LOWER THAN THE ANGELS

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.