Lower than the angels A history of sex and Christianity

Review by Booklist Review

As English historian MacCulloch (Thomas Cromwell, 2018) declares, "We are all participant observers in matters of gender and sexuality, and few topics are more likely than sexual experiences or non-experiences to arouse intense personal memories, for good or ill." He continues, "There is no such thing as a single Christian theology of sex. There is a plethora of Christian theologies of sex." It seems he has examined nearly all of them in this extraordinary, definitive text, a study of attitudes towards sexuality and religion that encompasses three millennia, citing more than 800 primary and secondary sources. MacCulloch examines a bewilderingly large number of subjects, giving special attention to some: marriage, the role of women in the church, and queer people and religion, noting, in that regard, that "Classical society's permissible expression of same-sex relations [will be] a major issue for the future of Christianity." Though his subjects are often abstruse, his writing is clear and even sometimes sprightly ("If sex is definitely a problem, it is also great fun.") In the end, this mostly chronological, extended exercise in erudition is definitely not for the casual reader but for serious scholars of religious studies, who are sure to value it.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Historian MacCulloch (Christianity) notes in this sweeping study of Christian sexuality that the teachings of Jesus contain numerous heterodox statements regarding sex and gender. These include his famous call for mercy toward women adulterers, but also a less well-known observation concerning eunuchs--that some had "been so from birth" and some had "made themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." These words, a reference to the biblical notion that angels are "genderless beings in heaven," inspired some early Christian men to "imitate angels... by surgically dispensing with their genitals." Once Christianity became a state religion, church administrators attempted to steer such "countercultural" depictions of angels as "positioned between gender identities" in a more conservative direction by associating them with the gendered notions of virginity in women and celibacy in men. But the concept retained a radical edge--MacCulloch notes that by the 12th century the practice of chastity had become so extreme that the church had to clarify it "would expect marriages to produce children," a claim so controversial that some medieval theologians refused to "admit" it. As Christianity became "a world religion," it grew more authoritarian and less intimate, McCulloch concludes, with radical expressions of sexuality happening despite the church, instead of within it. Both scholarly rigorous and amiably open to the variations of human experience, this enthralls. (Apr.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Wide-ranging study of human sexuality in the Christian context. Noted church historian MacCulloch presents a lengthy and thorough study of the role of sex throughout Christian history. "Sex" is perhaps a limiting term, in that MacCulloch explores gender, marriage, family, celibacy, feminism, and so much else that is directly and indirectly connected to the term "sex." The author begins by explaining how the Christian faith grew into its own identity, both informed by and in opposition to Judaism, and how a theology of sex and gender roles developed in early centuries. It did not take long for Christian leaders to conclude that sexual activity was an impediment to personal holiness, and this opinion (which has its own complex origins) soon overtook Christendom's worldview. By the time of the Crusades, a celibate clergy held a hierarchical mantel of holiness and power over lesser, married laity. The Protestant Reformation and then the Enlightenment would revolutionize these views in some ways, but a male-dominated church remained the norm, no matter what its views on sex and marriage. As culture became increasingly secular from the 18th century onward, changes occurred not only in allowed or normative sexual activity but also in the role of women, continuing on into modern times. MacCulloch admirably covers both Eastern churches and the more dominant Roman Catholic and Protestant viewpoints, but either way in many cases his history of sex also mirrors a history of Europe. As such, he notes that views on, and theologies of, sex have been extraordinarily varied and even contradictory through time and across geography. MacCulloch is to be commended for largely avoiding the salacious and titillating; quite the opposite, his treatment of sexual history is decorous to a fault. Well written and thoroughly researched, this comprehensive volume unveils a fascinating history. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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