ment was recited at the wedding ceremony.^20 Thus, it became an important
part of the blessing for a newlywed couple. This change in the ceremony was
part of a major shift in Christian understandings of marriage that, in the twelfth
century, made marriage one of the sacraments.^21 At the same time, fertility be-
came a far more important part of the church’s understandings of marriage.
This change brought Jewish and Christian understandings of procreation
somewhat closer. Studies concentrating on Christian society have emphasized
the growing importance of marriage and family in medieval Christian theol-
ogy and explained the changing significance accorded the family as a conse-
quence. In reality, we cannot determine which came first. Most certainly,
thought and practice developed simultaneously and influenced each other.
Marian devotion, as well as devotion to the other members of Jesus’ family, es-
pecially his grandmother Anna, were also part of the growing importance of
family in medieval thought.^22 These developments led to a more positive as-
sessment of procreation in Christian thought.^23
The increasing convergence of Christian theology and Jewish rabbinic leg-
islation is not limited to attitudes toward procreation. Cohen and others have
pointed to shared attitudes toward other aspects of sexual relations besides the
question of whether the commandment pru urvu should be seen as practical
or allegorical. For example, Cohen has shown that Jews and Christians shared
similar understandings of the conjugal relationship. Based on the composition
BaHalei haNefesh, written by R. Abraham b. David of Posquières (Rahabad) in
the twelfth century, Cohen shows how the Rahabad’s explanations and justifi-
cations for sexual relations between a man and his wife are similar to those pro-
vided by theologians such as Ivo of Chartres (1040–1115), Gratian (d. 1160),
and Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274).^24 All these commentators, both Jewish
and Christian, attributed great importance to the intent of the men engaging
in sexual relations. Cohen argues that the Rahabad linked the obligation of
onah (conjugal obligations toward one’s wife) to the duty of procreation in a
manner different than that of his predecessors, but resembling the approach of
his Christian contemporaries. Rahabad argued that if the intent behind the re-
lations was pure, the deeds were too. And conversely, if the intent was not pure,
the deeds were not either.
Dalia H·oshen, who focused on the ideal relationships between men and
women in the writings of Maimonides and the Rahabad, promoted this idea
more forcefully. She proposed that medieval Jewish sages saw celibacy in a
more favorable manner than their predecessors and, consequently, restricted
the conditions in which sexual relations were to be advocated.^25 Putting these
findings together, we see that while the importance of procreation within the
marital framework grew in medieval Christian thought, Jewish authorities took
an increasingly negative view of marital sexual relations performed with im-
proper intent.
H·oshen and Cohen concentrate on the philosophy of Maimonides and of
rick simeone
(Rick Simeone)
#1