The slave, the sissy, the celibacy. Matthew 19:11-12 and perspectives from masculinity studies and queer theology

This essay considers analyses from queer theology and theological masculinity studies relating to aspects of gender and sexuality in Matthew 19:11-12. Examination of interpretations from these perspectives often focus on the social role and cultural understandings of the eunuch in these verses. The perspectives from theological masculinity studies explore the social historical context of the eunuch as a castrated slave or a cultic priest and how this may affect the reading of the verses. The perspectives from queer theology conduct similar historical research and consider an interpretation that includes queer lives and experiences. The eunuch as a cultural, ambiguously gendered and religious stranger becomes a queer archetype, a development that challenges the tradition of interpreting these verses as instituting celibacy. The result of the examination is a new understanding of the eunuch as a surprising analogy for the gospel´s radical inclusion of the odd ones in the new realm of the kingdom of heaven