{"id":1629,"date":"2025-06-05T17:21:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T17:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/?p=1629"},"modified":"2025-12-04T17:40:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:40:24","slug":"pelagius-the-transgender-saint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/pelagius-the-transgender-saint\/","title":{"rendered":"Pelagius, the Transgender Saint"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Transgender Saints: Saint Pelagius (Saint Pelagia the Harlot) | Ancient Transgender History\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Qek-mFj6wiA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4a88e3d7b37de2a88cc8386dceaf07f6\"><strong>Hi, I\u2019m Sophie, and I\u2019m sorry.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1aa426f57b91b4fc8bb7c2a346acb8e1\">When it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/ancient-transgender-history\/\">ancient transgender history<\/a>, it\u2019s fun to hear about religious cults or mythological figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5cd5c084cbc7816a5856e96bae234b4d\">But I think it can be difficult to see ourselves in those topics sometimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fad89adcd7461680649cad731cc141da\">It\u2019s fascinating, to be sure, but I think to some it\u2019s a little too academic, a little too detached. Don\u2019t think I\u2019m through making videos on those topics, but I can\u2019t let myself get too lost in tangents, no matter how much I may want to.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2ca4f966b2a1672f3ae97fb513e9f439\">I\u2019ve doted too much on the others lately, and I\u2019ve neglected you, my rugged individuals. Don\u2019t worry though, mommy\u2019s here for you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e500ef0a51a69dc31f0a3b7fb9740217\">Today, we\u2019re talking about Christianity \u2013 and I promise, this time we\u2019re not getting into castration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4c8d0f24b0cbc18502bc6f6566430c58\">Mostly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7e949ebdfcd5da8c7c7558e09bea9377\">We\u2019ve already talked about early Christianity and some of the gender happening there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-eb7cffe7d248c3ece668578aa1f3f8d1\">But transgender history in the Christian tradition extends further than cutting off your \u2013 damn it I said we weren\u2019t getting into that!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1ec928bcfc6ae2a3084c4c9c1117f64a\"><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/gender-transgression-in-early-christianity\/\">Gender Transgression in Early Christianity<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b2c2c5330a1a0c1fd283d25118ff1917\"><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/eunuchs-in-the-roman-world-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know\/\">Eunuchs in the Roman World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-90de14910672a4999166965562a527c9\">No, today we\u2019re talking about Saint Pelagia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-19bac7e52da64b9a322bf07723ccfbc9\">No, not Saint Pelagia of Tarsus, We\u2019re talking about Saint Pelagia of Antioch. No, not Saint Pelagia of Antioch, we\u2019re talking about Saint Pelagia of Antioch! (Herbermann, 601-602)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6bfb621e07fb0c5bdf0416bce78c7a13\">Anyone having Mithradates flashbacks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9e0993e6ae216ce092a3ee8fe8cf17bf\"><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/hypsikrates-the-transgender-spouse-of-mithradates\/\">Hypsikrates, the Transgender Spouse of Mithradates<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-03016839bbf7516a265723b0c6439a94\">Saint Pelagia the Harlot of Antioch transcended the boundaries of gender in his society, and lived as a man for the later years of his life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-81c9f544136cfee835eb0c3dd66945d1\">From here on out, I\u2019ll be referring to him generally as Pelagius, the name he took for himself. But there are already a lot of early Christian figures named Pelagius. In fact, there are seven Saints Pelagius aside from our boy, including two popes (Catholic.org).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-cd3d5e786449844f2e8f8d35218aaa0b\">But there are fewer Saints Pelagia, and that\u2019s how the church recognizes him, so that\u2019s why I used Pelagia in the title here \u2013 to make things easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e98ca23adef31eb36d2b5d8727e5d03b\">It\u2019s SEO, right?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ce529d71f5f199bed850b6f161009529\">My apologies, Pelagius. I hope you can forgive me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-672ab28682e00df25908bdd85c95d7c3\">Anyway, today we\u2019re going to spend some time with Pelagius. We\u2019ll start with some background knowledge about the spiritual tradition of which he was a part \u2013 the Desert Fathers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c0432d813e9a98a68ae22df3499b0bc0\">From there, we\u2019ll dig into the beats of his life, as best we understand it. Then, we\u2019ll analyze the story, address some questions that come up, and take a look at what it can mean to us, as modern readers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-039473d66914bff528e1f031874e493b\">As we explore this topic, I\u2019ll do my best to maintain respect for the subject matter. My intention is not to denigrate anybody\u2019s faith, or lack thereof. Leftist YouTube has plenty of smug condescension, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s terribly helpful, in any capacity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-69128134555b38a856363fd04a44f88b\">But historically, theologians haven\u2019t paid much interest in the study of saints. That\u2019s changed in more recent years, but the lives of many saints haven\u2019t been explored as much as they could be (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 343). So there\u2019s not a whole lot of writing out there on Pelagius, which made this video a bit more of a challenge than usual. But what we have is pretty interesting, I think \u2013 I hope you\u2019ll agree.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7648a505d382961e1e5cf4a814c09af5\">Now, in the ancient world, prayer bestowed favour upon its subjects. Prayer is still a powerful tool in the modern world as well, but we have another tool today to appease one of the closest things to a god humanity has ever created \u2013 the algorithm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-031d81c8f1dbd5368a0904c38b94e812\">Bestow your likes, your comments, your subscribes below. If you believe, as I do, that trans people deserve to understand our history, those simple acts go a long way toward making that happen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5fb19db6bc0b9b068638375a5313c962\">You can also support the channel on Patreon, where you\u2019ll get early access to videos, your name in the credits, access to our private Discord server, a free ebook copy of my novel, The Bottom Line, and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Support The Channel On Patreon<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0e536cd212c2ccc224d27fc37a51fc39\">In fact, you can get into heaven sooner if you do that. It\u2019s true! And the more you tithe to Patreon, the more fasterer you\u2019ll get into heaven. Yeah, it\u2019s a great way to&#8211;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-be5b6b87fa361581c60d11583ca318e0\">*bang, bang, bang*<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2716137d27c060f18594d810b097d470\">Oh lord, Martin Luther, is that you again?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"wp-block-stackable-table-of-contents stk-block-table-of-contents stk-block stk-255b12d\" data-block-id=\"255b12d\"><p class=\"stk-table-of-contents__title\">Table of Contents<\/p><ul class=\"stk-table-of-contents__table\"><li><a href=\"#chapter-i-the-desert-fathers\">Chapter I: The Desert Fathers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#chapter-ii-the-legend-of-pelagius\">Chapter II: The Legend Of Pelagius<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#chapter-iii-how-accurate-is-this-story\">Chapter III: How Accurate Is This Story?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#chapter-iv-what-can-we-take-from-this\">Chapter IV: What Can We Take From This?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#ancient-sources-cited\">Ancient Sources Cited:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#modern-sources-cited\">Modern Sources Cited:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"chapter-i-the-desert-fathers\"><strong>Chapter I: The Desert Fathers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-86e99e6dcd5ced2025d888483110850d\">Historical tales are wonderful in their own right, of course, but nobody lives in a vacuum.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4cdf5facf1ce722e3d8d2946a89f1126\">Except maybe the guy who lives here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"811\" height=\"606\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sbedwards.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a-vacuum.png?fit=811%2C606&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A VACUUM STORE AND SERVICE\" class=\"wp-image-1631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a-vacuum.png?w=811&amp;ssl=1 811w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a-vacuum.png?resize=300%2C224&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a-vacuum.png?resize=768%2C574&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 811px) 100vw, 811px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5d64f83d14d0f5f20b1e67e39eda15a8\">This video is sponsored by A Vacuum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b90d05a2f88c435065fa49371e7881d7\">Even hermits, which we\u2019ll be exploring in this section, are a product of the society in which they lived, and from which left.