Abstract

Dearly Beloved

The article focuses on the book "Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe," by John Boswell. In this long-awaited study, Boswell reveals, the existence of dozens of ceremonies dating back to the early years of Christianity solemnizing permanent romantic commitment between members of the same sex mostly men that were witnessed and recognized by the community. Examples of the ceremony survive in archives around Europe and the Near East, from Paris to the island of Patmos to the monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai. The rituals appear in many collections alongside heterosexual marriage ceremonies, and the two forms of union are similar enough to suggest substantial mutual influence or parallel development throughout the late classical and medieval periods.