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E-book
Author Elliott, Dyan, 1954- author.

Title The corrupter of boys : sodomy, scandal, and the medieval clergy / Dyan Elliott
Published Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2020]

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Description 1 online resource (viii, 378 pages)
Series The Middle Ages Series
Middle Ages series.
Contents The Scandal of Clerical Sin -- The Trouble with Boys -- The Problem with Women -- Sodomy on the Cusp of the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries -- Confession, Scandal, and the "Sin Not Fit to be Named" -- Prologue -- The Monastery -- The Choir -- The Schools -- The Episcopal Curia -- Conclusion
Summary "In the fourth century, clerics began to distinguish themselves from members of the laity by virtue of augmented claims to holiness. Because clerical celibacy was key to this distinction, religious authorities of all stripes-patristic authors, popes, theologians, canonists, monastic founders, and commentators-became progressively sensitive to sexual scandals that involved the clergy and developed sophisticated tactics for concealing or dispelling embarrassing lapses. The fear of scandal dictated certain lines of action and inaction, the consequences of which are painfully apparent today. This book discusses how the scandal-averse policies, which existed at every conceivable level of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, in conjunction with the requirement of clerical celibacy, resulted in the widespread sexual abuse of boys and male adolescents"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Clergy -- Sexual behavior -- History -- To 1500
Sexual misconduct by clergy -- History -- To 1500
Child sexual abuse by clergy -- History -- To 1500
Celibacy -- Christianity -- History -- To 1500
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.
Church history -- Middle Ages, 600-1500.
Celibacy -- Christianity
Child sexual abuse by clergy
Church history -- Middle Ages
Church history -- Primitive and early church
Clergy -- Sexual behavior
Sexual misconduct by clergy
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780812297485
0812297482