Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century

Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality is a must read. Period! John Boswell is humble and gracious in his writing, while never compromising in his analysis. Rarely do you find a transcendent masterpiece to be do accessible. Boswell's scholarship is thorough, honest, and he never takes it too far. He may have a point, but that point never becomes more important than the truth of the research. Look in the back of books advocating for a less hostile to inclusive approach to LGBT people and you will find Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality as the foundation for their argument. Skip all the others and go directly to the source. Much of the hostility toward John Boswell has less to do with him or his research, and more to do with an unwillingness of most Christians to admit they have based their view on the less versed opinions of others.

My only recommendation is for readers to consider reading the appendix first, because I wish I had done so. It would have been better for my first reading and I would have had a better clue what the author was talking about. A good book for anyone who has issues with being Christian and gay or even ministers in practice.

I found the author’s compressive, well researched subject to be most helpful in providing an enlightened source of knowledge for correct historical information going forward..

John Boswell's work still stands as one of the foundational works of social history in the last three decades. While subsequent scholarship has further illuminated the topic, I still feel the breadth and depth of this work makes it time well spent. As Boswell notes:"Tracing the course of intolerance reveals much about the landscape it traverses, and for this reason alone it deserves to be studied...On the other hand, the social topography of medieval Europe remains so unexplored that studies of any aspect of it are largely pioneering and hence provisional. Later generations will certainly recognize many wrong turns, false leads, and dead ends mistakenly pursued by those who had no trails to follow, whose only landmarks were those they themselves posted...To this ineluctable hazard of early research is added the difficulty in the case at issue that a great many people believe they already know where the trails ought to lead, and they will blame the investigator not only for the inevitable errors of first explorations but also for the extent to which his results, however tentative and well intentioned, do not accord wth their preconceptions of the subject."Given the commenters herein who have found fault with the book, Boswell's comment is prescient. The book is not perfect but a careful review of their reviews shows folks who are so focused on "where the trail ought to lead" they cannot see the wisdom in this work.My walk away from the book: If you tell a lie often enough [and maybe in the case of this book tracing the history of intolerance towards gays - long enough], people will believe you.

