Brothers by affection: Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus

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Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus: Brothers by affection

Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus

By Brother Robert Lentz, OFM. © 1995, trinitystores.com

Saints Polyeuct and Nearchus were Roman soldiers in 3rd-century Armenia and “brothers by affection.” They are a prime example of same-sex lovers in the early church. Polyeuct’s feast day is Feb. 13.

The earliest account of Polyeuct’s martyrdom, a 4th-century Armenian biography, says that they were “brothers, not by birth, but by affection” and enjoyed “the closest possible relationship, being both comrades and fellow soldiers.”

St. Polyeuctus (Wikimedia Commons)

Nearchus was Christian, but Polyeuct was not. The men had a strong desire to spend eternity together, so Polyeuct converted from paganism to Christianity, the faith of his beloved Nearchus. With a convert’s zeal he attacked a pagan procession.  He was beheaded for his crime in the year 259 in the western Armenian city of Militene. Shortly before he was executed, he spoke his last words to Nearchus: “Remember our secret vow.” Thus Polyeuct is known as a protector of vows and avenger of broken promises, in addition to his role as a probable “gay saint.”

Yale history professor John Boswell names Polyeuct and Nearchus as one of the three primary pairs of same-sex lovers in the early church. (The others are Perpetua and Felicity and Sergius and Bacchus.) The love story of Polyeuct and Nearchus is told with extensive historical detail in two books, “Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe” by Boswell and “Passionate Holiness” by Dennis O’Neill. He is founder of the Living Circle, the interfaith LGBT spirituality center that commissioned the above icon of the loving same-sex pair.

The icon is by Brother Robert Lentz, a Franciscan friar and world-class iconographer known for his innovative icons. It is one of 10 Lentz icons that sparked a major controversy in 2005. Critics accused Lentz of glorifying sin and creating propaganda for a progressive sociopolitical agenda, and he temporarily gave away the copyright for the controversial images to his distributor, Trinity Stores.

Polyeuctus and Nearchus by Jim Ru

Artist Jim Ru was also inspired to paint Polyeuct and Nearchus. His version was displayed in his show “Transcendent Faith: Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Saints” in Bisbee Arizona in the 1990s.

O’Neill reports that French writer Robert Dartois recently took the story of Polyeuct and Nearchus from “Passionate Holiness” and turned it into a libretto, which was then set by the Swiss composer Thierry Chatelain as the oratorio “Polyeucte et Nearchus.”

There are many variations in the spellings of their names, such as Polyeuctus, Polyeuctes, Polyeuktos and Nearchos and Nearch. Polyeuct’s feast day is Feb.13 in the Catholic calendar, but falls on Jan. 9 in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and Jan. 7 in ancient Armenian calendars. The feast day for Nearchus is April 22.

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Related links:

Saints Polyeuct and Nearchos, 3rd Century Lovers and Martyrs (Queer Saints and Martyrs -- And Others)

Hermanos de afecto: Santos Polieucto y Nearco (Santos Queer)

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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.

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Icons of Polyeuct and Nearchus and many others are available on cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, mugs, and more at Trinity Stores


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New book shows closeted gay Jesus: "Dark Knowledge" by Kenneth Low

If Jesus was gay, was he open and self-affirming… or ashamed and secretive?

People who think that Jesus was queer usually assume that he accepted his own homosexuality, but a new book presents a disturbing portrait of a closeted gay Jesus who felt shame over his same-sex relationships.

“Dark Knowledge” by Kenneth Low uses rational arguments to disprove much of the conventional wisdom about Christ. According to Low, Jesus was not heterosexual, not celibate, and not happy with his own identity.

The whole book is an analysis of why Jesus was executed. The standard explanation is that Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. Low dismisses this as too implausible to be believed. Instead he comes to a startling conclusion: Jesus was killed for committing homosexual acts.

Low is a retired physician living in Davis, California and “Dark Knowledge” is his first work. His odd but intriguing book offers no information about the author other than his name. Low’s blog explains that he keeps his background a mystery so that his arguments can be judged purely on their own merits. However Low does admit on his blog, “ ‘Dark Knowledge’ is really a work of vision that is the product of my own personal journey.”

