Sexual Practices and the Medieval Church

"Sexual Practices and the Medieval Church" analyses the Christian assumptions about sexuality, chronicles the early institutionalisation of these assumptions, and explores the theological debate of the meaning of marriage and the role of sex in marriage. The theological conception of sex, including issues such as rape, seduction, impotence, and prostitution, is then examined as it came to be developed by canon lawyers and justified by medical and scientific writers. The book concludes with an overview of late medieval sex practices as seen in the literature of the period and in demographic studies.Professor Vern Bullough, the well-known researcher in human sexuality, and Professor James Brundage, a historian of the Medieval period, have combined their scholarly talents to develop an in-depth analysis of sexual attitudes and practices during the Middle Ages. Skilfully blending readability and scholarly thoroughness, this is a volume general readers as well as professionals recognise as a major contribution to the study of medieval sexuality.

Vern L. Bullough, Ph.D., D.Sci., R.N., the author or editor of over fifty books and an internationally recognized sexologist, was the founding director of The Center for Sex Research at California State University, Northridge (CSUN); professor emeritus of the History Department at CSUN; and formally dean of social and behavioral sciences and a distinguished professor at the State University of New York College at Buffalo. After retiring, he served as a visiting professor at the University of Southern California from 1993 to 2003