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5d5fb78c103fe7b2db83791552de1620\">So, to properly understand Pelagius, we need to understand the cultural context in which he lived, and the cultural tradition of which he was a part. That means we need to understand the Desert Fathers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2d943934f94694b4553ae0bce8dd9eb0\">What we call the Desert Fathers was a loose group of fiercely devoted Christians who left their societies to live lives of extreme poverty and self denial.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e67e7ff47c8a03c19530dd18c8f4e381\">The original Desert Father is considered to be Paul of Thebes (St. Jerome, 29-30) &#8211; the Egyptian Thebes, not the Greek Thebes, it\u2019s confusing I know. Thebes was originally called Wo\u2019se by the native Egyptians, but it became Thebes when it fell under the rule of the Ptolemies, one of Alexander the Great\u2019s generals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-de2ae3272babf62eef90e687f019ff57\">I guess it\u2019s kind of like Mumbai being called Bombay, huh? The colonizers didn\u2019t like the way it was originally pronounced, so they changed it to match their own sensibilities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ac8b689fcbd1a543abf9520f6f96ebeb\">Anyway, Paul of Wo\u2019se\u2019s story starts during the reign of the emperors Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 CE, and Valerian, from 253 to 260 (St. Jerome, 30). For reference, Elagabalus ruled from 218 to 222 CE, so shortly after that. Persecution of Christians was particularly intense during Valerian\u2019s and Decius\u2019 reigns. In fact, Decius was the first emperor to persecute Christians at an organized, consistent, state wide level (Britannica).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b490c94374a6e0265972abe03c9fd4ac\">Now, many early Christians saw it as a great honour to die by the sword in the name of Christ. But persecution of Christians wasn\u2019t just a matter of killing. St. Jerome tells us there was also widespread torture of Christians. It wasn\u2019t enough to kill them \u2013 the Roman authorities wanted to break the souls of their victims first. Of course, plenty of them would end up dying in the process, including the pope himself, Pope Fabian (Britannica, St. Jerome, 31).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3dde0824a079f4d1b974944df15e7402\">This is the environment in which Paul, a good Christian boy, was raised.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ab4d0a98d42d38df943d3ead2bae6a3f\">But these two emperors got what they deserved in the end. The writer Aurelius Victor tells us Decius was betrayed and killed while on campaign near the Danube after ruling for just a couple of years (Aur. Vict. <em>Caes. <\/em>29), and Valerian was actually captured after a disastrous battle with the Persians (Aur. Vict. <em>Caes. 32<\/em>). He died after six years in captivity, during which time the Persian king used him as a footstool. Brutal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b59ed2b7fa08706ca1c653d0bcebdd37\">Paul\u2019s parents died when he was still quite young, so he lived with his sister and her husband. But his parents were rich, so he inherited quite a bit of money. His brother in law coveted Paul\u2019s wealth, so he decided to turn Paul over to the Roman authorities. His sister begged her husband not to, but to no avail. Paul figured out what was going on, so he fled the city \u2013 which, by the way, is now the modern Egyptian city of Luxor &#8211; into the mountains to escape (St. Jerome, 30-31).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d467aebb42b01ac0c6c612940bd56bed\">There, he found an old mine and a counterfeiting operation, both abandoned, from the time of Antony and Cleopatra. And there he stayed, for the rest of his life, in pious solitude. He lived a long time out there as well, to the ripe old age of a hundred and thirteen. Talk about commitment to a bit (St. Jerome, 31-32).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-93baa785b66f66085821772735f0c8a9\">So, Paul is considered the OG Sand Papa, but the most well known was another guy, Saint Anthony. Saint Jerome talks about him a bit, but our main source for his life comes from another saint, Athanasius.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-05b555191c3a182e81c1f9417b7f26b9\">Anthony\u2019s life has some similarities to Paul\u2019s \u2013 he was also from Egypt, and from a wealthy family. His parents, being Christians, brought him up in the church, and he spent a lot of time in quiet meditation from a young age. When his parents died, at age 18 or 20, he was left to care for his younger sister.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f5a51a6dec43a85da325c49f11c1fb88\">One day, while at church, Anthony heard the gospel being read. In particular, he heard a passage from the Book of Matthew, chapter 19, which says, quote:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-31801a36b9f382425f88fc5ea755fc39\">Jesus said to him, \u2018If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2c15a178e11771eb09f4c4ec9358fc1c\">&#8211; The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew 19:21, NRSV<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7ba89307e72a86336bd726a2b04fc90c\">All Biblical passages will be from the 2021 New Revised Standard Version, by the way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-86e92a5957a8993e6d1627b4d08c6581\">Saint Athanasius only mentions that passage, but right after it is even more of a banger which you might be familiar with, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-65f7e5c1ed69749904636fa326072af9\">When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, \u2018Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a9640f02b00450d48dfbe4d034c9db83\">&#8211; The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew 19:21-24, NRSV<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ac59b970f97333e043e6b62af3950498\">Matthew 19 is full of fantastic lines. In fact, that\u2019s where the bit about transcending your gender being something that brings you closer to heaven comes from, if you saw the last video we looked at on gender in early Christianity. It\u2019s my favourite part of the Bible. Top shelf stuff.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-905884e6cb05ca2aa7e8966379207c1b\">So, it\u2019s nearly impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. And yet, certain rich people these days cloak themselves in the garb of religion to further their own lust for power and control. It makes me wonder if a certain one of these wealthy individuals isn\u2019t actually the Antichrist&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8c4d3713a3d3bda6c689e8210203c2fe\">But I digress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-477952c28e43c217d1afe785c91dabe1\">After hearing this passage, Anthony was so moved that he sold all his possessions he could, and gave them to the needy in his town. He set up a trust for his sister, and sent her to a convent of nuns to be cared for. Then, he sought out various hermetic monks, learning their ways, and became a hermit himself, though he did return here and there to teach others about Christianity (Athanasius, 2-6).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3578fc19920d43163c0600a70d8e9d80\">Paul and Anthony lived around the same time, and at 90 years old Anthony had a dream that told him Paul was a better hermit than he was, so he should go find him. He wandered off in search of Paul, and faced all sorts of supernatural temptations along the way (St. Jerome, 32-35). There\u2019s some fantastic art about his journey, which is a lot of fun.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1eea3fbc604c46cd8b5e177a7ac3a8ed\">Anyway, Anthony and Paul are the two most well known of the Parched Patriarchs, but there were plenty more of them, and not all of them were men either. It also wasn\u2019t really an official group \u2013 there were no monthly meetings or membership dues. That\u2019s kind of the point \u2013 they were hermits who lived alone in the desert.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-74052b008661f61a2c604368d79da56e\">Why?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f45cbb2590989699282f4806b3308c3f\">Sure, Paul fled into the desert to escape persecution by the state. So, it\u2019s easy to assume that\u2019s what this was \u2013 an exercise in desperation and necessity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-63aebcbb7ff2f43b7a4ba8dc84cb6c3c\">But here\u2019s the thing \u2013 the empire Paul left was pagan, but it became Christianized during his life. And he did know about it, because the emperor Constantine, who officially declared the empire to be tolerant of Christianity through the Edict of Milan in 313 CE, wrote to him asking for prayers. So, he could easily have returned, and probably would have been given great honours by the emperor if he did. But he didn\u2019t.