Alwis Anne Priyani. The Celibate Marriages of Saints and Martyrs in Late Antiquity

London: University of London, King's College, 2001. — 331 p.This book is a literary study of the curious phenomenon of celibate marriage as depicted in the Greek vitae of saints Julian and Basilissa, Andronikos and Athanasia and Galaktion and Episteme. Three anonymous authors tell us that Julian and Basilissa and Galaktion and Episteme never consummated their union, while Andronikos and Athanasia permanently renounced intercourse after the birth of their children. Intriguingly, despite their shared theme, the vitae have no discernable influence on one another. They originate from three distinct literary traditions and were composed in three different time periods (between the fourth and tenth centuries ce). Until now, the versions that form the foundation of this book have not been published in English, and no scholarly monograph has compared the three. Thus, the book provides access to three new vitae with accompanying translations and commentaries as well as dating information. Explorations of the texts’ literary background are paired with a thematic analysis of celibate marriage (literary, typological and gendered). Such a wide range of approaches is rarely employed on a single concept or theme in hagiographic scholarship. Yet foundational and interpretive material aids the understanding of the other; they are not mutually exclusive and I believe a solid understanding of both (as far as is possible) is intrinsic to the understanding of any hagiographic text.
It is important to stress that this monograph is a literary study and does not include a study of celibacy over the six centuries covered. Although the topic of celibate marriage would appear to demand such an examination, as we shall see, close analysis of the texts reveals that these marriages are not actually about celibacy but about relationships. Furthermore, these types of unions are not even given a name in any of the vitae. Thus, a historical exploration of celibacy that parallels the literary and thematic investigations is not pertinent for these vitae.
What the thematic investigation does yield is a rewarding and wholly unexpected conclusion: each hagiographer deliberately and painstakingly chooses to depict a continuing emotional bond between the partners despite their celibate lifestyle. Each couple continues to have some sort of positive interaction. This is highly unusual in hagiography, as marriage without intercourse simply appears to have no purpose for authors of early Christian literature. In Christian antiquity the Bible solidified the paradigmatic relationship between man and woman in both the J and P narratives of Genesis (2:18–25 and 1:26–29 respectively) where a sexual, monogamous union is taken for granted: ‘… a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh’. Thus, from the inception of Christian belief, sex was an intrinsic feature of marriage, a belief that informs relationships today.
In antiquity, marriage had an innate forward dynamic and a purpose – procreation. If this function is abolished the entire process is negated and valueless. Without sex – for children or for obligation – what would be the point of being married? What actually becomes of the social positions of husband and wife? What does it mean to assume these roles in a celibate marriage, when marriage is an institution defined by intercourse?
This leads to the next conundrum: the absence of sex would then herald a platonic friendship or a form of social contract between a man and a woman, based on nothing other than mutual regard and respect. This would be another revolutionary notion for Christian marriage, which, according to some understandings of the Pauline message, was essentially a container for lust. Early Christianity’s dogmatic imperatives point to one conclusion: fornication is sin and crucially, the inevitable consequence when a man and woman are in close proximity, no matter what the circumstances.
This feeling is so pervasive that even though intercourse is permitted within marriage the contamination that sex engenders never leaves hagiography. Consequently, the portrayal of a happily married saint engaging in guilt-free intercourse did not exist in Late Antique and Byzantine hagiography. Essentially, three scenarios unfolded: saints strived to avoid marriage, they wished to break from their matrimonial status or they endured unhappy marriages. Christian sanctity for the pious was essentially a matter of alternatives; whether or not to maintain a virginal or controlled (sexless) purity when faced with the minatory potential for intercourse, unremitting poised to fracture free will. It is this element of personal endeavour – easily comprehensible to every stratum of humanity – that ensures the inclusion of this struggle, in some form or another, in every vita. When a budding saint is placed in a marital situation, the circumstances are posited in terms of confrontation where the spouse who demands consummation is portrayed as abusive, incredulous or disparaging. Remarkably, this paradigm does not exist for the three vitae in question and consequently, the concept of positive marital relations formulated in each is explosive.
Of all forms of sexual renunciation in early Christianity, it is clear that none created as unique a conflict as a celibate marriage. Other familiar characters from the sphere of Late Antique literature who gained sanctity, such as the hermit in the desert, the penitent prostitute and the domestic virgin, embodied an intense awareness of sexuality as a force to be denied and contained, expressed through various forms of asceticism and abstinence. In rejecting their carnality, they disrupted their social place and space. However, by doing so, they are rewarded. Sanctity is subsequently conferred on the hermit; the prostitute is guaranteed a place in heaven; and the virgin gains immortality: renunciation in these other guises thus offers transformation but not so for the celibate married couple. There is no obvious immediate role for a wife and husband. Holiness is indeed possible but it is bestowed uneasily. There are too many unknowable factors. Will both partners be equally willing to forego sex? Might they slip into temptation? Such questions are even more compelling for the chosen vitae where, uniquely, positive interaction between the partners 3continues voluntarily and is described in detail. The tension between the sacred (desire for celibacy) and the profane (the endurance of positive marital relations) provides the momentum for each vita. This book will show how the hagiographers recognized this clash but rather than avoid the issue, deliberately engaged with it to a remarkable degree of inventiveness to widen the boundaries of human experience. With this in mind, it is time now to meet our protagonists.