Low presents evidence that Jesus must have been homosexual because he was an unmarried man who surrounded himself with men, including John, his beloved male disciple and sexual partner. Still Low is also clear that Jesus was divine. The following quotation illustrates Low’s viewpoint and detached tone:

In His childhood, Jesus Christ came into His awareness of being the Son of God. His magical authority and other attributes were given to Him as His birthright. As He came into sexual awareness, He discovered Himself to be a homosexual. His awareness of being the Son of God precluded any possibility of denying His sexuality out of some external concern and He began to be sexually active. He was evidently discovered to be a homosexual by people in His hometown and He must have been sharply rebuked and ostracized. He left Galilee and wandered on an endless soulful sojourn seeking a reconciliation of His divinity with His homosexuality. (p. 276)

Low goes on to describe how Jesus brought his life and ministry to its “inevitable conclusion” in Jerusalem. “Just as He couldn’t escape his homosexuality, neither could He keep it a secret forever,” (p. 276) he writes. Low’s version of the Passion story unfolds this way: Judas revealed the “dark knowledge” of Jesus’ homosexuality to the religious authorities, causing a sudden loss of public support for Jesus. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus was “overwhelmed with sorrow because He was filled with shame” about his soon-to-be-revealed homosexual acts. At his trial the normally eloquent Jesus gave evasive answers because, although he was an expert at religious debate, he couldn’t deny the truth of his homosexuality. Wanting to be punished, he pleaded guilty in exchange for dropping the charges against his sexual partner.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book is Low’s demonstration of how Jesus’ theology was shaped by being queer. Low argues that Jesus came to identify with the poor and disenfranchised because he was gay:

As the Son of God, Jesus Christ had discovered Himself to be a homosexual and had found celibacy impossible… He also understood that homosexuality was a sexual crime under the Law of Moses. His feeling was that His homosexuality was something He needed to passively accept and He was cast in the role of the disobedient Son of God. His feeling of self-worth required that He find meaning in His disobedience and He came to view Himself as an advocate for the sinful disobedience of the world. (p. 286)

Some of Low’s conclusions seem questionable, especially his assertion that “no one is ever really reconciled with his or her sexuality.” If Jesus was truly divine, then surely he could have found a way to unite sexuality and spirituality, an idea that I explore in my novels Jesus in Love and At the Cross (Jesus in Love). Low also seems to assume that each gospel were written by a single eyewitness, an idea disputed by most Bible scholars. Unlike Low, I find it believable that Jesus could have been executed for blasphemy.  Even today LGBT Christians still receive death threats from Christian conservatives who accuse them of blasphemy. Despite its flaws, “Dark Knowledge” makes for stimulating reading and a darkly illuminating vision of a gay Jesus.
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Related links:

“Dark Knowledge” review by Toby Johnson, author of Gay Spirituality

Video on Dark Knowledge

Video book trailer for Dark Knowledge

Newsletter on LGBT spirituality and the arts - sign up now

Our February e-newsletter is out with these headlines: Top stories of 2011, LGBT art attack at church, Uganda's gay martyr, Saint Brigid and more.  Click here to see it.

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What others are saying about the Jesus in Love Newsletter and blog:

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Top 10 LGBT spiritual arts stories of 2011 named

John McNeill, right, with Brendan Fay, director of "Taking a Chance on God"

A new film about a gay priest was the top LGBT spiritual arts story for 2011, the Jesus in Love Blog announced today.

The blog’s most popular post of the year was a report on the premiere of “Taking a Chance on God.” a documentary about John McNeill. The 86-year-old Roman Catholic priest was silenced by the church for coming out as gay and promoting LBGT rights starting in the 1970s.

The top 10 LGBT spiritual arts stories of the year were named today by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry. She founded Jesus In Love to promote LGBT spirituality and the arts with a blog and e-newsletter.

"Our Lady" by Alma Lopez

The year’s second-ranked story covered attacks by Christian conservatives against the exhibit “Our Lady and Queer Santas (Saints)” by lesbian artist Alma Lopez.

“Current events, controversy and celebrities drove the top stories of 2011 at the Jesus in Love Blog,” Cherry said. “The erotic Christ and historical LGBT saints continued to be popular themes as our readers looked for ways to unite sexuality and spirituality.”

Here is a list of the year’s top stories.  Click the headlines for links to the original posts at the Jesus in Love Blog. LGBT saints are in a class by themselves, so the final three spots are reserved for the most popular saints of 2011.