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-369838a87d6c2bd5458489ef412e02f6\">Some of the other Sandy Sires became hermits long after Christianity became the official state religion as well. So, Christianity\u2019s legal status doesn\u2019t seem to matter for many of them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3c3f77e5a76ed79301da1ba165627a13\">So, it\u2019s not just the persecution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-41dc97894b89bb546e9adb1f4efa24da\">It\u2019s also not because the Desiccated Dads were, like, antisocial weirdos or something. It\u2019s tempting to think of them that way too, and perhaps some of them were, but that wasn\u2019t the primary guiding force behind their devotion. In fact, the Hot Pa\u2019s shared wisdom with each other quite a bit (Merton, 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2b49de4b53e2b088d39640c6174bc433\">One common thread I find particularly interesting is how skeptical many of them seemed of the idea of a Christian state in the first place (Merton, 4). Separation of church and state has become an ideal in the modern world we strive, and often fail, to live up to. But it\u2019s more than just a philosophy to create a more just society. It\u2019s a necessity. To be a good Christian, according to the Dune Daddies, is to live a life of poverty and humility. And it\u2019s not possible to be that while also being powerful. So in a way, we might look at the Sahara Se\u00f1ors as almost proto-anarchists \u2013 they seemed to have a deep mistrust of the state. Which, mood.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f2daef72b793cf5ad80af4239ba27ed5\">Instead, the path to get closer to God, to spiritual enlightenment, was asceticism. This is the idea of abstaining entirely from worldly pleasures. When the Solitary Sires deprived themselves physically, they could develop a greater inner, spiritual life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ee0220967da9710a8483e254067b60d0\">The lives and wisdom of the Perspiring Progenitors \u2013 look, I know we\u2019re getting diminishing returns on these here &#8211; are passed to us through a number of different collections. We\u2019ll be drawing from many of them, but the main one we\u2019re looking at today is called the Vitae Patrum, or, Lives of the Fathers. It includes a number of different writers, including Jacob The Deacon, who\u2019s also sometimes called James. A deacon is an ordained member of the church, a rank below priest. It comes from the Greek word \u03b4\u03b9\u03ac\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 (di\u00e1konos) which means servant, or messenger. They were sort of assistants to the priest, a role they still serve today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0dfff16626541a90fa2e2feae04142fd\">Jacob the Deacon\u2019s writings are how we know the story of Saint Pelagius. He originally wrote it in Greek, but the version we have is a Latin translation, by someone named Eustochius. We don&#8217;t know anything about either of them, unfortunately, other than what we can draw from the text itself (Waddell, 174).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e667b2d6501c76b711fb38f9fc4f0673\">But Nonnus, a character in the story we\u2019ll explore momentarily, <em>is<\/em> mentioned in a few ecclesiastical documents. Based on that, we believe Jacob the Deacon&#8217;s story takes place in the 5th century CE &#8211; the mid 400&#8217;s (Waddell, 174-175). For those following along at home, the Roman Empire permanently split in half in the year 395 CE. After that point, there were two Empires Roman, who existed as independent states. Around the time this story was written, the Western Empire didn\u2019t have much life left in it &#8211; it would fall by the year 476 or 480 CE, depending on who you ask.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5d6d47e2fa6e4b0f4a9b5b958824ceb3\">After that point, it&#8217;s considered to be the end of antiquity, and the beginning of the medieval era, so this story just barely squeaks through as a topic that interests me enough to cover.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-879d7f6285ba1ec560d60c3690e2411e\">The story of Pelagius is going to be fairly quote heavy as well, since Jacob gives us a bunch of words he attributes to Pelagius. I doubt they\u2019re anywhere near his actual words, but in case they are I think they\u2019re worth preserving and presenting here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fc49e002dca082a97c48e40265359cba\">I&#8217;ll also be preserving the gender of Pelagius as described at the time within the quotes we&#8217;re looking at. Apologies in advance to my trans masc viewers, but the life of Pelagius is actually pretty well laid out in Jacob&#8217;s writing, and the story doesn&#8217;t really make sense if I change pronouns. Outside of the quotes, I\u2019ll be using mostly they\/them. I know this is far from ideal, and it\u2019s not my intention to disrespect anybody\u2019s identity, but the story doesn\u2019t really make sense or have the same readability otherwise. I hope this will become clear as we get further into it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-20448f4e5f174af88bc8ec712b33dbd8\">Without further ado&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"chapter-ii-the-legend-of-pelagius\"><strong>Chapter II: The Legend Of Pelagius<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b2ec52d6d84ce1b94b69551ce7c7cfbf\">Jacob the Deacon&#8217;s story begins when the Bishop of Antioch calls all the other bishops in the area to confer with him. There\u2019s very little left of Antioch today, but it was in modern day southern Turkey, pretty close to its border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-27158b5ad215a25bdb47bc8c2e69033c\">Jacob is from Edessa, also in modern day southern Turkey, about 300 kilometres northeast of Antioch. Today it\u2019s called Sanliurfa, and it\u2019s close to the site of G\u00f6bekli Tepe, one of the oldest known megaliths built by humans. In fact, it\u2019s about 6000 years older than Stonehenge. Very cool, worth checking out, not the point of this video (Curry).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a6b1072f8179d96e487a7fc11808f0aa\">Jacob accompanies his bishop, Nonnus, to the conference. And friends, Jacob is absolutely a Nonnus fanboy. He describes his bishop as &#8220;that saintly man of god, my own bishop, Nonnus, a man marvellous great and a mighty monk of the monastery&#8221; (177). This guy loves his bishop. Good for him, I\u2019m glad he got to spend so much time with someone he admired. We should all be so lucky.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a9cd353fa5d7274f0156fea4116ed4af\">Together, they stayed in the basilica of the Blessed Julian the Martyr, but I imagine they didn&#8217;t just, like, sleep on the church pews or something. I guess they had some lodgings as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c4b1e53834494d08cc095892f256190c\">As they all conferred, they saw a group of actors and dancers pass by on the street of Antioch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-cc918101fe9a4dfddea0ca411315173a\">And leading the pack was Pelagius.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d405e6bd43b5460a87614d97c4475692\">Jacob describes the scene, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-274c2fb42439f40b1d766074e75cfbb6\">First of the dancers was she, and riding on an ass: and with all fantastic graces did she ride, so decked that naught could be seen upon her but gold and pearls and precious stones: the very nakedness of her feet was hidden under gold and pearls: and with her was a splendid train of young men and maidens clad in robes of price, with torques of gold about their necks. Some went before, and some came after her: but of the beauty and the loveliness of her there could be no wearying for a world of men. Passing through our midst, she filled the air with the fragrance of musk and of all scents that are sweetest. (178)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-250b506884392bb8b13d68b9a4e36b93\">After they all saw this, the various attendees turned away in disgust, despite the fact that based on the description a moment ago, Jacob was clearly into it. I picture them doing that &#8220;good Victorian lady&#8221; thing, all fainting dramatically.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c7b75dd16d743f658ea3ba81bdb44e63\">All of them, that is, except for Nonnus. He asked the rest of them if the sight of such great beauty delighted them, because he definitely enjoyed it. And I mean, he really enjoyed it. He spends a long paragraph going into detail about their beauty, their bathing habits, what happens when they take lovers, on and on and on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f33309b4de31e2ea865a6dda4f31d114\">But he also admonishes himself, and the rest of the bishops, for not being as devoted to making their souls beautiful for God as this prostitute was in making their body beautiful for clients.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-68bc8ed04bcaa13dae78a082c77b2cc1\">Then he goes to bed, cursing himself for being so horny.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8731c0797c1bc19e3d36385210aed248\">The next day, Nonnus gave a sermon at the church. Apparently it was a pretty good one, too, since Jacob says, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-da489459269f9f66c722c25062d1e608\">So stirred were all the people by the words with the Holy Ghost spake through him that the pavement of the church was wet with their tears. (181)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5a117ede07546528ab526179e17c8f34\">Pelagius happened to be there as well, who was equally moved. Jacob describes their revelation in an equally moving way, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5c407b11bf8435f1ef232c617dc25e2f\">For a marvel, she to whom never had come a thought of her sins and who never had been inside a church door was suddenly stricken with the fear of God, as the good Nonnus reasoned with the people: and despairing of herself she fell to sorrowing, her tears falling in streams, and she in no way able to check her weeping. (181).