Comments on: Medieval Attitudes

By: Jordan

Jordan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:24:34 +0000

Great post! Thank you so much for the wonderful information. Happy Holidays!

By: norsemagick

norsemagick — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:01:29 +0000

I read something very similar in the book “Homoeroticism in the Biblical World” by Martti Nissinen. If you haven’t read this book, you totally should. It has the best of information and Nissinen goes into the scriptures of the bible, Torah, and Talmud to translate the scriptures- and he knows his shit- and when he does translate he points out the errors of interpretation and semantics, etc. He also writes on Greek and Roman male love and sexuality.

By: jeannebarrack1

jeannebarrack1 — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I am so thrilled that Maggie Anton contributed to the advent calendar.
Earlier this year, she graciously sent me a list of the references she used for her stories and I’m slowly working my way through them.
Great post.

By: Jolie

Jolie — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:26:14 +0000

As a Jewish woman myself, I’ve always been very pleased with how tolerant our synagogue is towards the gay men we have.
As a teacher, I’ve seen a few boys grow into confident gay men and I think it’s helped to know that their religion supports them.

By: Ken Craigside

Ken Craigside — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:08:25 +0000

And here Maggie presents a fine antidote to my Dec. 2 screed against romance.

By the way, my prize only has four limerick writing claimants to decide between. Any more in the offing before Dec. 24?

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:23:33 +0000

I found the same thing, Maggie, when reading through some 12th century accounts. Walter Map is especially hilarious with his collection of tales, as he shows the greatest disdain for heterosexual sex and while not actually celebrating homosexual sex, he clearly considers it the preferable option – and much less troublesome than heterosexual sex. Coming from a cleric who became an archdeacon, that’s particularly telling!

By: JL Merrow

JL Merrow — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:48:36 +0000

Sex between men was a sin, although judging from Church penance books of the time not a particularly serious one, but it was not a perversion.

Isn’t it interesting that so many things that must have been considered equally sinful at the time are now common practice, whereas sex between men somehow achieved the status of an abomination?

By “interesting”, of course, I mean absolutely shameful.

By: annebrooke

annebrooke — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:39:38 +0000

This sounds utterly fascinating and a part of history I hadn’t considered before – great article!

Axxx