Information AboutJohn Boswell |
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BIO Born in Boston in 1947 into a military family, Boswell earned his undergraduate degree from the College Of William And Mary , where he converted to Roman Catholicism . His nickname, from his initials, was "Jeb". A gifted medieval Philologist , he received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1975, whereupon he joined the Yale University history faculty; he was made full professor in 1982. In 1987, Boswell helped organize the Lesbian and Gay Studies Center at Yale, which is now the Research Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies. He was named the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History in 1990, when he was also appointed to a two-year term as chair of the Yale history department. He was the author of the ground-breaking yet controversial book '' Christianity, Social Tolerance And Homosexuality '' (1980), which, according to Chauncey et al (1989), "offered a revolutionary interpretation of the Western tradition, arguing that the Roman Catholic Church had not condemned gay people throughout its history, but rather, at least until the twelfth century, had alternately envinced no special concern about homosexuality or actually celebrated love between men." The book was also crowned with the American Book Award for History and the Stonewall Book Award in 1981. He is known primarily, however, as author of ''Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe'' (New York: Villard, 1994 ) in which he argues that the ''adelphopoiia'' liturgy was evidence that attitude of the Christian church towards homosexuality has changed over time, and that early Christians ''did'' on occasion accept same-sex relationships. {Link without Title} Rites of 'same-sex union' occur in ancient prayer-books of both the western and eastern churches. They are rites of '' Adelphopoiesis '', literally Greek for the making of brothers. Boswell argued that these were sexual unions, but other scholars assert that they were instead rites of becoming adopted brothers, or "blood brothers". [http://www.leaderu.com/marco/marriage/gaymarriage7.html Boswell pointed out such evidence as an Icon of two Saint s, Saints Sergius And Bacchus (at St. Catherine's on Mount Sinai ), and drawings, such as one he interprets as depicting the wedding feast of Emperor Basil to his "partner", John. Boswell sees Jesus as fulfilling the role of the 'pronubus' or in modern parallel, best man. Boswell made many detailed translations of these rites in his book '' The Marriage Of Likeness '', and claimed that one mass Gay Wedding occurred only a couple of centuries ago in the Basilica Di San Giovanni In Laterano , the cathedral seat of the Pope as Bishop Of Rome . Boswell's writings touched off detailed debate in '' The Irish Times '' some years ago and the article which triggered off the debate, a major feature in the " Rite And Reason " religion column in the paper by a respected Irish historian and religious commentator, has been reproduced on many websites. Boswell himself was throughout his life a devout Roman Catholic . Although he was orthodox in most of his beliefs, he strongly disagreed with his church's stated opposition to homosexual behavior and relationships. To a certain degree much of the work and research Boswell did regarding the Christian church's historical relationship with homosexuality can be seen as an attempt (which some regard as successful) to find grounds for reconciliation between his religious beliefs and his Sexual Orientation . In '' Revolutions, Universals, And Sexual Categories '' (1982, revised), Boswell compares the Constructionist - Essentialist positions to the Realist - Nominalist dichotomy. He also lists a three types of sexual taxonomies:
Aside from sexuality issues, his "Royal Treasure" is a detailed historical study of the Mudejar Muslims in Aragon in the 14th Century . Boswell died of complications from AIDS related illness on December 24 , 1994 , at age 47. He was survived by his partner, Jerry Hart, as well as his parents, Colonel Henry Boswell, Jr. and Catharine Boswell, a sister, Patricia, and two brothers, Wray and Henry Boswell, 3rd. WORKS
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