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ead42498c44b1f8cd1b5a42fe06fec30\">I&#8217;ve spoken to people who&#8217;ve had deeply spiritual, religious experiences before, and they described it with a similar level of profundity, though not necessarily with the despair and sorrow. Personally, the closest I&#8217;ve ever come to a religious experience is while listening to some of my favourite records.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5912066bf25a0631af434609151678ac\">Judas Priest&#8217;s Unleashed in the East, Booker T &amp; the MG&#8217;s&#8217; Melting Pot, Frank Ocean\u2019s Channel Orange, Darkthrone\u2019s The Underground Resistance, and a few choice others. So I do get it, in a bit of a different way &#8211; the idea that what you\u2019re experiencing will fundamentally change you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4d2843f9f1cc7914a97892ff9240e532\">Anyway, this was clearly a big deal for Pelagius. They told two of their slaves to wait outside the church, find out where Nonnus was staying, and then report back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a7114896ab6380e3ffe3ac02a47c23d9\">Once they did, Pelagius sent Nonnus a letter, which said, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d6b4ab754919a49d36aca3d9f01ead4d\">To Christ&#8217;s holy disciple, the devil&#8217;s disciple, and woman that is a sinner. I have heard of thy God, that He bowed the heavens, and came down to Earth, not for the good men&#8217;s sake, but that He might save sinners, and that He was so humble that He drew near to publicans, and He on whom the Cherubim dare not look kept company with sinners. And thou my lord, who art a great saint, although thou hast not looked with the eyes of the flesh on the Lord Christ Himself, who showed himself that Samaritan woman, and her a harlot, at the well, yet art thou a worshipper of Him, for I have heard the talk of the Christians. If indeed thou art a true disciple of this Christ, spurn me not, desiring through thee to see the Saviour, that through thee I may come at the sight of His holy face. (181-182)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5190c481bf077402dc8ac40becf953e6\">I\u2019m not sure how accurately Pelagius\u2019 letter is reproduced here, even if we take into account the fact that it\u2019s a translation of a translation. But if Pelagius was, as they say, a prostitute and an actor, they probably weren\u2019t this eloquent with their words. They wouldn\u2019t have needed to be.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-896bc6ab2e6527da1940be4462701fc3\">Nonnus wrote back, essentially saying Pelagius was far too beautiful and tempting for the two to meet alone, so they could come talk to him with all the other bishops present as well. And yes, I\u2019m serious, it&#8217;s a little silly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b0e81cecdbb265f3631339bc47030958\">Anyway, Pelagius showed up, fell to Nonnus&#8217; feet, and begged to be baptized. Nonnus was reluctant to, though. After all, Pelagius was a prostitute, and what guarantee did he have that they wouldn&#8217;t just return to their old ways?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ac53c55d8e59982d1273981b63c59e54\">That&#8217;s when Pelagius shows us they really were deserving of baptism by delivering one of the most devastating displays of Catholic guilt I\u2019ve ever seen, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c7971a6bead9b181fdc0944b9757f099\">Thou shalt answer to God for my soul and on thee shall I charge all the evil of my deeds, if thou dost delay to baptise me in my foul sin. No portion mayst thou find in God&#8217;s house among the saints, if thou makest me not a stranger to my sin. Mayst thou deny God and worship idols, if thou dost not this day have me born again, bride to Christ, and offer me to God. (183)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c6b3ef249d96c20238ec54a1349be9bb\">Damn. I\u2019m feeling guilty by proxy here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3673963bb53d0a1f84d1a1cd2cc3516c\">Anyway, they decided Pelagius deserved to be baptized, so they fetched a deaconess to take care of it. The deaconess asked Pelagius to confess their sins, and they responded with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c055d3d28fe9bd7a3e0dfbbb3877720c\">If I were to search my whole heart I could find in myself no good thing. I know my sins, that they are heavier than the sands of the sea: the waters of it are too scant for the mass of my sin. But I trust in thy God that He will loosen the load of my wrongdoing, and will look upon me. (183)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1c06294e719e2026a3e874945afd4796\">Pelagius really just said \u201call of the above\u201d, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4be8cc1086e5f4c4f86a71bda1e00093\">After, Nonnus asked their name, since I guess the bishops forgot to ask. Pelagius responds, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-aff08c69b83c9eb599987325f84f74d7\">My own name was Pelagia, that my father and mother gave me: but the townsfolk of Antioch call me Margarita, because of the pearls wherewith they did jewel my sins. For I was the devil&#8217;s jewel and his armoury. (183)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-630a5fd26f2c23f3a9c68f5e569b65ce\">So why do I keep calling them Pelagius? Stay with me here, we\u2019ll get to it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-03a0f441050f26ec1c2dd336ea45e546\">So, they baptized Pelagius, and partook in holy communion together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a41b40ab555f4dbd720a7d768986adb7\">But apparently, Satan wasn&#8217;t happy about this. He showed up, shouting at them for stealing his favourite, and yes I&#8217;m still serious.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bc617d2a1e76f6d4fea71951bd6296e1\">I&#8217;m going to include this quote in here as well even though it\u2019s not from Pelagius, because it&#8217;s kind of amazing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e02d49e266f25ee8c77530cbb75f1fb4\">But as we were at our meal, there came suddenly the sound of shouting as of a man to whom violence is done. It was the devil, crying out&#8221; &#8216;Woe is me, for the things I suffer from this decrepit old man! Might not the thirty thousand Saracens have been enough for thee, that thou didst wrest from me and baptise, and offer to thy God? Might not Heliopolis have been enough for thee, that was mine and all the people in it worshipping me, and thou didst wrest it from me, and offer it to thy God? And now thou hast stolen my greatest hope, and no longer can I endure thy machinations. O the evil this accursed wretch hath wrought upon me! Cursed be the day in which thou wast born! Rivers of tears are flooding my poor house, for all hope is lost!&#8217; (184)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9b67af5df33a2f581fe19b6d5b3d5638\">I had no idea Satan was such a melodramatic drama queen, geez.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ca2b9116870596bc7d213abe714aebd2\">Anyway, Satan goes on, addressing Pelagius in particular, trying to tempt them back to his side. He even calls Pelagius &#8220;my own Judas&#8221;. Satan is clearly a Catholic too, because man, look at that guilt trip. Top shelf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dac6bbc4b59221c60f7e4b83941ad112\">After all that, though, Pelagius does the sign of the cross, and *poof*, there goes Satan.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-80edea32ea281082920c024c661573a8\">Two days later, Satan comes back, waking Pelagius up in the middle of the night, bringing some more guilt trips, and Pelagius tells him:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5a8d018b45a0bf24027b607ae6d5acc5\">My God, who snatched me from thy jaws and brought me to his heavenly couch, Himself shall fight thee for me. (185)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5e1a408dc107e144a22585fd4c2bb316\">Poof, there goes Satan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1860136fb6de7f4b206dc29b1f3d24da\">The next day, they asked one of the attendants to go to their house and make a list of anything valuable they found. Once the attendant did so, Pelagius went to Nonnus and said, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3a903c96943654f69ee12d628f508398\">These, my lord, are the riches wherewith Satan endowed me: I give them to thee to do with as thou wilt, and what seems good to thee, that do: for it is the riches of the Lord Christ that I am fain of now. (185)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-326a41bd10cec19295d04e76ce212297\">Then, Nonnus called the church treasurer, and Pelagius gave all their stuff to him, saying, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a8943686e79562ab71f02e4ca476d7a2\">I adjure thee, by the indivisible Trinity; that naught of this shall go to the episcopal treasury or to the church, but rather be allotted to the widows and orphans and the poor, so that what was gotten together by ill may be dispersed to good, and the wealth of a sinner become the treasury of righteousness. But if, in contempt of thine oath, aught of this be stolen, let a curse enter either by thee or by some other, whosoever he be, into his house, and let his portion be with those who said &#8216;Crucify him, crucify him!&#8217; (185-186)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4c77a6b55c912c01414713bfa6a19011\">Oh man, I couldn&#8217;t possibly steal from such a treasure after hearing that, could you? It would tear me apart for the rest of my life. All the riches in the world couldn\u2019t buy me enough therapy to deal with that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ee0be0ab5f003fe7f2e2ace120b54926\">When I was a lot younger, I was taking drum lessons, and stiffed the guy $20 after my last lesson. So recently, I dropped $50 in his mailbox with a letter explaining it. I don\u2019t even know if he works there anymore, but stuff like that eats me alive if I don&#8217;t take care of it, y\u2019know?