Chapter 4 Religious conflict, radicalism, and sexual exceptionalism in the rhetoric of John Chrysostom

• Main Author: Wet, Chris L. de (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2018
• Subjects: Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Religious conflict in the ancient world|Religious persecution in the ancient world|Religious conflict in late antiquity|Religious persecution in late antiquity|Religious violence in late antiquity|Religious violence in the ancient world|Iconoclasm in the ancient world|Iconoclasm in the late antiquity|The Funerary Speech for John Chrysostom|John of Ephesus's Church History|Disability and early christianity|Deformity and early christianity|Religious persecution and early christianity|Religious violence and early christianity|Religious conflict and early christianity|pseudo-Clementine Homilies|Religious Violence in Late Antique Egypt|destruction of the Serapeum at Alexandria|Abbot Shenoute|Closure of temple of Isis Philae|Panopolis|Cologne Mani Codex|Manichaean Kephalaia|Gnostic-Manichaean Christianity|Hagiasma of Chonai|Jan Bremmer|Pieter J. J. Botha|Chris L. de Wet|Christine Shepardson|Alan H. Cadwallader|Christoph Stenschke|Maijastina Kahlos|Jitse H. F. Dijkstra|Peter Van Nuffelen|Elizabeth DePalma Digeser|Gerhard van den Heever
• Online Access: OAPEN Library: download the publication; OAPEN Library: description of the publication

Relying on the works of Jasbir Puar and Marchal, the chapter explores the locus where sexuality, specifically the formation of masculinity, intersects with religious conflict, notably in the formation of late antique religious radicalism, using the homilies of John Chrysostom as a case in point. In a study engaging with religious conflict and notions of "just peace" in Augustine's thought, Serena Sharma highlights the importance of identifying, problematising, and addressing historical discursive grey zones. Inclusion is a very important feature in the operations of sexual exceptionalism and religious conflict. Two important strategies are at play in the sexual exceptionalism of religious conflict, namely inclusion, and teratogenisation. Chrysostom meticulously constructs the sexual perversity of his opponents in contrast to the sexual exceptionalism of his own group. The formation of masculinity in terms of sexual exceptionalism and perversity therefore has a leading role in religious conflict.