Theatrical Shows and Ascetic Lives: John Chrysostom's Attack on Spiritual MarriageThis book provides an original and rewarding context for understanding the prolific fourth-century Christian theologian John Chrysostom and the religious and social world in which he lived. Blake Leyerle analyzes two highly rhetorical treatises by this early church father attacking the phenomenon of "spiritual marriage." Spiritual marriage was an ascetic practice with a long history in which a man and a woman lived together in an intimate relationship without sex. What begins as an analysis of Chrysostom's attack on spiritual marriage becomes a broad investigation into Chrysostom's life and work, the practice of spiritual marriage itself, the role of the theater in late antique city life, and the early history of Christianity. Though thoroughly grounded in the texts themselves and in the cultural history of late antiquity, this study breaks new ground with its focus on issues of rhetoric, sexuality, and power. Leyerle argues that Chrysostom used images and tropes drawn from the theater to persuade religious men and women that spiritual marriage was wrong. In addition to her analysis of the significance of the rhetorical strategies used by Chrysostom, Leyerle gives a thorough discussion of the role of the theater in late antiquity, particularly in Antioch, one of the gems among late antique cities. She also discusses gender in the context of late antique religion, shedding new light on early Christian attitudes toward sexuality. Throughout Leyerle weaves an ongoing conversation with contemporary theory in film and gender studies that gives her study an important analytic dimension. |
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accusations Acta Apost actors Ancient Antioch argues Aristophanes Aristotle ascetic audience Averil Cameron California Press Cambridge Chry Chryso Chrysostom's treatises church claim Clark Classical Clytemnestra cohabitation comedy comic congregation couples culture dangerous Daphne mosaic desire Dionysus display Divine Pedagogy domestic drama Dumortier Early Christian eunuchs Euripides eyes female Film Noir Foerster fourth century gender Greek Heracles holiness Homilies honor humor insists Jacob of Serugh Jean John Chrysostom joke Late Antiquity laugh laughter Libanius living in spiritual Lucian male masks Matt mimes monastic monks mythology oppug Palladius pantomime Paul Peter Brown philotimia pleasure Preaching Princeton University Press prostitutes Quod reg Rhetoric role Roman sacerd scenes sexual shame slaves social Society sostom spectacle spiritual marriage stage stat status Studies Subintroductae suggests theater theatrical Thesmophoriazusae tion traditional tragedy tragic trans vainglory virg virgins woman women words York