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6eeca345307f0c2d5eeb9da29b9f82da\">Am I treating this episode like a confessional booth?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6fd34c0a5a43c24893efba64ead753b2\">Lord have mercy&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-601516c102689368bc92827bdc7cd22d\">Anyway, Pelagius also freed their slaves, which was a pretty cool thing to do. Then, Nonnus gave Pelagius his cloak and tunic, and they took off. The rest of the bishops and deacons and holy cats, and everyone else in Antioch for that matter, had no idea what happened to them, but Nonnus reassured them Pelagius had chosen a holy path. So, naturally, they moved on with their lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5978bbf9582edc6aa625797ded440ae0\">But a few years later, Jacob the Deacon visited Jerusalem, wanting to see the site of the resurrection of Christ. Before he went, Nonnus said to him, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dab9054aa046fb23e769cc9ffebcdd06\">I tell thee, brother deacon, when thou dost reach Jerusalem, inquire there for a certain brother Pelagius, a monk and a eunuch, who has lived these many years shut up and in solitude, if so be thou mightst visit him: for thou mightst well profit by him. (186)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-612ea98d2e12fe6fa0f7596cf0b911c3\">So, he did. He found Pelagius living in a tiny cell they\u2019d created on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, praying. Pelagius recognized James, but he didn&#8217;t recognize Pelagius.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-28202c855ff7b57c47bf50998d342b52\">After all, Pelagius was living as a man.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-675b17f3803bc7731a6712fdfbbd1b47\">Jacob describes how different Pelagius looked when the two reunited, saying he was &#8220;wasted and haggard with fasting&#8221; (187). This jives with the life of extreme asceticism Pelagius lived in his final years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-67e2f0b52c4799161410fa668b49cbd0\">The two prayed together, and James went on his way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f642cfc266d81c39e77ed47be350a068\">From there, Pelagius became famous among the holy crowd, for his piety and devotion. Everyone in Antioch seemed to know about him, so James decided to travel to Jerusalem again, to visit him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ee420b7f5180c31a3f986647f47ce104\">He knocked on Pelagius&#8217; cell several times, but there was no answer. So they peeked in through the window, and found he had died.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0c7a7524e82382e6b4eae1dd5635469e\">A group of various monks visited Pelagius&#8217; cell, opened it, carried out his body, and began anointing it with myrrh. Then, they discovered Pelagius&#8217; gender assigned at birth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-054e5dbacce00e44c7d514bcf62a38d8\">From there, they carried Pelagius to his grave, and buried him as a woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Support The Channel On Patreon<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"chapter-iii-how-accurate-is-this-story\"><strong>Chapter III: How Accurate Is This Story?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-18b78157b6680f1cbc4ddb5f6e47d028\">So, this story is presented in a historical, straightforward way. We know Bishop Nonnus was a real guy, as mentioned earlier, and it\u2019s reasonable to assume Jacob the Deacon was also a real guy. It\u2019s all quite grounded and believable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-61d2593c7a076b97884e73ae48f44e82\">But then Satan himself shows up, and not to contradict The Louvin Brothers or anything, but I think that begs the question of how historically accurate this story actually is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9584ae476840b897afb809dfc0f906a3\">Well, it depends on who you ask.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-62133945d1d248825847fd75505e7c8d\">The Catholic Church does recognize Pelagius, as Saint Pelagia the Harlot. He even has an official feast day, October 8<sup>th<\/sup>. Maybe that should be an official holiday for trans mascs. Trans girls, cook your trans guy pals a nice meal on October 8<sup>th<\/sup>. Let\u2019s treat our bros, they deserve it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dc2d26d0eae75c81db61ccafa729d97d\">But does the church believe every recognized saint was a real person? This question leads us into the reason why the Catholic Church decides who is and isn\u2019t a saint in the first place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4aa19a0173d45a8493a9931cb4232e6d\">These days, it\u2019s a pretty complicated process, which is probably not surprising. When an organization has been around for 2000 years, there\u2019s bound to be some red tape.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e25d1ede4a077522500620136bc05a8f\">Starting in the sixth century CE, if you wanted someone to become a saint, you&#8217;d write a biography of them and submit it to your local bishop. He&#8217;d review it, and if he thought their life was holy enough, he&#8217;d canonize that person. Ta-da, you&#8217;ve got a saint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2e35ffd76a38f8d8eb173ba719917f88\">In the tenth century CE, the Pope started to get involved, and since then you need the holy approval of the guy in the hat to canonize a saint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-149540d796d58fdbe701e3fd2355c8cd\">But Pelagius lived in the fifth century, so none of that applies to him. How was he canonized?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2919ede2c2b456ca579994edc6dcd3e1\">In his time, the process was based on popular acclaim. If the people wanted you to be a saint, you were a saint. Vox populi, vox Dei (Sarno).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2c539fbd348120d8ff09c59b71be02d1\">Essentially, he was a saint because the people wanted him to be a saint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-327452c453f560ce1ccd1f5a4d6059be\">As a result, the older a saint is, the wackier their story is likely to be. There are fewer checks and balances in place to confirm anything.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-265e79752594cc41b895ecfd522402b8\">Some sources claim this story to be a pious fiction, which is a phrase that was new to me while researching this video. It does seem to be self explanatory, but I actually had a hard time finding a definition of it. There\u2019s a Wikipedia definition, and then a whole bunch of other websites that clearly copied the same definition. I searched Google, JSTOR, Merriam-Webster, Oxford, Cambridge, Brittanica, Dictionary.com, and the Catholic Encyclopedia \u2013 nothing. So, the Wikipedia definition is what we have to work with, but it doesn\u2019t even provide any useful citations to support it. That really sucks but whaddayagonnado? I don\u2019t have anything more useful. Anyway, Wiktionary defines pious fiction as, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-42611d5ff888b93db25efba80a193a2b\">(sometimes derogatory) A fictional, often religious narrative, presented as true by its author to accomplish some altruistic motive.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-400def184b64059dbbfb007e1cb85751\">So I guess it means more than just, like, a Catholic who writes a novel that has Catholic themes in it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-16cc987dda4f1c72d6e9599085a359fa\">Anyway, the website Catholic Online claims the story of Pelagius is a pious fiction, but I can\u2019t find any other sources that claim this that aren\u2019t obviously referencing the Catholic Online bit (Catholic Online).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b6bcfdca2cb0f9779ab0821f8250ca61\">What evidence do we have that Pelagius\u2019 story is a pious fiction? Catholic Online doesn\u2019t provide any, and I\u2019ve not been able to find anything anywhere else. So unless and until I\u2019m furnished with some evidence, I\u2019m going to disregard this idea. Other than the bits about Satan showing up, I don\u2019t see anything about this story that\u2019s difficult to believe.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8daa94f6f2ca04ef984be36884c85ccb\">\u2018Round these here parts, we need evidence to back up our claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c6d1f739c89af3013dec7638941e39b6\">But what was it that made him so special? <em>Why<\/em> did the people want him to be a saint?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5c6a240f44a150e7bc23850408a53a9c\">I\u2019ve got a thread to tug on here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ff69d4f38f94c10cda8b488062405756\">First, let\u2019s start with pre-transition Pelagius, the most prolific prostitute in town. This is actually almost a type of Catholic stock character, the harlot, and it serves a couple of different thematic purposes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1395e59da0e79dc07f3f577043cf37df\">One is to serve as a reminder to the holy cats around them. Pambo, one of the Desert Fathers we haven&#8217;t mentioned yet, was born around 303 CE in Egypt, and was ordained as a priest in 340 CE. At some point he wandered off into the desert as well. One of the anecdotes ascribed to him has some striking similarities to Nonnus&#8217; reaction to Pelagius, quote:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8a67a0331844904ad25b13a7e89083bd\">Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, of holy memory, begged Abba Pambo to come down from the desert to Alexandria. He went down, and seeing an actress he began to weep. Those who were present asked him the reason for his tears, and he said &#8216;Two things make me weep: one, the loss of this woman; and the other, that I am not so concerned to please God as she is to please wicked men.