Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century – by John Boswell

The John E. Boswell Lecture

Twenty-five years ago John Boswell published a book that historian of sexuality Michel Foucault called "a truly groundbreaking work." Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century charted bold territory in both historical and religious scholarship, setting a new benchmark of academic excellence for gay and lesbian studies. Equally significant, if not more controversial, was his 1993 book, Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, in which he tried to show historical precedence for the religious blessing of same-sex relationships.

In 1975 Dr. Boswell joined the Yale University faculty as an assistant professor after studying at the College of William and Mary and Harvard University. In 1990 he was named the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History at Yale where he later served a two-year term as the chair of the history department. In 1987 he also helped organize the Lesbian and Gay Studies Center at Yale. Read more:

http://www.clgs.org/john-e-boswell-lecture

The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS)

was established at

Pacific School of Religion in

Berkeley, California

and opened its doors in the fall of 2000.

http://www.clgs.org/about/about-clgs

Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century

by John Boswell

http://books.google.com/books?id=v-MR5_AdG68C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Christianity,+Social+Tolerance,+and+Homosexuality:+Gay+People+in+Western+Europe+from+the+Beginning+of+the+Christian+Era+to+the+Fourteenth+Century&source=bl&ots=uNQ2ozgLPa&sig=R9igrrnPUaYPgIeE8iNOuNJKHzU&hl=en&ei=03xsTLDoAY3LnAeRo9WyAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false