Marital Celibacy in the Cappadocians and Augustine
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IS EVERYBODY DOING IT? MARITAL CELIBACY IN THE CAPPADOCIANS AND AUGUSTINE A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Sandy Lynn Haney December 2014 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Vasiliki M. Limberis, Advisory Chair, Department of Religion Dr. Jeremy Schipper, Department of Religion Dr. Elizabeth S. Bolman, Department of Art History Fr. Allan Fitzgerald, O.S.A., Director of the Augustinian Institute and member of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Villanova University Dr. C. Christopher Soufas, External Reader, Department of Spanish and Portuguese ii © Copyright 2014 by Sandy Lynn Haney __________________________ All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Sources from the late antique and Byzantine eras attest that some Christian spouses adopted marital celibacy, or married persons’ abstention from sexual intimacy, as an ascetic practice. The prevalent scholarship on marital celibacy has all too often read later practices of marital celibacy into earlier texts, due to scholars’ tendency to universalize ascetic practice. This study endeavors to dismantle such universalizing by demonstrating the differences among four church fathers’ approaches and attitudes toward marital celibacy, assuming neither the popularity of the practice nor the immediate affirmation of its necessity for marital ascetic piety. The dissertation explores the theme of marital celibacy in the works of four of the most influential men of the late fourth and early fifth centuries—Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Basil of Caesarea, and Augustine of Hippo—through a careful analysis of various sources, from funeral orations to hagiographies, to sermons to dogmatic treatises, to letters and to monastic rules. It questions whether the practice was widely embraced in both the eastern and western regions of the empire and distinguishes between theoretical and pragmatic acceptance of marital celibacy. Not only does the study place the men’s beliefs regarding marital celibacy within their larger teachings on marriage and virginity, but it also emphasizes the way in which each man’s social context and pastoral role contributed to his rhetoric on the topic. It considers the ways in which the rhetoric surrounding marital celibacy intersected with the men’s agendas and perspectives concerning other matters, such as their promotion of their saintly family (Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa), their monastic program (Basil), and their apologetics (Augustine). The project highlights the nuances iv among each father as well as the divergences between the east (represented by the Cappadocians) and west (represented by Augustine). Although each man discusses the topic of marital celibacy in some way and endorses its practice, at least ideally, they also indicate that not everyone was embracing marital celibacy, nor was every ecclesial leader promoting its practice as necessary for marital piety. Their writings reveal that at least a few people had adopted marital celibacy, and that many people—bishops and laity alike—were attempting to understand its theoretic and pragmatic place and role in the Christian life, particularly in light of Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 7. Despite efforts to offer a conclusive analysis of marital celibacy in the works of these four church fathers, the limitations caused by the divergences in the fathers’ rhetoric, due to the distinctive contexts and genres of their writings, hinders a straightforward conclusion. Thus this dissertation serves as a glimpse into the diversity of early Christian marital practices through the lens of marital celibacy, underscoring the complexity of both belief and behavior in the late antique Christian world. v To my parents, Fred and Claudia Cuddy, who started me on this path and who have been there every step of the way, to my husband, Jason, who made this all possible, and to my kids, John and Sylvia, who have looked forward to mom finishing her “dessert-tation” I thank my God every time I remember you. -Philippians 1:3 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS If it takes a village to raise a child, it has taken another village to complete this dissertation. Without the support and encouragement of my family and friends, this work would not have been possible. To my parents, Claudia and Fred Cuddy (a.k.a., Mom and Dad), thank you for teaching me the value and importance of education. Thank you also for showing me how to be a true teacher: if I can be half as successful an educator as you two are, I will be content. Words cannot express my gratitude for all the many kinds of help you’ve given me over the years, from moral support to copyediting to babysitting and everything else. Thank you. My husband, Jason, has made this all possible through his unflagging support, his amazing parenting and cooking skills, and his true partnership in marriage, child-rearing, and life. Thanks for not giving up on me, even when I wanted to throw in the towel, and for not minding the chaos (both literal and figurative) this project has brought to our lives. Thank you for being you. My kids, John and Sylvia, have grown up with a mom always in graduate school. Thank you for your flexibility over the years as well as your excitement for the end of the “dessert-tation.” You bring me such joy, and I love you both very much. My gratitude also goes to Prof. Vasiliki Limberis. Thank you for being such an amazing advisor. I have enjoyed sitting in your classes, participating in the Greek reading group, and going to PSCO with you. In your teaching and your scholarship, you model the type of academic I hope to be, and it was an honor to work with you on this dissertation. Thank you for your invaluable help and wise insights. vii I also am thankful for my other committee members. Thank you to Dr. Jeremy Schipper for cheering me on as I began this journey and for your help over the years. Thank you to Dr. Elizabeth Bolman, whose classes opened my eyes to new ways of seeing the late antique and Byzantine worlds. Thank you for introducing me to a world beyond the text and for teaching me how to begin to put text and material and visual culture into conversation. I also thank Fr. Allan Fitzgerald for your willingness to serve on my committee and for your insights through this project. Thank you for our breakfasts at NAPS and your encouragement over these years. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from such wonderful professors and scholars. Thank you, too, to Dr. C. Christopher Soufas, for agreeing to be the external reader and for your time. My thanks also goes to the Department of Religion at Temple University, whose faculty have modeled a commitment to academic excellence and who have encouraged me during my years here. My special thanks goes to Ms. Linda Jenkins, who has answered many questions and various frantic emails over the years. Thank you for all your help. I am also thankful for my fellow graduate students at Temple, especially Dacy, Jared, Vishma, and Anna. I have benefitted from our collegiality and appreciate your support and friendship. I must also express gratitude to the many educators who have taught me so much more than what was on the syllabus. In particular, my former professors who have become friends and mentors at Eastern University deserve my thanks for their encouragement, wisdom, and guidance over the years, especially Dwight and Margaret, viii Steve, Kent, Phil, and Ray. Thank you to Betsy, Sandy, Kathy, and Margaret for teaching me that women can succeed in academia and cheering me on as I balanced home life with school. Thank you to those professors who introduced me to the richness of early Christianity and started me on the path to this dissertation: Dr. Christopher Hall at Eastern University, the late Fr. Thomas Martin, OSA, at Villanova University, and Bishop Kallistos Ware, at Pembroke College, Oxford University. Thanks also to my junior high and high school teacher, Miss Bill, under whom I wrote my first research paper, at age 13: I think of you and your red pen every time I edit my work. My thanks must also go to all those family and friends-who-are-family who have helped in various ways over the years and who are too numerous to name. My favorite parents-in-law, Evelyn and Rufe (a.k.a., Mom and Dad Haney) have been a tremendous help, especially with the kids, and I am so glad to be part of their family. A special thank you to Grampa, Mommy May, Katie, Jocelyn, Elaine and Bobby, Sydney, Kristen, Kristland and DJ, Tara, Jacqui and Jason, Jonica and Brian, Dawn, John and Sasha, and Mia for your unending support, your prayers, your care for the kids, and your encouragement. I am so grateful for each of you. Thank you also to my church family at St. Matthew’s UMC of Valley Forge for your prayers and your interest in my project. You have blessed our whole family. And, finally, and most important, thank you to the God who gives wisdom for insight into ancient texts and all sorts of literature (Daniel 1:4). May this work be acceptable in your sight and bring glory to You. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................