Recovering a Global Encounter: The Paenitentiale Theodori and the Greek Terminology of Sex Between Men in The Early English Penitential Tradition

This article traces the complicated transmission history of an eighth-century documentary tradition known as the Paenitentiale Theodori (The Penitential of Theodore) from the multilingual school of a Cilician-born archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, through its eventual adoption into Old English centuries later. It evaluates how Theodore's eastern Mediterranean background and training could and should shed light on the contested meanings of the terminology used in both the Paenitentiale Theodori and the Canons of Theodore , its translation-adaption into vernacular Old English, surrounding sex acts between men. Through an exploration of the Hellenized exegesis of the Paenitentiale Theodori , it argues that we must account for Eastern Roman influences on pastoral care and the history of sexuality in early England by considering how this global encounter created a vocabulary that allowed early church leaders to conceptualize, discuss, and police sex acts between men in the foundational period of the insular church.