I read this book at the urging of an old college friend to challenge my opposition to gay marriage. It is interesting to note that just as in life, treatise's and diatribes for or against a product of social division mirror the format of Catholic tradition intended to disseminate the teachings of Christ and the church. I read with interest the many varied reviews of this book from religionists and atheists alike and am impressed with the amount of continued division that still exists on this subject.I found this book to be equally divided as its reviews have been. It seems Dr. Boswell suffered from a desire of sorts to come to grips with his walk with Christ and seeming contradictory desire to continue in "sin" while striving for holiness. This resonates with me, as I struggle with the contradictions played out in my spiritual and social life. If I were to sum up Boswell's treatise , I would say he wished to reduce Homosexual attraction and consummation to a sin like any other. I know many homosexuals object to my categorizing homosexual acts as a sin, yet Boswell admits to this often. I first noticed it on Page 180 where he states: " Homosexuality is given no greater attention than other sins and, viewed comparatively, appears to have been thought less grave than such common activities as hunting." this line seems to encapsulate Boswell's thesis in the book; that it is a sin amongst many others. I agree. It certainly shouldn't be considered the be all end all of sins. Be that as it may, I dont think Boswell was able to illustrate either, that homosexuality was ever taught as good and wholesome either. He certainly made it painfully clear that it was more tolerated and accepted in greek and Roman societies before christianity made its mark. His reflections that many converts to christianity including clergy and bishops partook in Gay friendships and sexual relations were quite convincing that homosexuality was accepted in many of the confines of the church. St. Aelrod of Riveux was mentioned regarding his treatise on friendship where he talked of gay relations as a child and continued as very close friendships and expressions of filial love to his brothers in the cistercian monastery where he vowed a life a celibacy. However, Boswell fails, in my mind, to understand that expressions of love for those of all sexes with the love of Christ expressed most succinctly in his relationship with St. John, in no way can be construed as an acceptance of gay sex. If anything, it could accept close relations between men or women insofar as they relate to our relationship with God.This all aside, Boswell has not made a convincing argument that the Church ever conceded that Gay love as expressed in sexual eroticism was ever acceptable or could ever become a sacrament. While he often referred to various popes ,such as St. Leo III, as not conferring horrible punishments on those caught in the act of sodomy, the popes such as Leo often made a distinction between a single act of sin and the idea of "living in sin" which could be defined as being resigned to such a sin as it is subjectively "natural" , and thus one should live accordingly. Boswell obsesses over the biblical and Traditional uses of the terms "Natural" and "Unnatural" sexual relations. These words are often used by the Church and lay people citing such scriptures as Romans 1, Leviticus and others often cited for their inferences against men lying with men. His suggestion that the levitical teachings against homosexuality as an abomination are no longer incumbent upon Christians due to the injunctions made after the council of Jerusalem where a conflict arose regarding jewish law being imposed on particularly gentile christians, while certainly feasible ignore, understandably, too many other jewish scriptures that don't condemn homosexuality but rather affirm the complimentarity of heterosexual union such as Genesis 2:24 "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife and they become one flesh". Such complimentarity is affirmed in so many other parts of the new testament like the wedding feast at Cana where jesus performed his first miracle. In the Christian context, God is made manifest in the act of marriage where the union of Man and woman embody the injunction in Genesis to be fruitful and multiply."The Church teaches that Christian marriage is an efficacious sign of the covenant between Christ and the Church (cf. Eph 5:32)." (CCC) The church itself is considered female, represented in the Virgin Mary whose womb was the first tabernacle of Jesus. Even if Boswell and others are able to explain away each of the injunctions against homosexuality throughout the hebrew and christian scriptures(and he does so quite well on a few passages), it goes without saying that there are absolutely no injunctions in the Bible or Christian oral Tradition that suggest the union of same sex couples should be promulgated.The Church has always had sinners , and Christ even promoted one to be an Apostle. Christ compels us to brotherly and sisterly love and to even love our enemies. Expression of that love through sexual intercourse is only promoted as by a man and a woman from Genesis through Revelation and those truths have been promoted through oral tradition as well. Just as Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied him 3 times, and countless other Christians, whether clerics or laypeople have sinned against him, we are all welcomed home again and again through prayer, confession and repentance.I appreciate the time and detail that Dr. Boswell gave to this particular treatise and I think he is successful in helping people appreciate how things haven't really changed much over the centuries. While homosexuality is a sin of grave order , it has been propped up by virtue of it being thrust upon people in the LGBT movement and the promulgation of gay marriage. It certainly is hypocritical of us, to prop up this sin and seem to ignore or accept others, however, until the sinners stand up and promote their pride , revel in their sins, and request their sins be recognized as legitimate and good, i suspect they will continue to be ignored until such a time as that occurs. 'Til then the church will continue to encourage the faithful in their walk with Christ, ever mindful of the injunction of Christ to "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me".If anything, this book has indeed helped me to understand that the struggle against any sexual or non sexual vice is not exclusive to one group of people and that I as a christian must take this understanding when dealing with people , particularly in the LGBT community who struggle daily with their beliefs and practices. Gay and non gay, conservative or liberal, religious or atheist are really no different. we are all sinners and need to encourage each other in our walk and not allow personal prejudice to get in the way promoting the love that Christ taught regarding confession, repentance, and penance but also most importantly the virtues of patience, endurance, and the desire of all to bear another's burdens as Christ bore ours on the tree. Our expression of Love is the expression of concern for their emotional and spiritual well being.This is the essence of a love that can be expressed by example of the relationship between Jesus and the Apostle John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved"!

A masterpiece--the definitive, comprehensive, thoroughly documented analysis of the attitude of society and the church towards gay people, from the Roman Empire through the twelfth century. John Boswell's book includes documentation on the little-known Liturgy of Saints Serge and Bacchus, a Christian official liturgy dating from the early fourth century, for the union of two people of the same sex. A must-read for anyone interested in homosexuality, society, and the church, and the profound differences between attitudes of the first millennium and modern times.

A obra de Boswell marcou uma geração de estudos históricos sobre o universo gay a partir dos anos 1980. Ao apresentar as raízes da atração histórica entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, a faz com maestria. A quantidade de textos antigos que vasculha, resenha e cita é impressionante. Livro polêmico e revelador, apresenta ao público com grande lucidez a tolerância sexual no mundo antigo e a ruptura nos tempos medievais. Fundamental.

Un libro imperdibile, meraviglioso, eccezionale, unico in suo genere che, scritto tanti anni fa, continua ad essere unico nella sua modalità.

A brilliant and very illuminating journey through the various social attitude changes regarding homosexuality. Detailed, succinctly written and a great help in my research on the subject. Highly recommended.

I haven't read it yet, but considering it was a recommended by my professor, I think it must be good.

Arrived in time to give as a Christmas present. Item as advertised. No problems