vid

Hi

There are several early christian texts dealing with "people who made themselves eunuch". Christians often claim "eunuch" here refers not to actual castration, but just to not having sex.

Of course there are texts which don't allow such interpretation, such as 1st Nicene Canon. That is not my point here.

I want to know literary basis for claim that "eunuch" can refer to somebody who is not castrated, but just decided not to have sex. Was word "eunuch" really used clearly this way? Where?

andrewcriddle

Passages from Origen Commentary on Matthew Book 15 may be relevant
origen-matthew.htm

Andrew Criddle

vid

It is, thanks a lot

premjan

Priests are eunuchs?

vid

I don't understand that question :huh:

premjan

Well, priests "made themselves eunuchs" right?

vid

Not just priests, AFAIK this was hapenning with common christians too... so?

(Maybe you are refering to first nicene canon, which speaks only about priests?)

premjan

No, I was just curious whether the epithet eunuch could be used for a priest - thanks.

vid

Can someone understand this commentary about "eunuch" passages in bible? http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf...nuch#highlight

I have read it twice, but I can't understand whether he praises abstaining from sex, or physical castration.

Thanks

andrewcriddle

According to Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory is addressing an audience which includes imperial eunuchs (senior civil servants with access to the private rooms of the imperial family).

Gregory is initially praising abstaining from sex, by those physically capable of sexual relations, and suggesting that such abstention, (being a moral choice), is more praiseworthy than the celibacy of those physically incapable of sexual relations, (such as the imperial eunuchs in his audience).

Gregory goes on to criticize the imperial eunuchs over issues of church politics.

However he concludes, (maybe after protests from the eunuchs in his audience), with praising spiritual eunuchs, those who have become separated from error and vice, with the implication that some at least of the physical eunuchs in his audience are also deeply praiseworthy spiritual eunuchs.

IE for Gregory eunuch either means physical eunuch or spiritual eunuch in a sense that is not about sex at all.

Andrew Criddle