Date: Wed, 25 May 94 6:04:32 EDT >From: Nicholas P Zymaris Mailer: Elm [revision: 66.25] A D E L P H O P O I I A - - - Some responses and rebuttals from discussion on Orthodox list ============================================================== >"adelphopoiia"...translates as "creating of a brother", rather than "creating >of a spouse." The use of "brother" and "sister" in a non-familial sense is hardly unprecedented. 1) The Lord's brothers (adelphoi) are not "ordinary" familial brothers as we understand the term. 2) Monks and nuns are referred to by these terms also, 3) as well as blood-brothers. These are all different types of relationships, despite the same term. Though (1) and (2) are definitely non-romantic and non-erotic, and often (3) also, the following shows a different use of the term: "You have ravished my heart, my *sister*, my bride...with a glance of your eyes...How sweet is your love, my *sister*, my bride..." (Song of Songs, 4: 9,10). To say they were familial brother and sister would imply incest, which is obviously not the case in the Song of Songs. Similarly, "I am distressed for you, my *brother* Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women." (II Samuel chap. 1) While this passage *alone* does not exclude a merely platonic relationship, the descriptions of their love in I Samuel (e.g. I Sam. 18:34) sounds much like a "spiritual brotherhood" (which, despite the discussion on the Free Catholic list, does not categorically exclude romantic or erotic love; heterosexual marriage, though sexual, is also of course quite spiritual, and to make an artificial dichotomy there is Neoplatonism. It is indeed possible that both "unnatural" relations *and* the spiritual nature of spiritual brotherhood are dealt with in the passage in Goar, "becoming brothers, not bound by the law of *nature* but by the example of faith of the Holy Spirit"). Saul's reproach in I Sam. 20:30, using the terms "shame" and "nakedness", suggest he finds something amiss that goes beyond kingdoms and friendship. (It also suggests a coexistence of progay and antigay attitudes at that time. David, of course, would more properly be considered bisexual because of later relationships with women). Re: private correspondence to the effect that it was improper for me to quote some of the more off-the-wall responses because it would lower the discussion to the same level. That was not the intent; rather, I wished to depict the level to which the discussion had sunk, in order to criticize it. I intended to "show it for what it is", literally. Re: the individual who felt wrongly accused of "gleefully" supporting death and/or torture of homosexuals. You are correct; you indeed simply stated that the tsarist codes existed. My label of "gleeful" was targeted at others, whom I did not mention by name to avoid any semblance of mudslinging or ad hominem attacks. It especially referred to the individual who responded to the request for a bibliography, citing "with pleasure" the Levitical death penalties. Honorable mention also goes to the attitude verified by the following responder: N.Z.>>they hate the sinner and misunderstand the sin...they are gleeful [yep, >>that's "love"] over the prospect of gays dying of AIDS and the "problem" >>going away. [subsequent attribution worded slightly differently] >Sadly, this may be true, but it is irrelevant to this discussion. Pastoral care is irrelevant to Orthodoxy? This seems very much like the approach of certain "Orthodox" jurisdictions who are too busy arguing about calendars (more precisely, claiming that their opponents are damned because of their calendar; where did Christ teach that?) to engage in Christian charity. I rest my case. Note: I do not accuse Mr. P_______ of this attitude, he is just reporting it. But I must also comment on his statement, "I don't care what the moslems [lowercase his] in Albania do"; that they are heretics, etc. (I will not get into the other implications of that statement, such as the similarity of that attitude to the rampant anti-Albanian sentiment in Greece, even towards Orthodox Albanians; nor to attitudes in former Yugoslavia, nor, for that matter, to the previous excerpt). It should be very clear that not once has the discussion on the list dealt with any Moslem rites. He claims to be very familiar with the attitudes of Albanians to homosexuality; is he not aware that Albania has both a Roman Catholic and a (canonical) Orthodox population? (It is of course also true that the Moslems in Albania form unions, but not involving reception of Holy Communion). >Still, you offer only statements, and no proof. Intested parties may either re-read the previous discussions or consult this bibliography: Jacobus Goar, _Euchologion_, 2nd edition (Venice, 1730), pp. 706-709. Not the best edition but easily available. Facsimile of 2nd edition: Graz (Austria), 1960. On Ss. Sergius and Bacchus: J.P. Migne, _Patrologia Graeca_ 115:1005-1032. _Analecta Bollandiana_ 14 (1895) 373-395. Synaxarion, Oct. 7. See also the detailed bibliography previously posted on the net by Richard Oliver on Ss. Sergius and Bacchus. On adelphopoiia, aside from Goar's Euchologion and the manuscripts mentioned in J. Boswell, _Same-Sex Unions_, and elsewhere, there is also _Velikii Potrebnik_ (Moscow: Edinovertsii, 1904),sv. "Chin Bratotvoreniyu" On 19th and 20th century testimony regarding its use in Greece and Albania (by those who traveled or lived there): J.G. von Hahn, _Albanesische Studien_ (Jena, 1854) Paul Naecke, _Jahrbuch fuer sexuelle Zwischenstufen_ vol. 9 (Leipzig, 1908), pp. 327-337. Havelock Ellis, _Studies in the Psychology of Sex_, vol. 2 (Philadelphia, F.A. Davis: 1908) Eqrem abej, "Sitten und Gebruche der Albaner", _Revue internationale des tudes balkaniques_ (Beograd: Institut Balkanique, 1935), pp. 556-572. Erich Bethe, "Die dorische Knabenliebe", _Rheinisches Museum fuer Philologie_ vol. 