Homoeroticism in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Acts, Identities, CulturesChristianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century, by John Boswell

Abstract

John Boswell’s Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality was published in 1980. It sparked immediate controversy because of its claims about the general tolerance toward homoeroticism among ancient Romans, early Christians, and the peoples of the early and High Middle Ages. Most notably, he asserted that there were “gay persons” who lived in these societies of the distant past and were part of sometimes vibrant “gay subcultures.” The book helped to establish the field of LGBTQ history. Scholars after Boswell have challenged, refined, and expanded his ideas, but he remains the starting point for most explorations of queer desires in ancient and medieval history. The large number of books and articles that have been published in the last forty years on sources and topics he first brought to light demonstrates the lasting impact of Boswell’s work.