The Manly Eunuch. Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity, and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity

448 Pages·2001·15.47 MB·English

by  Mathew Kuefler

THE MANLY EUNUCH
'IHE CIDCAGO SElUES ON SEXUALITY, IDSIORY, AND SOCIETY
Edited by ]ohn C. Fout
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Love between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism
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Trials ofM asculinity: Policing Sexual Boundaries, 1870-1930
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The Invention ofS odomy in Christian Theology
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Take the Young Strange r by the Hand: Same-Sex Relationsand the YMCA
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City ofSisterly andBrotherly Lwes: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-1972
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.··THE MANLY
EUNUCH
Masculinity)
Gender Ambiguity)
and Christian Ideology
in Late Antiquity
MATHEW KUEFLER
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
CHICAGO AND LONDON
MATHEW KUEFLER received bis Ph.D. from Yale University in 1995. He
is assistant professor ofhistory at San Diego Stare University and has also
raught at Yale and Rice Universities.
The University ofChicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2001 byThe UniversityofChicago
All rights reserved. Published 2001
Peinted in the UnitedSrates ofA merica
Hl 0908 0706 05 0403 02 01 12 3 4 5
ISBN: 0-226-45739-7 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Dara
Knefler, Mathew.
The manly eunuch : masculinity, gender ambiguity, and Christian
ideology in late antiquity f Mathew Knefler.
p. cm. - (The Chicago series on sexualiry, history, and society)
Includes bibliographical references {p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-226-45739-7
1. Masculinity-Religious aspecrs-Christianity-History-To 1500.
2. Masculiniry-Rome-Hisrory-To 1500. I. Tide. II. Series.
BT702 .K842001
155.3 '32 '0937-dc21
OO-Oll473
@ The paper used in this publication meers the minimum requiremenrs of
the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence
ofPaper for Peinred Library Materials, ANS! Z39 .48-1992.
For ]oe and Brian

Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
INTRODUCTION 1
Part One-Changing Realities'
l "MASCULINE SPLENDOR" 19
Sexual Difference) Gender Ambiguity) and the
Social Utility ofUnmanliness
2 "MEN RECEIVE A WOUND, AND SUBMIT TO A DEFEAT" 37
Masculinity) Militarism) and PoliticalAuthority
3 "A PURITY HE DOES NOT SHOW HIMSELF" 70
Masculinity) the Later &man Household)
and Men)s Sexuality
Part 'IIvo-Changing Ideals
4 "I AM A SOLDIER OF CHRIST" 105
Christian Masculinity and Militarism
5 "WE PRIESTS HAVE OUR OWN NOBILITY" 125
ChristianMasculinity and PublicAuthority
6 "MY SEED IS A HUNDRED TIMES MORE FERTILE" 161
ChristianMasculinity) Sex) andMarriage
7 "THE MANLINESS OF FAITH" 206
Sexual Difference and Gender Ambiguity in
Latin Christian Ideology
8 "EUNUCHS FOR THE SAKE OF THE
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" 245
Castration,itnd Christian Manliness
viü CONTENTS
CONCLUSION 283
A NOTE ABOUT THE NOTES 299
ABBREVIATIONS USED "300
NOTES '301
BIBLIO GRAPHY 393
INDEX 429
Acknowledgments
There are many individuals and institutions I wjsh to thank for their part
in the creation of this book. The first belongs to my family, who has al
ways provided me with loving support. The sec<:md belongs to Brian
Giguere and Joe Elliott, who have invited me into their family. The third
belongs to my teachers. Especially tobe remernbered among this number
are Dr. Carola Small oft he University ofA lberta, who first inspired me to
study medieval history; Dr. John Boswell ofYale University, who inspired
me in this particular project as a doctoral dissertation but who sadly did
not live to see it completed; and Dr. Thomas Head, formerly ofYale Uni
versity and now ofHunter College, who with great dedication helped me
to bring the dissertation to completion.
Other individuals helped me to germinate the ideas contained in this
book, and I wish to thanlc each person who toolc th{t ime and interest
to read or listen to drafts of the manuscript in its various forms. They
include Dr. Joanne Ferraro, Dr. Elizabeth Colwill, Dr. Fraucis Stites,
Dr. Rebecca Moore, and others of my colleagues at San Diego State Uni
versity, Dr. Robert Babcoclc and Dr. Bentley Layton ofYale University,
Dr. Elizabeth A. Clarlc ofDulce University, Dr. Mark Jordan ofEmory
University, Dr. Randolph Trumbach ofBaruch College, and Dr. Kathryn
Ringrose of the University of California at San Diego. Thanlcs are also
due to my friends among the graduate students at Yale University, who
created a real scholarly community while I was there. They include Jeffrey
Fisher, Jocelyn Olcott, Mary Ramsey, Bernard Schlager, Jeffrey Bowman,
Marle Rabuclc, Michael Powell, N ancy Seyboldt, Kathryn Miller, and
many others. I am also grateful to the many individuals who commented