Adelphopoiesis

Adelphopoiesis, or "adelphopoiia" from the Greek αδελφοποίησις < αδελφός (adelfos) "brother" and ποιώ (poio) "make", literally "brother-making" is ceremony practiced at one time by various Christian churches to unite together two people of the same sex (normally men). It is documented by the historian John Boswell in his book Same-sex unions in pre-modern Europe, also published as The marriage of likeness. The ceremony was mainly practised by the Eastern Orthodox church - Boswell gives text and translation for a number of versions of this ceremony in Greek, and translation only for a number of Slavonic versions.

Related Topics:
Greek - Christian - John Boswell - Eastern Orthodox - Slavonic

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The purpose of the adelphopoiesis ceremonies is controversial. Boswell maintained that they were celebrating romantic, indeed sexual unions between two men, and thus a forerunner of gay marriage. Others such as Brent Shaw have maintained that they more more akin to "blood-brotherhood" and had no sexual content.

Related Topics:
Gay marriage - Brent Shaw

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Boswell comments on the lack of any equivalent in the Catholic church. However the British historian Alan Bray in his book The Friend, gives a Latin text and translation of a similar Roman Catholic rite from Croatia, entitled Ordo ad fratres faciendum, literally "Order for the making of brothers".

Related Topics:
Catholic - Alan Bray - Croatia

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For those who have questions about this, I would suggest that they look up what the Orthodox Churches have to say about it. http://www.eskimo.com/~nickz/qrd-eastern_orthodox/adelphopoiia.some-responses

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http://www.melkite.org/Questions/M-4.htm

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as well as speaking to an Orthodox preist. There you will find that this rite was used in many ways, to include between leaders of nations to make a permanent pact, as well as between religious brothers. This was a replacement for "blood brotherhood" which was forbidden by the church at the time.

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