15. Real Men and Mincing Queans Homosexuality in Ancient Rome

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even had two competing bishops!), while anchorites and other aesthetics occupied caves in the surrounding hills… Gradually, the worship of the Divine Antinoüs was conflated with Christianity: there is even an image of Antinoüs in the guise of Dionysis, grapes (but no fig leaf) in one hand, and a cross in the other! Perhaps as a final irony, Antinopolis even had several Christian martyrs. In this secular age we might well ask how a real person, albeit the lover of a semi-divine Emperor, could become an object of worship for so long? A web-site 21 devoted to the modern-day worship of Antinoüs, raises this point: Because we no longer view our leaders as semi-divine, this seems ignorant, to a monotheist it seems blasphemous, to a rational philosopher it seems stupid. Medieval Catholics, and those who retain elements of their almost pagan veneration of the Saints might understand. The author of this site — who signs himself Antonius Nikias Subia, goes on to suggest that we, even in our technologically sophisticated age, still venerate “beautiful celebrities tragically taken in the prime of their youth”. He names James Dean as an obvious example, but I would want to add Princess Di as a more universal and contemporary example. Hadrian died at the age of 62, on July 10th, 138 at his villa at Tibur, now called Tivoli, where many believe the embalmed body of Antinoüs is still buried, perhaps somewhere on the island in the artificial lake where the sick and aged Emperor spent so many of his last days. Antonius Nikias Subia 22 , if that is truly his name, can have the last word: Antinous was the last God of ancient pagan Rome, and he was also the facilitator who prepared the way for the eventual triumph of the Catholic faith. The Christian fathers found an easy target in the questionable moral message that 21 http://www.antinopolis.org/catechism.html declares, in rather gay chauvinistic terms, that “The Religion of Antinous is a Gay Religion, dedicated to homosexual spirituality.” 22 Op cit. “The Ancient Religion of Antinous” 20
Antinous embodied. They used him as an example to illustrate the shameful character of paganism, how it had become a religion of pederasty, immoral sexual indulgence, and idolatry. After the conversion of Constantine, even the pagans began to turn against the still living cult of Antinous, as though his memory had become a threat to the credibility of the pagan gods. Antinous's religion lasted longer than the Empire, but it suffered severe persecution and was eventually completely silenced. It is significant to note that when the cult of Antinous was denounced and his images smashed by the iconoclasts, the peace and stability of the Empire went into decline. Hadrian had blessed the Empire with a gentle protector, who gave her prosperity and grace. When the Empire turned against her vulnerable protector, she opened the way for chaos and destruction. The remains of Antinopolis 21
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Page 3 and 4: of the young men. If one was the ot
Page 5 and 6: Heirs to Greece Although the Romans
Page 7 and 8: Some Romans even went so far as to
Page 9 and 10: women. Both Martial and Juvenal men
Page 11 and 12: Royston Lambert, in his book: Belov
Page 13 and 14: The imperial paedagogium where…
Page 15 and 16: which was to descend when Christian
Page 17 and 18: Historia Augusta 16 , almost censor
Page 19: Thousands of sculptures were commis

15. Real Men and Mincing Queans Homosexuality in Ancient Rome

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