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Focus:John W. Baldwin’s article, “Five Discourses on Desire: Sexuality and Gender in
Northern France around 1200” asserts that sexual desires was a an intellectual
concern for medieval thinkers despite their abhor to the subject of flesh and sex.
Baldwin’s central focus is geared towards northern France in the year 1200. It was
at this time, medieval society was struggling with sexual desire. Using five individual
perspectives; theologians, medical and clerical, Baldwin highlights the importance of
each voice discussing sexuality and desires. Baldwin seeks to examine the five
discourses and their effect on the study and controversy of sex and sexual desire
that plagues the Middle Ages.
Sexuality and
Desire
Contributor
Peter the Chanter
The Work
The Rational
Created the Summa Instructed clergy
confessorum
and entirety body
of faithful
followers on
Christian morality
and sexual desire
(Baldwin 797)
Originating from
the Augustine era,
Peter’s work
expressed that all
things corrupt in
human nature
were transmitted
sexually, thus the
entire human race
was effected
(Baldwin 797)
Augustine era
rejected
contemporary
views.
Augustine views
state that marriage
is one of the seven
sacraments and
therefore sexuality
within the context
of marriage does
not evoke sin
(Baldwin 798).
Marriage and
sexuality fell under
marital debt, sake
Sexuality in
medical terms
Unidentified
Physcian
Salinity Question
of off spring and
avoiding
fornication.
Chanter’s work
lessened the
oppressive burden
imposed upon laity
(Baldwin 804).
Sexual desires
came from the
brain.
The foundations of
desires derive
from sight and not
a religious body.
The Salinity
Question focused
on foundations for
desires; the brain,
sight, the need for
pleasure.
Sexuality in
Literacy
Jean Bodel
Jean Renaart
The fabliaux
Answered
medically that
mortal pleasure
and desires could
not be controlled
with religion but
by the brain and
other medical
inhabitants in the
body.
Created a body of
works of
uninhibited works
of enjoyment in
sexuality (Baldwin
799).
Appealed to an
audience of lower
aristocracy and
bourgeoisie
(Baldwin 799).
Jean Bodel was
fascinated with
lust and justifying
relation with or
without marriage.
He does little to
justify sexual
desire from mortal
guilt.
Andreas
Capellanus
De Amore
Arrars wrote
books and play
that expressed the
beauty of religion
and romance.
Signifying both as
dependent on one
another. The
necessity of the
two creates the
total human
composition.
Capellanus, A
chaplain of the
king of France, was
ambivalent about
sexual desires
(Baldwin 808).
He saw the origin
of sex and desire to
be the cause of all
good and sexual
desires bringing
supreme joy. He
compared that the
lack thereof would
only result in
insanity, senility
and death
(Baldwin 808)
Jean Renart
Renart, from
northeastern
France, represents
the traditions of
French romance
composed for
aristocratic circles
(Baldwin 799).
Implement: Essentially, Baldwin’s article reveals that each spokesperson had very
differing views of sexual desire. Each interpretation lent itself to the voice in which
each regarded gender, sexuality and sexual desire. Although each discourse does
very little to lay claim to a concrete way of the life for sexuality and desire, it does
show the complexity and discourse of the subject. It reveals that many questions
needed to be answered and no one answer would or could justify the subject and its
relationship to mortal conduct..
Reference: Baldwin, John W. “Five Discourses on Desire: Sexuality and Gender in
Northern France around 1200.” Speculum Vol. 66 (1991).
Clerical Celibacy and The Laity
Focus:Andre Vauchez’s Clerical Celibacy and The Laity reduce the idea that sexuality
and sexual desire were issues that solely dealt with church clerics and hierarchy. In
fact, Vauchez’s article addresses interesting points about the disregard by some
church officials and the laity’s approach to the subjects. The subjects presented in
Vauchez’s article might suggest that the idea of sexuality and marriage may have
lead to more than unifying the sexuality of Christian clerics.
Clerical Marriage
Who
The Eastern Church and
priestly duties
Change and Effects
The eleventh and twelfth
century held heavy
controversy of clerical
marriage, fornication and
sexual sin. The canon law
did not prevent bishops,
priest and clerics from
marrying (Medieval
Christianity, 179).
Pope Siricius voiced Paul’s
proclamation “those who
are in the flesh, cannot
please God-Romans 8:8”
(Medieval Christianity
182)
Father’s of the Latin
Church, St. Augustine
The Laity
Laity, Aristocrats,Pastors
and St. Jerome felt that
unclean priest could not
do mass, which was
celebrated everyday.
(Medieval Christianity,
182).
The rule of celibacy was
Ignored by most.
Punishment depended on
societal structure of area.
If it was common for the
area, the punishment was
less severe or nonexistent.
Clerical celibacy had not
affected everyone.
Scandanavia was not
saddled with the
controversy until the
thirteenth century. Even
then, the laity supported
clerical marriages. A
Dominican chronicler
wrote: “the peasants say
that a priest cannot live
alone…preferable he have
a wife of his own, since
otherwise he would chase
after other men’s wives
and sleep with them
(Medieval Christianity,
192).
The laity was more
concerned with
preserving the balance of
social order, less with the
validity of the purity of a
cleric.
Parishioners did not
question clerics and
sexual activities They
could not demand moral
perfection without finding
themselves accused of
heresy (Medieval
Christianity, 199).
Cleric and Monastic
Clerical indifference
Clerical marriages would
Reform
produce off springs that
would assume cleric
positions of their father’s
(Medieval Christianity,
186).
Cluny promoted monastic
reform and made virginity
a central concern and
called all those entering
the life to imitate angels
(Medieval Christianity,
187).
Celibacy not only called
for monastic expectations,
it was required and
justified the status of
clergy above laity. Laity
lived in the bonds of
sexuality and marriage.
The separation would
regain the churches social
standing as the body of
society. A pure body
(Medieval Christianity,
189).
Implement: The need for clerical celibacy had very little to do with the religious
order of things, but rather, a denouncement of clergies sexual desires would draw
the lines between clergy and laity. Clergy would be elevated purely and solely
through the abstinence of sex and having sexual desires. If not, clergy could be seen
as any other man. As urban settings grew, religious factors and spiritual orders
produced the need for separation of laity and clerical activities paved the way for
moral social order.