&#8217; Pambo, Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Ward 1980, 196)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b8be1490fc841413aa6ec8e112d24cc5\">This nameless woman inspired such a deep crisis of faith in Pambo that he seems to have completely fallen apart. But that\u2019s very much the same reaction Nonnus had when seeing Pelagius for the first time. Pelagius was more concerned with staying beautiful, and therefore pleasing to men, than Nonnus was with being faithful to God. In Pambo\u2019s story, the woman is completely robbed of her agency, and even any identity, in service to a man\u2019s piety. You could have a field day with a feminist analysis of this story, I\u2019m sure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-07f629dac4e9f7b365ffcd43213583c4\">So, Pelagius starts off being entirely focused on physical beauty, to the complete neglect of any spiritual life. But in the end, he neglects his physical appearance entirely, in exchange for a complete dedication to spirituality. Great sin is turned around, and becomes great virtue, through Christ. This is the second thematic purpose served by the harlot.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-57072cc77ff7359fd8db6d6461a5cf5d\">Going from the sexiest lady prostitute in town to a deeply religious man of renown is quite something. Even without the gender swap, it&#8217;s quite a striking shift. If someone like that can achieve salvation, there&#8217;s hope for any sinner (Ward, 57).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e42b73910160f08e0e01c18283e7c062\">But this casts physical beauty itself as a sin. Is it wrong to be attractive? Mother Teresa said, quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-738dc14286f7b6532db59a0b53510f2c\">\u201cSeeking the face of God in everything, everyone, all the time, and his hand in every happening; This is what it means to be contemplative in the heart of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e283eaeb7eb8776799be337e0136b46f\">Saint Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories, and Prayers, 30-31<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2bb656bf6f10e8a194dfbef92bad1a27\">Mother Teresa\u2019s writings are not the Bible, of course. But if we\u2019re to take that idea to heart \u2013 that the face of God is in every living person \u2013 why are we to shame those who care for their physical beauty? To neglect one\u2019s inner self in favour of physical beauty might lead to a vapid, empty life, but do we need to completely cast aside one in favour of the other?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5097748fa89c55cc57a1504dc8c45c2a\">Can I still contemplate the secrets of the universe if I have a proper skincare routine? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-60dfd56f2e237ab3e43003f73a696153\">Can I read Plato in a cute, fashionable outfit? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-904c24114d5901c4524372f53f1bd853\">Linguam Latinam intellegere et comae facere possum?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4da243d0e84e0dfdff5ab1eae5b1e616\">If, as in 1<sup>st<\/sup> Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are the temples of God, why is it wrong for that temple to be beautiful? Because of the effect it has on the men around us? That seems to be a problem with men, not women. As it says in Matthew 18:9, \u201cif your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.\u201d Yet, in this story, Pambo is so deeply shaken by a nameless woman\u2019s beauty that he falls to pieces.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-525f9e03a2f57e0042c591a0c7537f45\">Of course, they refer to this woman as an \u201cactress,\u201d and that word is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. In ancient Rome, actress and prostitute were often synonymous. Both were considered to be the dregs of society, shunned from public life and forbidden from holding office. Not that women could hold public office in Rome anyway, but this applied to male prostitutes and actresses as well. Actors and gladiators were assumed to be available to provide, *ahem*, service, to the public (Dillon &amp; Garland, 382-3). This is a cultural context Jacob the Deacon would have understood while he was writing. So it\u2019s not like they were wigging out after seeing the ancient equivalent of like, Jennifer Lawrence or something.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dcd63bab4bf75ba1fe1029bca06b5f33\">So in this context, when we\u2019re talking about actors, we\u2019re talking about harlots, and vice versa.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2eb978cab95997a007e2dfce5c9f617e\">In the Bible, the harlot is a metaphor for unfaithfulness. It\u2019s adultery, yes, but more than that, it\u2019s spiritual unfaithfulness. And not just a lack of faithfulness in the individual, but in society as a whole.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b0a45d35bfb2357da32270d68e524291\">Anyway, is it the prostitute to monk path that makes Pelagius so saintly? Is that the core theme of his story? That seems largely to be it, but there\u2019s something else happening here as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5edda73a958fee1d23062294ebf046c1\">Because look, one of the core themes of Christianity is salvation. We are all sinners, every one. Nobody, from the Pope to the prostitute, is without sin. There are only those who have achieved salvation through Christ, and those who have not.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3fd812859f72b8d9984533e4b6f6264a\">So when we look at how the Romans viewed prostitutes \u2013 lowly, shunned individuals \u2013 and consider the idea of the reformed prostitute \u2013 it would have been a powerful symbol of salvation. Even the lowest of the low could be saved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d20b2d13fc6ba4a3f8f5a3d3d3f01ac5\">So, not surprisingly, there are plenty of reformed prostitutes in the Christian tradition. For example, let\u2019s look at St. Mary of Egypt, who\u2019s not to be confused with the two more famous Saint Marys \u2013 Mary, Mother of God, and Mary Magdalene, companion to Christ. Different Mary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b71285c470e71d7a647d866153c4577f\">The general story of St. Mary of Egypt is this: she lived a life of licentiousness, seducing men and having her fun. One day, she decides to join some pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. She seduces her companions along the way, and doesn&#8217;t slow down once they all reach Jerusalem. One day, she went to the church where the true cross was on display. This is the actual cross where Christ was crucified on Calvary (say that five times fast).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-735db8007c4ce08bbab4c8ad68cf41bc\">When she tried to enter the church, an invisible force stopped her from entering. This made her realize her sinful life, and she repented and prayed to Mary mother of Christ for help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bb4b8e18ebd2b418d7c2f86c9773967f\">The next day, she tried entering the church again, and found the barrier was gone. After she did her thing at the church, she left Jerusalem, traveling across the River Jordan, and lived out in the desert for forty seven years. Eventually, a priest, Zossima, stumbled upon her. The two of them had communion together, Mary died, and Zossima buried her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e980d322cc040a2842caa2c094480918\">You can see a number of parallels here &#8211; a life of sin, a moment of realization, and a lifetime finished in solitude and repentance (Ward 1987, 26-28).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e2654a9da1b73ec87ec2f09ba8149106\">But at no point does St. Mary live as a man. She&#8217;s not called, like. St. Marius or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-67b0b979d631bc83135f8a562b8f3ee3\">Here&#8217;s another one &#8211; St. Thais. She, too, practiced her trade in Egypt. Apparently she was so popular that her various lovers got into physical fights over her. One of the Desert Fathers, Paphnutius (gesundheit) heard about her, and visited her in disguise. He warned Thais about her sinful ways, and that she would be held to account for her actions after death. As a result, Thais ditched all her stuff, and lived out in the desert in a cell, praying to God for repentance (Ward 1987, 76-78).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a1c81f8e92e71fb412a80564d046727d\">Again, similar story, but St. Thais didn\u2019t trans her gender. She wasn\u2019t St. Thaddeus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c9802b6a9a0c1324a42f00642d8aa2f9\">There are other examples as well, but Saints Thais and Mary should illustrate the point well enough. Why did Pelagius\u2019 story involve him transing his gender, when these other stories didn\u2019t?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fbcfa11b6a8ce83d818d9cdf12b6f7f8\">I\u2019ve seen the argument made that it was for safety. That it wouldn\u2019t have been safe for a woman to travel alone in the desert. And, alright, that\u2019s reasonable. I get it. I don\u2019t really feel safe walking around alone at night myself, and I live in a pretty quiet area in one of the safest cities in the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-52537b9726e99b519799b56d43e75aba\">But if that\u2019s the reason, why didn\u2019t Mary or Thais do the same?