1. Gay priest McNeill’s premiere moves crowds despite rain in Rome at EuroPride
Rain couldn’t dampen the spirit of the crowd that joined pioneering gay priest John McNeill at the world premiere of a film on his life at EuroPride in Rome June 6. The debut of “Taking a Chance on God” got by far the most page views and Facebook shares in 2011 at the blog. Related articles were also popular, especially Gay priest McNeill shakes up Rome with new moves and new movie.

2) Our Lady and Queer Saints art attacked as blasphemy - Show support now!
Conservative Catholics attacked “Our Lady and Other Queer Santas (Saints),” an art show and speech by Latina lesbian artist Alma Lopez at University College Cork in Ireland in June 2011. They launched a censorship campaign that compromised the university’s email system and picketed the event. This post sparked action! Not only did hundreds of people view it, but at least 6 readers sent letters of support to the university.

3. 10 years later: Mychal Judge, gay saint of 9/11
Father Mychal Judge, chaplain to New York firefighters and unofficial “gay saint,” died helping others in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. To honor the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the Jesus in Love Blog presented an excerpt from a new spirituality book, Mychal's Prayer: Praying with Father Mychal Judge by Salvatore Sapienza.

4. The Queer Spirituality of Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga’s new album Born This Way shows that she is more than just a queer cultural icon. “She is also a queer spiritual evangelist who refuses to shy away from controversial religious topics,” writes theologian Patrick S. Cheng in this reflection.

5. Artist paints history’s gay couples: Interview with Ryan Grant Long
Historical men who loved men, including some gay saints, are painted by artist Ryan Grant Long in a new series titled “Fairy Tales.” Spanning more than 4,000 years, the series includes 3rd-century Christian martyrs Sergius and Bacchus and Biblical hero David with his beloved Jonathan.

6. Erotic Christ teacher speaks: We are the erotic body of Christ
Connection with the erotic Christ can heal the wounds of organized religion, give access to the riches of the Christian mystical tradition and lead to union with God, says Hunter Flournoy. He is a psychotherapist and shamanic healer who teaches “Erotic Body of Christ” workshops for gay and bisexual men.

7. Artist Wes Hempel paints gay spiritual struggles
Gay spiritual struggles are suggested in the paintings of Wes Hempel, whose art helps LGBT people find our missing place in history. The Colorado artist creates a sense of mystery by combining contemporary figures with historical elements, using the polished, realistic style of the past.

8. Gay saints Sergius and Bacchus honored in new art
One of the newest images of 3rd-century gay saints Sergius and Bacchus is a stained glass window donated in 2011 to an Illinois church by its LGBT parishioners. Sergius and Bacchus were Roman soldiers, Christian martyrs and gay men who loved each other.

9. Joan of Arc: Cross-dressing warrior-saint
Joan of Arc was a cross-dressing teenage warrior who led the medieval French army to victory when she was 17. She died for her God-given right to wear men’s clothing, the crime for which she was executed 580 years ago.

10. Artemisia Gentileschi paints strong Biblical women
Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi is included in the LGBT saints because she inspired so many with her paintings of strong Biblical women and her success despite gender barriers and sexual violence. She can be considered the patron saint of lesbian artists, women artists, and everyone who breaks gender rules.
Founded in 2005, Jesus In Love promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer spirituality and the arts. It supports artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or religious faith.

Brigid and Darlughdach: Celtic saint loved her female soulmate

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Qspirit.net:
Brigid and Darlughdach: Celtic saint loved her female soulmate

“Saint Brighid and Darlughdach of Kildare” by Rowan Lewgalon and Tricia Danby (tir-anam.weebly.com)

Saint Brigid and her soulmate Darlughdach were sixth-century Irish nuns who brought art, education and spirituality to early medieval Ireland. Brigid (c.451-525) shares her name and feast day (Feb. 1) with a Celtic goddess -- and she may have been the last high priestess of the goddess Brigid.  Her followers still keep a flame burning for her.

Raised by Druids, Brigid seems to have made a smooth transition from being a pagan priestess to a Christian abbess. Today she is Ireland’s most famous female saint. Her name is also spelled Bridget.  Legend says that when she made her final vows as a nun, the bishop in charge was so overcome by the Holy Spirit that he administered the rite for ordaining a (male) bishop instead.

