The Byzantine Abbot Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022) transgressed the homophobic norms of medieval Orthodox society. His longing for God was distinctly homoerotic, and he depicted union with the divine as a queer sort of marriage. His Orthodox theology of theosis, the deification of the entire person, meant that Symeon taught the salvation of all the parts of the body. But monks also desired the eradication of lust and the punishment of those who fell prey to it. Sermons and biblical commentary defined men who had sex with men as sodomites; and saints' lives warned of the consequences of same-sex desires. Those who renounced sex redirected their desire rather than eliminating it. Symeon's queer erotics shed light on other devotions distinctive to medieval Orthodoxy, including the veneration of saints and worship with icons. Monastic Desires makes a groundbreaking contribution to the history of sexuality and the history of Christianity.

‘A magnificent achievement – this is one of the finest examples of investigative historical empathy available. It offers a game-changing social history of queerness that shatters multiple contemporary expectations, and a revelatory interpretation of the medieval evidence.'

Leonora Neville - John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Chair of Byzantine History and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison

‘Derek Krueger's carefully nuanced and deeply contextualized readings shed welcome light on the erotics of Byzantine spirituality. Monastic Desires makes a persuasive case for why Symeon the New Theologian's unique voice should matter to historians of both Eastern and Western Christian monastic devotion, and to theorists of pre-modern queer identity.'

David Townsend - Professor Emeritus of Medieval Studies and English, University of Toronto

'This is a scholarly book, but for this reviewer interested in beautiful erotic analogies for divine love found in classic Christian, Sufi, and Shaivite sources, it's an important work worth bringing to your attention.' This book is not aimed at the everyday reader, but for anyone interested in delving into these matters, we recommend it. Symeon's erotic imagination is on full display, and Krueger reveals fresh approaches to understanding a wide range of Christian classics. It's also a book for those focusing on how to better embody spiritual practice, since Symeon's body is always already both an image of God and a merging with the real presence of God.''

Jon M. Sweeney Source: Spirituality and Practice

‘Let me begin by saying that this is a marvellous book. It centers on the divine erotics of Symeon the New Theologian, but also discusses the homophobia of George the Monk, the obsession with gay sex in tenth-century hagiography and the confessions of a ‘sodomite’ in the Life of Nephon, as well as the seriously understudied ascetic chapters of Niketas Stethatos, Symeon’s self-declared pupil and biographer. As convincingly argued and exemplified by Krueger, a sense of queerness pervaded monastic experience and tinged monastic discourse despite the strictures on gay sex. … Read this book!’

Marc D. Lauxtermann Source: The Byzantine Review