62 (Bonn 1907), pp. 438-475 (comments on Hahn on p. 475). Evangelos K. Mantzounea, _He Adelphopoiesis ek Kanonikes Apopsews_ [The Brotherhood-Rite from a Canonical Perspective] (Athens, 1982). Additionally, John Boswell has observed the rite performed in a Catholic church. Regarding Orthodox usage (aside from U.S. parishes which I'm sure I'll be accused of "outing" if I mentioned them), I have spoken to Albanians in 1991 who say that the Orthodox church in Elbasan performs this rite, and that it is indeed used for gay marriage, involving both love and sexual relations (marredhenie seksuale). >...they [Albanians and other Balkan peoples] are more against >homosexuality than most Americans. Regarding modern-day Greece, there is indeed much antigay sentiment; but antigay violence and bias crime is rare. Gays who were arrested were outed in the newspapers ("fakelloma") until 1981. This did not stop adelphopoiia from being performed in parts of Greece during and after that time (e.g. in Epirus). I am told that an adelphopoiia scandal was reported on Mt. Athos by the Greek press several years ago; and that after this, the particular monastery did not stop performing the rite, but instead married only Bulgarian men, who were assumed to be less likely to talk to the press (since they did not speak Greek). (See Mantzounea, 1982, and _Kraximo_ Gay Guide [available from periptera at Omonia Sq., Athens, Greece]). In Albania, the former Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha et al. attempted to impose an antigay (and antireligious) agenda, but this seems to have had minimal effects on 1991 Albanians (perhaps this is simply resiliency). The Communist-era penal code did not mention vllamria (adelphopoiia) or homosexuality (homoseksualizmi) by name, but did have a law against pederasty (pederastia) which (despite its more specific proper usage) was defined as "sexual relations between males" ("marredhenie seksuale ndermjet meshkujve"), thus apparently prohibiting at least gay male sexual activity. While the Albanian- Americans I have spoken with have never heard of vllamria, all Albanians from Albania, and emigres to Greece (whom I have spoken with), appear to be quite familiar with the rite. I found the lack of reticence very surprising (I had expected a negative attitude); once in fact (during a general conversation on Albanian history), an Albanian in Kosovo (Kosova) brought it up himself, without being asked about it, and described customs relating to it. At another time, I brought up the issue of bias crime in the U.S. directed towards gays; I was told that "in my home town [Erind, Gjirokastra district; coincidentally this is Enver Hoxha's home town also], those differences don't matter, everyone eats at the same table". He also confirmed that the rite is used as a gay marriage (dasm) which includes a sexual component (I did not ask him whether the anti-pederasty law affected this; but then again, *any* religious rite was illegal from 1967-1990, which did not stop clandestine religious activity [thank God!]). (Source for legal information: _Kodifikimi i pergjitheshem te legjislacionit ne fuqi te Republikes Popullore te Shqiperise_ (Tirana, Botim e Kryeministrise) This attitude towards homosexuality was not limited to discussions of bias crime and church rites, but also extended to discussions about Albanian love songs. Now, if they are "more against homosexuality than most Americans," I assume that most Americans would be approving of songs such as the following by Nein of Premet, Albania: (diacritical marks omitted for clarity) S'gjen ndonji zok qi kendon, You'll find no bird that sings, Te gjithe jane e po qajne. They all sit there [lit., "are" ] and cry. I mjeri ashik sa fort po duron, The poor lover, how strongly he endures, Prej dyllberit po e dajne. [For] they separate him from [his] beloved. Dilli, qi len ne mengjes The sun, which rises in the morning Si ti, o djal, kur me zallandise [Is] like you, boy, when you are near me. Kur me kthen syt' e zes' When you turn your black eyes to me Shpirt ment prej kres' mi gremise. You drive me crazy. (lit.,"destroy the spirit and mind from my head") (Note: the terms "ashik" and "dyllber" are analogous to the Greek terms "erastes" and "eromenos", respectively. Also, the gender of both ("lover" and "beloved") here is male. The dialect is Geg, with some nonstandard spelling). The reaction of the Albanians I spoke with to the text of this and similar songs was uniformly positive. Also, it should be noted that there is a taboo against certain sexual activities (see Naecke's article), which Americans can easily confuse with a taboo against homosexuality, even though heterosexuals can also engage in these activities. I believe that M__ V______ was alluding to the same sort of thing in comparing the terms "pousti" and "kolumbaras" in (modern) Greek. >Is [recognition of gay unions] being proposed for the glorification >of God or the glorification of man? How does the contradictory response of the opponents of this rite glorify God? (One minute it's adoption, then it's friendship, then it's for monks, then it's prohibited for monks...anything but THAT). Then there was the public and private hate mail and phone calls. How does that glorify God? (I would say that the perpetrators utterly blaspheme what Orthodoxy is about in doing that! It also indicates fear of the unfamiliar rather than faith that God will provide in His own way). True, some opponents are now arguing in measured tones. (There is little new information, and much dependence on Russian information. The recent posting on Greek usage as of 1982 is a welcome exception [E. Mantzounea, _Adelphopoiesis from a Canonical View_]). Let us glorify our God, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, in this and all endeavors. I C X C N I K A Nicholas Zymaris nzymaris@ic.sunysb.edu P.O. Box 741 E. Northport, NY 11731-0496