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0c859a5f6c6117ba8911b8b1b7364878\">In fact, in Thais\u2019 story, she\u2019s sent to a nunnery, where she\u2019s given her desert cell.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ba4bf5710f13ef960a10812ae0d32317\">With Pelagius, a deaconess, Ramona, plays a big role in his conversion. The way Jacob explains it, it seems like Pelagius was to be sent to a nunnery, like Thais. But instead of doing so, he disappears in the middle of the night and joins a brotherhood of monks. Clearly there were nunneries who would take in women. Why would Pelagius go to a monastery instead?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-61e2b6e32b6f3c40e5b565ecbd6a16cd\">Why indeed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d68579970f04634d783603896491b2b3\">Perhaps Pelagius wanted to get so far from his previous life of sin and vice that he changed everything about himself \u2013 even his gender. But once again we run into the same barrier \u2013 why is this the case for Pelagius, and not for the other examples we\u2019ve looked at?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2b9f6216b72ee3b7aba2f3c02655f3e1\">Pelagius could have joined a convent and lived as a repentant woman. But he didn\u2019t. He joined a monastery, and lived as a repentant man.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-98d2736631fa2c097b64f16def0cedbc\">That was a choice he made.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2871c2873909f1fbc153045f2745aced\">There isn\u2019t anything here that would explain why he lived as Pelagius after converting that can\u2019t be safely set aside after viewing the lives of Mary and Thais.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-64068f2b7097a9235c675da8d74cf516\">Except, of course, the explanation that Pelagius was a transgender man.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"chapter-iv-what-can-we-take-from-this\"><strong>Chapter IV: What Can We Take From This?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-027fceb28f6082c17027e9f9738ff355\">So, what do we make of this story?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d5bdeed3067e917341c40f0a51e77c75\">From what we can tell, Pelagius seemed to have fully embraced femininity and played a woman\u2019s role in society to the best of his ability. He seems to have made quite a beautiful woman, originally. But after converting to Christianity, he spent his final years living as a man.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f4216d670f265112851c3f67d282478b\">If you spend enough time hanging around trans people, you\u2019ll inevitably meet people who tried <em>really<\/em> hard to embrace their gender assigned at birth. Men, women, nonbinaries, it doesn\u2019t matter. If you feel like your gender assigned at birth doesn\u2019t fit, it\u2019s easy to think that maybe it\u2019s because you\u2019re just not trying hard enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4c577269cf8072223e387ab373cb0932\">Is that what happened here? It\u2019s easy to interpret it that way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3e2abb7f49318e52f7eb31bdfb2fb7b7\">I\u2019ve mentioned in the past that I was raised Catholic, and I still feel a fair amount of affinity toward the church. Feel free to point out all the problems with it, and I\u2019ll happily agree with you on most of them, I\u2019m sure. But the world is a complicated and messy place, isn\u2019t it?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ebc5347e9d896ea240c3e9b076c6be42\">Once upon a time, I was deeply religious. When I was a teenager, I prayed to God every night to make me a woman, but those prayers were never answered. So I took matters into my own hands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f4e3ec7bcb38d1c1d717ee5ab472bb56\">From there, I was a hardline atheist. Living with chronic anxiety and depression isn\u2019t a great time, and it felt more comforting to me to know that one day, I just wouldn\u2019t exist anymore, so all those feelings would go away. It felt inconceivable to me that I could exist in a way that didn\u2019t involve constant misery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6a5bbabd5b7cacbedc67a4e5ebca51cd\">But as more and more of the new atheist crowd goes all in on far right reactionary junk, I\u2019m realizing they really are the jackasses they always seemed to be. They\u2019re no closer to providing any real answers than anybody else is. They\u2019re&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0c6668c365053ade466ba969d9dff687\">This might be a half baked idea, but I think a lot about the type of person who defines themselves in opposition to another group, and why they so often end up emulating their opponent\u2019s worst qualities \u2013 whether real or perceived.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9ba13c0cf9d6718611e64769c05100ce\">Anti-Christian New Atheists end up queerphobes just like the Christians they claim to despise.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-24f51722051a7624df7e3a2fdc8e413a\">Dyed in the wool Democrats are just as prone to magical thinking and detaching from reality as the MAGA crowd.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d59554ca2de083e66cee797cda7b047e\">And professional sad sack Graham Linehan, who spends all his time imagining predatory men disguising themselves as trans women to sneak into women\u2019s spaces, disguised himself as a trans woman and snuck into a women\u2019s only space (Kelleher).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-566394bc09105f34e0fe633c5ec01d77\">Motivational guru Jim Rohn once said, &#8220;You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.&#8221; But in the modern world, where so many of us spend most of our time online, it might be more accurate to say \u201cyou are the average of the people you think about the most.\u201d If you\u2019re obsessing over your foes, they\u2019re bound to influence you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e6a53838a890c1297cceb0d2caa0c8d8\">No, there has to be something guiding you beyond \u201cI don\u2019t like them\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e595a9310f79042d31ee5b536cc605e9\">For me, one of those guiding forces is the belief that individuals know what their needs are better than hierarchical organizations do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e0a27846f2baa5a2eca207f1d3760577\">For example, I don\u2019t understand trans men. I understand not aligning with the gender you were assigned at birth, obviously, but my entire experience with masculinity involved wanting to get as far away from it as I could.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dbdadd199f22a32acd2d41e0d698f404\">I also don\u2019t understand people who use neopronouns. I use she\/her pronouns exclusively. But I understand that gender can be a complex and confusing thing to navigate. The way I understand it, people who use neopronouns are finding new ways to make sense of their genders, and that\u2019s really cool to me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-50656b3c5b368a8a735efe2549730e3e\">But that doesn\u2019t matter. If you\u2019re a trans man, or a neopronoun user, or both, I don\u2019t need to understand the deeper nuance of who you are to understand that you understand who you are better than I do, or the government does.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1f739fb892be71327bc68a5a0fd92d32\">I have a strong mistrust of authority and hierarchies, and the Catholic Church is about as hierarchical as it gets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a1ef659a36cc7cb859d26870906bd2fc\">At the same time, when I consider that this life is all we get&#8230; that\u2019s a bitter pill to swallow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-02b6602ba7d2e88044844d94c398c381\">So, where does that leave me?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-137378ddb9ccff3c316af9a0c82bdf43\">So, what\u2019s more comforting to me? Eternal life in heaven, or ceasing to exist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-747c60cf0aaa2ba0302bcd865cf3213f\">As I write this, I haven\u2019t figured it out yet.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4ce9644a348bda5067d0333e7fcc6339\">Maybe I never will.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2375bbce2ce0db84a75a3c2f901076ed\">But that\u2019s enough about my existential crisis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ccbf488289e7b7686f860b7075383d0e\">What can Pelagius tell us?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5d754df73539492842e40f72df8029d4\">We don\u2019t have any writing attributed to him, so in terms of knowing his inner thoughts, that\u2019s not something we can understand. Whether or not he felt what we might consider today to be gender dysphoria, we don\u2019t know. And barring some miraculous discovery of his heretofore unknown writings, we never will.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-618d1530097049ffda8b2bc58d9bf5f2\">So, when it comes to interpreting many ancient stories like this, we\u2019ve only got an outsider\u2019s perspective \u2013 that of the person who wrote about them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0f135a4e6755ffdc870ce681c56c4c5d\">And based on what we have, Pelagius was someone assigned female at birth, who lived as a woman, before living out his final years as a man.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-29f57a8c2d2a081da6c4cf4d5d52398b\">Susan Stryker\u2019s definition of transgender in a historical sense is, quote:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-3-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-68b19f231a7200deed380321a9eb4eb3\">[P]eople who move away from the gender they were assigned at birth, people who cross over the boundaries constructed by their culture to define and contain their gender.