medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear everyone,
please allow me to ask for your help in a question that has been hauting
me now for several weeks: from at least the twelfth century onwards
natural philosophers and later medicins discuss the idea of a female
contribution to conception, be it in the form of sperm or some other
material. Many of these even conflicting ideas have in common that they
see the woman’s active consent (mostly in terms of “lust”) as obligatory
for conception.
Now, how does this go along with the idea of Mary’s immaculate
conception and the debate over her perpetual virginity? This question
certainly goes beyond the integrity of the hymen when theories of
conceptions are concerned, especially when it comes to the immaculate
conception.
I wonder whether there are discussions between medieval theologians
where arguments and questions of theology and medical theory meet in
this respect? I strongly suspect there must be. Still surprisingly, I
hardly found any. But that might certainly be my fault. John Bugge, for
instance, who devotes an appendix to his fine study on “Virginitas”
(1975) to Mary’s immaculate conception, does not mention anything
either. Does, by any chance, anyone of you know the one or other example
or could point me at some eminent study that I might have overlooked?
Thanks so much for any hint!
Yours
Hiram
--
Dr. Hiram Kümper
Universität Bielefeld
Geschichte des Mittelalters und der Frühen Neuzeit
Universitätsstraße 25
S 4-211
D-33615 Bielefeld
(+049) 0521/106-3245
http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/hkuemper
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