Sex, the Church, and the Medieval Reader

Abstract

Analyzing the interaction between sex, the Church, and the medieval reader, this chapter by Adrian Tudor highlights the conflicts and sense of “marginality” that underpin the message of conversion in the Vie des Pères. The study demonstrates that sex is a motif rather than a lesson in itself: characters from many backgrounds can shape their own identity or have their identity shaped by a third party, overcoming the pitfalls of carnal sin in the process. The characters’ eventual conversion comes less often through divine intervention than through human agency: their spiritual transformation—to be imitated by the medieval reader when positive—arises generally from compassion rather than compunction. By creating a world where, under the right circumstances, sex and salvation can coexist, the Vie des Pères invites the audience to reassess their own conduct.