Eunuchs in Antiquity and Beyond

[JesusA (imported)]

Eunuchs in Antiquity and Beyond, edited by Shaun Tougher is an interesting, new (July 2002), highly academic book based on a three-day conference on the historical study of eunuchs. The conference was held in Cardiff, Wales July 26 to 28, 1999 and about half the formal presentations are represented in this volume. Most of the others have already been, or will soon be, published elsewhere.

As with too many academic books, the publisher (The Classical Press of Wales) has decided that few individuals will want to buy it. Consequently, they have done a very limited press run and priced the book so high that few individuals will want to buy it. The price for the 269 page book is $49.50 at Amazon where it is listed with a current sales rank of #1,151,034 (and a publication date of 2001, which is wrong).

Most of the contributions are written in pure Academic, a language remotely related to English. There are untranslated words in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew scattered throughout. At least the Chinese is all translated, though that one I could have read.

Below are titles of the 13 chapters, with brief comments on them. I may try to put an interesting excerpt or two on the Archive in the near future.

1. Eunuchs in history and society, by Vern L. Bullough

This is the only chapter not written in Academic. Bullough is a well-known and widely respected author on all things sexual and he provides a brief survey of the literature. Most readers of the Archive will find only a few new items of interest here, but would probably enjoy the verve that Bullough brings to his writing, beginning with his personal experience as a child castrating lambs.

2. Eunuchs and the royal harem in Achaemenid Persia (559 - 331 BC), by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Among the least Academic in style (though not in content) of the articles. Llewellyn-Jones bases his commentary around the 1961 Hollywood B-movie 'Esther and the King,' exploring the reality behind the film. Most of what we know about Persian eunuchs comes from Greek or Hebrew, not Persian, writings. Llewellyn-Jones does an impressive job of digging beneath these hostile sources.

3. Eunuchizing Agamemnon: Clytemnestra, Agamemnon and 'maschalismos', by Ruth Bardel

'Maschalismos' is the term for lopping off parts of the body within the context of the Greek legal system. I found the article unreadable, though the topic ought to be fascinating.

4. Sacred eunuchism in the cult of the Syrian goddess, by J.L. Lightfoot

A background study in Academese for Pueros' epic story "Nero" which is currently being posted in sections on the StoryBoard. Pueros is a fine historian and will probably incorporate everything of importance in this article into his fictional format (where it will also read much better).

5. Looking for eunuchs: the 'galli' and Attis in Roman art, by Shelley Hales

Brief survey of how eunuch priests are portrayed in Roman art - seldom, and generally fully clothed. What symbols are placed on the representations to let us know that they are intended to depict eunuchs? There are three small black and white illustrations, though there are references to other sources.

6. Eunuchs and gender transformation: Philo's exegesis of the Joseph narrative, by Ra'anan Abusch

An interesting exploration of Hellenistic Jewish philosophy, centered on views of circumcisions, castration, purity, and virginity. At different times Philo takes different positions on the value of castration. Mostly, he is opposed, but he also implies at one point that Joseph was a eunuch (though the Old Testament later has him marry and produce children). At another point he writes: "according to another account it would be noblest to become a eunuch, if (in this way) our soul should be able to escape wickedness and unlearn passion." Ambiguity found in the most important Jewish philosopher and theologian of the first century.

7. Eunuchs and early Christianity, by Walter Stevenson

Stevenson covers some of the same ground as does Mathew Keufler in his book "The Manly Eunuch," which is excerpted elsewhere on the non-fiction board. He focuses more on the eastern edge of the Roman Empire, while Kuefler focuses on Rome itself and the attempt to reformulate Christianity to attract Roman male followers. The most interesting passage is a quotation from Tertullian, an important early Christian theologian:

. "...even if the Holy Spirit had prescribed complete and genuine virginity or continence so that He would not allow the fervor of the flesh to froth over even in a single marriage, even so nothing surprising would seem to be introduced. The Lord himself opened the Kingdom of Heaven to eunuchs, as he himself was a eunuch. And the Apostle [Matthew], looking at his example moreover himself a eunuch, preferred continence."

According to Tertullian, not only was Jesus a eunuch, but the author of "The Gospel According to Saint Matthew" was as well! The entire pro- and anti-castration set of arguments of the period is well explored in all of its ambiguity. Difficult to follow, but my favorite chapter in the book.

8. In or out? Origins of court eunuchs, by Shaun Tougher

Were court eunuchs recruited from inside or outside the state? Tougher briefly discusses the evidence for a number of kingdoms and empires. Might be good background for one of the fiction writers on the Archive.

9. 'Eunuchs of light': power, imperial ceremonial and positive representations of eunuchs in Byzantium (4th - 12th centuries), by George Sideris

Includes an interesting comparison of views of eunuchs and angels in Byzantium. Both were sexless and exhibited a "luminous beauty." Angels were sometimes thought to disguise themselves as eunuchs to appear in public. Eunuchs were sometimes mistaken for angels in disguise.

10. Theophylact of Ochrid's 'In Defence of Eunuchs', by Margaret Mullett

Mullet's goal is to examine the author and audience of this important text. She wants to see how it fits into the particular time and place, rather than to explore what it says and what that tells us about the culture and the roles of eunuchs. About two years ago, our Paolo transcribed the entire text and placed it on the story board. It is well worth reading in its entirety at

http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/I/newea_3661In_Defen.htm

Paolo then followed up on the text with a fine commentary explaining the cultural context and roles of eunuchs in Byzantium as well written as I have seen it done by anyone:

http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/C/newea_57161Comments.htm

11. Eunuchs in the late Byzantine empire, c. 1250 - 1400, by Niels Gaul

Discusses reasons for the declining importance of eunuchs in church and state in the later Byzantine Empire.

12. Eunuch power in imperial China, by Shih-shan Henry Tsai

A history of eunuchs in China in 11 pages. It would be much better to read Tsai's book "The Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty" which is excerpted elsewhere on the non-fiction board.

13. The other castrati, by Richard Witt

We all know about the Italian castrati. Witt, much too briefly, explores other castrated singers in history and their impact on the development of modern music: the ancient Near East, China, India, Byzantium, etc.

. "Castrato singers-and-dancers, like other eunuchs, belong to the 'high civilizations' of Far Eastern Asia and Western Asia. In China, where court eunuchs date from at least the eighth century BC, castrati sometimes enjoyed high social status. Particularly celebrated, in the secondary Han capital, Luoyang, were the 'Palace Attendants of the Yellow Gates', a cadre of castrati aged from 10 to 12, who led the 'chu yi' ('banishment of pestilence') ceremony, surviving under the Tang, for the passing of the Old Year. Holding twirl-drums, twelve teams of ten boys in animal costumes sang a simple leader-and-chorus chant to ward off evil. A very similar fertility-cum-longevity ritual took place in Korea on the Night of the Twelfth Moon (New Year's Eve), three hundred palace eunuchs chanting prayers and swinging blazing brands."

[Paolo]

Bump.

Thanks, Jesus.

[Dok (imported)]

Wow jesus,

This is great stuff thanks for the leads. I already have some of these books but there are several I have never heard of which I'll be sure to get.