Description:
The Manly Priest examines the clerical celibacy movement in medieval England and Normandy, which produced a new model of religious masculinity for the priesthood and resulted in social tension and conflict as traditional norms of masculine behavior were radically altered for this group of men.
Review Quotes: ""The Manly Priest accomplishes what it sets out to do admirably. It simultaneously traces the gradual progress of clerical reform in a region with rich documentation and adds a theoretical perspective concerning masculinity that deepens our understanding of the dynamics of reform, and as such it will be of interest to scholars of both subjects. For non-medievalists interested in the study of religion it represents a significant contribution to the study of the body and constructions of gender in religious thought; for medievalists it advances our understanding of a critical period in the formation of the Western Church.""-- "Journal of Religion"