medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I am not sure if I am going on a bit of a wild goose chase here in my research. But I am trying to cast the net wide here. While reading the New Testament, in Matthew 19:12, " "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." (Matthew 19:12 KJV). I am particularly intrigued by the idea of such links of the eunuch(spiritual or literal figure of speech) to the phenomenon of voluntary celibacy within the early medieval and late medieval phases of Christendom,particularly in cases like the encratitism of the East and also the high Middle Ages with ambiguous figures like Robert of Arbrissel who was actually associated with the founding of houses for laywomen who desired to escape the confines of their immediate surroundings(social and economic), including pr!
ostitutes. So far, I have only arrived at one particular study of this field of voluntary celibacy and it is concentrated mainly in the period of the Carolingian Reform, namely Dyan Eliott's "Spiritual Marriage".
Are any of the members here aware of any primary and secondary materials written in this field? On my own end, I am most aware of Augustine of Hippo's admiration for the priesthood, and the monastic orders, and also, his earlier Christian predecessor in the method of Biblical exegesis, Origen, who spurred off considerable controversy not only with his beliefs of the pre-existence of the soul, but also, his voluntary castration of himself so as to kill the sin of fleshly lust literally. I would be interested in hearing what members here have to say about this phenomenon of the eunuch(metaphorical or literal) in both the Byzantine East and the Latn West during the Middle Ages.
Thank you.
Kevin Jang
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