen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs5V1CHJS0EpHGt-6ek0Rc5kr-fcjHK-53j8Tg4xpuh0XOyI4iHxKgNouU5Ct29vbaAML887zdb49nNpqhxumUgdewzvGZUkv558hPIdg403Ok9P0BbojPSxWcbyzanVWkT5P-I5kOEg/s1600/TwoWomen.jpg" /></a></div>Same-sex unions in Christian churches were held as long ago as the Middle Ages, research shows.<br /><br />Historians say the ceremonies included many of the acts involved in heterosexual marriages, with the whole community gathering in a church, the blessing of the couple before an altar and an exchange of holy vows. A priest officiated in the taking of the Eucharist and there was a wedding feast for guests afterwards.<br /><br /><br />All of these elements are depicted in contemporary illustrations of the holy union of the Byzantine Warrior-Emperor, Basil the First (867-886 AD) and his companion John, an article published on the I Heart Chaos blog this week says.<br /><br />And Prof John Boswell, the late chairman of Yale University’s history department, found there were ceremonies called the Office of Same-Sex Union and the Order for Uniting Two Men in the 10th to 12th centuries.<br /><br />The medievalist published <i>Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century</i> in 1980.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142905/Civil-partnership-medieval-style-In-days-sex-marriage-Christian-rite.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the Daily Mail</a></b><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2011/07/03/same-sex-relations-in-the-middle-ages/" target="_blank">Click here to see Same-Sex Relations in the Middle Ages from Medievalists.net</a></b><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=medievalistsn-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0226067114&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Civil partnership, medieval style: In the days when same-sex marriage was a Christian rite

Same-sex unions in Christian churches were held as long ago as the Middle Ages, research shows. Historians say the ceremonies included many ...

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