Same-Sex Union Ceremonies
From "Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe," by John Boswell,
Appendix of Translations.
3. Grottaferrata Gamma Beta VII [tenth century] [Greek]
Office of Same-Sex Union
Prayer for union
O Lord our God, who made humankind in thine image and likeness and
gave it power of all flesh everlasting, and who now hast approved
thy saints and apostles Philip and Bartholomew becoming partners,
not bound together by nature, but in the unity of holy spirit and in
the the mode of faith, thou who didst consider thy saints and
martyrs Serge an Bacchus worthy to be united, bless thy servants, N.
and N., [...and grant them] to love each other and to remain unhated
and without scandal all the days of their lives [...].
A further prayer for union
Splendid to us and much sought after is the sweet smell of love,
established in the time of the patriarchs, guided by the voices of
the prophets, and sanctified by the preaching of the apostles:
because of all beautiful things of the earth love is the most
excellent. [...]
It is through love that we glorify God, [...] who has gathered us
together from different places to come and see the treasury of love,
which all the saints have desired and embraced as an unfading crown,
and brought to God as a worthy gift. Yearning for this love Abel
brought to God the firstborn of his lambs; yearning for this love
Enoch the scribe pleased God with his justice; love strengthened the
faith of Abraham so that he could prepare a welcome for the angels;
[...] love rescued Daniel from the lion's den; love caused Elijah to
be taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire; and love saved Elishah
on the mountain. Yearning for this love the three holy children
were preserved from the fire in the furnace and offered a hymn of
praise to God. And it is through love that we all come to know Thee
as God of all; servants the master, the mortal the immortal, those
in time the eternal, those on earth the celestial. [...] Thou hast
said, Lord, "Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened onto you. [...]"
We, therefore, kind Lord, mindful of the holy commands of thine
awesome and glorious covenant, knock on earth: open to us in heaven.
[...] For where there is love hatred does not rule, demons have no
power, there is not sin. For there are these three things--faith,
hope, and the greatest of all, love.
Wonderful and much longed for is the sweet smell of love. On earth,
it sows the seeds of piety and in heaven it gathers the sheaves of
justice.
4. Grottaferrata Gamma Beta II [eleventh centry] [Greek]
Office of Same-Sex Union
Forasmuch as Thou, O Lord and Ruler, art merciful and loving, who
didst establish humankind after thine image and likeness, who didst
deem it meet that thy holy apostles Philip and Bartholomew be
united, bound one unto the other not by nature buy by faith and the
spirit. As thou didst find thy holy martyrs Serve and Bacchus worthy
to be united together, bless also these thy servants, N. and N.,
joined together not by the bond of nature but by faith and in the
mode of the spirit, granting unto them peace and love and oneness of
mind. [...]
Another Prayer for Same-Sex Union
O Lord Our God, who didst grant unto us all those things necessary
for salvation and didst bid us to love one another and forgive each
other our failings, bless and consecrate, kind Lord and lover of
good, these thy servants who love each other with a love of the
spirit and have come into this thy holy church to be blessed and
consecrated. Grant unto them unashamed fidelity and sincere love,
as Thou didst vouchsafe unto thy holy disciples and apostles thy
peace and love, bestow also on these [servants], O Christ our
God, affording to them all those things needed for salvation and
life eternal. For Thou art the light and the truth and thine is the
glory.
Ecclesiastical Canon of Marriage of the Patriarch Methodius
O Lord our God, the designer of love and author of peace and
disposer of thine own providence, who didst make two into one and
hast given us one to another, who has [seen fit] to bless all things
pure and timeless, send Thou now down from heaven thy right hand
full of grace and lovingkindness over these thy servants who have
come before Thee and given their right hands as a lawful token of
union and the bond of marriage. Sanctify and fill them with thy
mercies. And wrapping the pair in every grace and in divine and
spiritual radiance, gladden them in the expectations of thy mercies.
Perfect their union by bestowing upon them peace and love and
harmony, and deem them worthy of the imposition and consecration of
the crowns, through the prayers of her that conceived Thee in power
and truth, and those of all thy saints, now and forever.
14. Instanbul: Holy Sepulcher 615 [1522] [Greek]
O Lord our God, who didst grant us all things for
salvation, and didst command us to love one another and to forgive
one other our failings, do Thou now, Ruler, Lord, lover of good and
of humankind, these thy servants N. and N., who love each
other with a love of the spirit and have come into thy holy church
to be blessed by Thee. Grant them unashamed fidelity, true love,
and as Thou gavest to thy holy disciples and apostles thy peace and
love, grant also to these, Christ our Lord, bestowing on them
all things needed for salvation and eternal life.
O Lord our God and Ruler, who madest heaven and earth, and who didst
establish and fashion humankind in thine image and likeness, who
didst deign to grant unto them authority over life eternal, who
didst approve it when thy holy disciples and apostles Philip and
Bartholomew were joined together, not by nature but by faith, who
didst sanctify the union of thy holy martyrs, Serge and Bacchus,
bless these thy servants, N. and N., not bound by nature but [a holy
spirit and] by faith. Vouchsafe unto them that they may love one
other and unhated and blameless, so that all the days of
their lives they may glorify thy holy name [...].
15. Belgrade [date uncertain; before the eighteeneth century]
[Serbian Slavonic]
Lord God almighty, who didst fashion humankind after thine image and
likeness and bestow upon us eternal life, Thou thoughtest it right
that thy holy and glorious apostles [...] Philip and Bartholomew,
should be joined together in perfect love, faith and love of the
heart. Thou also didst deem it proper for the holy martyrs Serge and
Bacchus to be united. Bless though these thy servants. Grant unto
them grace and prosperity, and faith and love; let them love each
other without envy and without temptation all the days of their
lives [...].
[...] Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity.
[...] We pray further for these servants, N. and N., for their life,
their health, their salvation and forgiveness of their sins. May
they continue in union without blame and without temptation. Let us
all say: Lord have mercy.