A younger nun named Darlughdach served as Brigid’s ambassador and her “anam cara” or soul friend. The two women were so close that they slept in the same bed. Like many Celtic saints, Brigid believed that each person needs a soul friend to discover together that God speaks most powerfully in the seemingly mundane details of shared daily life. The love between these two women speaks to today’s lesbians and their allies. Some say that Brigid and Darlughdach are lesbian saints.

Brigid started convents all over Ireland and became the abbess of the “double monastery” (housing both men and women) at Kildare. Built on land that was previously sacred to her divine namesake, the monastery included an art school for creating illuminated manuscripts.

After Brigid turned 70, she warned Darlughdach that she expected to die soon. Her younger soulmate begged to die at the same time. Brigid wanted her to live another year so she could succeed her as abbess. Brigid died of natural causes on Feb. 1, 525. The bond between the women was so close that Darlughdach followed her soulmate in death exactly one year later on Feb. 1, 526.

Both Christians and pagans celebrate St. Brigid’s Day on Feb. 1. It is also known as Imbolc, a spring festival when the goddess Brigid returns as the bride of spring in a role similar to the Greek Persephone. People still celebrate her day by weaving twigs into a square “Brigid’s Cross,” an ancient solar symbol traditionally made to welcome spring.

Brigid’s main symbol was fire, representing wisdom, poetry, healing and metallurgy. The nuns at the Kildare monastery kept a perpetual fire burning in Brigid’s memory for more than a thousand years -- until 1540 when it was extinguished in Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.

The Order of St. Brigid was reestablished in 1807. Two Brigidine sisters returned to Kildare and relit the fire in the market square for the first time in more than 400 years on Feb. 1, 1993. The perpetual flame is now kept at the Solas Bhride (Brigid’s Light) Celtic Spirituality Center that they founded there. In addition, anyone may sign up to tend St. Brigid’s flame in their own homes through the Ord Brighideach Order of Flame Keepers.

Two Celtic Christian artists based in Germany collaborated on the sensuously spiritual portrait of Brigid and Darlughdach at the top of this post. On the left is Darlughdach, painted as a fiery redhead by Rowan Lewgalon, and on the right is fair-haired Brighid, painted by Tricia Danby. Lewgalon and Danby are both clerics in the Old Catholic Apostolic Church as well as spiritual artists whose work is online at tir-anam.weebly.com.

"Saints Brigid and Darlughdach of Kildare"

By Brother Robert Lentz, OFM. © 1999

trinitystores.com

Brigid and Darlughdach are shown with their arms around each other in the above icon by Brother Robert Lentz. He is a Franciscan friar and world-class iconographer known for his progressive icons. The two women are dressed in the white gowns worn by Druid priestesses and Celtic nuns. Flames burn above them and on the mandala of Christ that they carry. It is one of 40 icons featured in his book Christ in the Margins.

The icon was commissioned by the Living Circle, a Chicago-based interfaith spirituality center for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community and their friends. Four Living Circle members took the original icon to Kildare with them in 2000 for the flame-lighting ceremony at the recently excavated site of Brigid’s ancient fire temple.

Dennis O’Neill, the priest who founded the Living Circle, includes the icon and an in-depth biography of Brigid and Darlughdach in his book “Passionate Holiness: Marginalized Christian Devotions for Distinctive People.”

Brigid’s spirit of fun and hospitality is expressed in her reputation for loving beer. She made beer for the poor every Easter. In a well known poem attributed to Brigid, she envisioned heaven as a great lake of beer. Here are some of the words to St. Brigid’s Prayer, as translated and performed by Irish singer Noirin Ni Riain:

I’d sit with the men, the women of God
There by the lake of beer
We’d be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.

Riain also sings a heavenly Ode To Bridget on the video below and on her Celtic Soul album.


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Related links:

February 1st: Celebrate Brigit's Day by Diann Neu (WATER)

To read this article in Spanish, go to:
Santa Brigid y Darlughdach: Irlandés santo amaba a su alma amiga (Santos Queer)

To read this article in Italian, go to:
Il fuoco di Santa Brigida e la sua anima gemella. Due monache nell’Irlanda medioevale (gionata.org)

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Icons of Brigid and Darlughdach and many others are available on cards, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, candles, mugs, and more at Trinity Stores

This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.