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-79cef77ef9960138651765316f0b9e3c\">&#8211; Susan Stryker, <em>Transgender History<\/em>, pg. 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8a378e4c192929b241af651c9cb2537e\">Based on that, the story of Pelagius is very clearly a transgender one.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b8a2c7fa4bad4f0c6f6f78ed63525674\">Having been raised in the Catholic tradition, it\u2019s heartbreaking to see the hatred being spewed out into the world in the name of God. But if you look at the gospels, and the words attributed to Christ himself, you get love and not much else.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dc2b6fd544626ed6d7c0e188ca7241b7\">So where\u2019s the disconnect? Even in the Bible, a common theme I\u2019ve noticed is that of the people misunderstanding and misinterpreting the words of Christ. So maybe that\u2019s what Christianity is, and always will be. Humans are, after all, fallible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-aeb856e9e89b4b63202e57b613e1826e\">Tori Otten wrote back in 2023 about how the Evangelical church was in a deep crisis of faith, over the fact that so-called \u201cChristians\u201d interpreted the words of Christ as liberal talking points. The idea of loving your enemy, and of turning the other cheek, seems incompatible to the Christian far right who seem hell-bent on the destruction of anyone they find distasteful. And yes, I\u2019m aware that Evangelicals are not Catholics, but the point remains.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1ff8815b6de2618a59abe558dc221b52\">If you style yourself as a follower of Christ, but you discard the words of Christ, what are you, really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d5a5cef05e00a39a928af0400c367400\">Among many other things, the story of Pelagius gives us a saint \u2013 someone who, by definition, enjoys eternal life in Heaven \u2013 who fits the historical definition of transgender.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1d81dd97837459abccf456e864e497a8\">Of course, there are thousands of officially recognized saints in the Catholic tradition. So it\u2019s likely that most Catholics aren\u2019t aware of Pelagius.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4cd17a9778f91412898168fbe1d5e3bc\">If you, like me, were raised in the Christian tradition, it might feel equally heartbreaking to see what\u2019s being done in the name of a religion that may once have brought you great comfort in your darkest hours. But if God is real \u2013 if the church really does hold the Keys to the Kingdom of God \u2013 then we have a place in it like anyone else.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2c4e004aee8e8b8dba78e5e602000833\">In this life or the next, we have always existed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e1848965b8ae006c360c7a2ea06ab22b\">And so long as humanity continues to endure, so too shall we.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Support The Channel On Patreon<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"ancient-sources-cited\"><strong>Ancient Sources Cited:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color\">\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/10377947\/Life_of_Antony_Texts_and_Translations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">St. Athanasius. \u201cThe Life Of Saint Anthony\u201d. Translated by H. Ellershaw, 1892<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bible.com\/\">\u201cThe Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition\u201d. Translated by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, 2021<\/a>.<br>\u25baJames The Deacon. \u201cThe Life Of Saint Pelagia The Harlot\u201d. Translated by Helen Waddell, University of Michigan Press, 1957. <br>\u25baSt. Jerome. \u201cThe Life of Saint Paul, The First Hermit\u201d. Translated by Helen Waddell, University of Michigan Press, 1957.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"modern-sources-cited\"><strong>Modern Sources Cited:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-palette-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b757aea28c4afaa23e923c84585aa6d1\">\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Decius\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. &#8220;Decius&#8221;. Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May. 2024. Accessed 1 January 2025<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Desert-Fathers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. &#8220;Desert Fathers&#8221;. Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Aug. 2020. Accessed 1 January 2025<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Edict-of-Milan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. &#8220;Edict of Milan&#8221;. <em>Encyclopedia Britannica<\/em>, 8 Aug. 2019. Accessed 1 January 2025.<\/a><br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/St-Fabian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. &#8220;St. Fabian&#8221;. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Mar. 2024. Accessed 1 January 2025<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholic.org\/saints\/saint.php?saint_id=811\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cSaint Pelagia\u201d. Catholic Online. 2024. Accessed 17 January, 2025<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/history\/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-83613665\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Curry, Andrew. \u201cGobekli Tepe: The World\u2019s First Temple?\u201d Smithsonian Magazine Blog, 2008<\/a>.<br>\u25baDelcourt, Marie. \u201cHerm*******te \u2013 Myths and Rites of the Bisexual Figure in Classical Antiquity\u201d.\u00a0 1961. <br>\u25baDillon, Matthew, and Garland, Lynda. \u201cAncient Rome: From the Early Republic to the Assassination of Julius Caesar\u201d. Taylor &amp; Francis, 2005.\u00a0<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thepinknews.com\/2021\/02\/21\/graham-linehan-women-her-dating-app-trans-transphobia-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kelleher, Patrick. \u201cGraham Linehan joined a queer women\u2019s dating app to share trans people\u2019s profiles. It backfired, badly\u201d. Pink News, February 21, 2021. Accessed on January 23, 2025<\/a>.<br>\u25baMerton, Thomas. \u201cThe Wisdom Of The Desert: Sayings From The Desert Fathers Of The Fourth Century\u201d. 1970. <br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/174950\/christianity-today-editor-evangelicals-call-jesus-liberal-weak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Otten, Tori. \u201cChristianity Today Editor: Evangelicals Call Jesus \u2018Liberal\u2019 and \u2018Weak\u2019\u201d. New Republic, 2023. Accessed January 23, 2025<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/pious_fiction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cPious Fiction\u201d. Wiktionary, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 July 2016<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/offices\/public-affairs\/saints\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sarno, Robert. \u201cSaints\u201d. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops<\/a>.\u00a0<br>\u25baStryker, Susan. \u201cTransgender History.\u201d Berkeley, CA, Seal Press, 2008.<br>\u25baMother Teresa. \u201cIn the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories, &amp; Prayers\u201d. New World Library, 1997.\u00a0<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/harlotsofdeserts0000ward_o9k0\/page\/n5\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ward, Benedicta. \u201cHarlots of the desert: a study of repentance in early monastic sources<strong>\u201d. <\/strong>Cistercian Publications, 1987<\/a>.<br>\u25ba<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/desertchristians0000unse\/page\/196\/mode\/2up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ward, Benedicta. \u201cThe Desert Christian: Sayings of the Desert Fathers\u201d. New York, Macmillan, 1980<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi, I\u2019m Sophie, and I\u2019m sorry.&nbsp;&nbsp; When it comes to ancient transgender history, it\u2019s fun to hear about religious cults or mythological figures. But I think it can be difficult to see ourselves in those topics sometimes. It\u2019s fascinating, to be sure, but I think to some it\u2019s a little too academic, a little too [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[190,188,189,187,4],"tags":[162,144,121,161,165,158,166,160,169,168,170,172,138,164,136,112,149,113],"class_list":["post-1629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trans-men-in-history","category-transgender-christians","category-transgender-historical-individuals","category-transgender-history","category-we-have-always-existed","tag-ancient-greece","tag-ancient-history","tag-ancient-rome","tag-classical-antiquity","tag-classical-athens","tag-classical-greece","tag-hellenistic-greece","tag-history-of-the-roman-empire","tag-history-of-transgender","tag-history-of-transgender-people","tag-history-of-transgenderism","tag-lgbt-history-documentary","tag-roman-empire","tag-roman-greece","tag-trans-history","tag-transgender","tag-transgender-ancient-history","tag-transgender-history"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pelagius, the Transgender Saint - Sophie Edwards<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sbedwards.co\/staging\/9372\/pelagius-the-transgender-saint\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pelagius, the Transgender Saint - Sophie Edwards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hi, I\u2019m Sophie, and I\u2019m sorry.&nbsp;&nbsp; When it comes to ancient transgender history, it\u2019s fun to hear about religious cults or mythological figures. 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