Derek Krueger "Monastic Desires: Homoeroticism, Homophobia, and the Love of God in Medieval Constantinople" (Cambridge UP, 2026)

In this episode of the New Books Network, host Mike Motia interviews Derek Kruger, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at UNC Greensboro, about his groundbreaking 2026 book *Monastic Desires: Homoeroticism, Homophobia, and the Love of God in Medieval Constantinople*. Kruger explores the complex interplay between same-sex desire, religious prohibition, and mystical theology in Byzantine monastic culture, centering on the influential 10th–11th century figure Simeon the New Theologian. Through close readings of Simeon’s hymns and discourses, Kruger reveals a deeply eroticized vision of divine union—where God is imagined as a male lover and the monk’s body, including the penis, becomes a site of sacred incarnation. Yet this spiritual eroticism coexisted with intense homophobia, enforced through canon law, hagiography, and monastic discipline. Kruger argues that Simeon’s theology thrived precisely in this tension, using prohibitions to fuel desire and transform it into a form of spiritual discipline. The book also examines the role of Simeon’s biographer and editor, Nikitas Spithatos, who preserved and reinterpreted Simeon’s work, framing him as a repentant sodomite and saintly model. Kruger’s approach challenges traditional queer historiography by emphasizing how identities are shaped not in opposition to norms but through their very friction with them. He advocates for a more nuanced, embodied, and narrative-driven history of religion that bridges scholarly disciplines and speaks to contemporary theological debates. Kruger’s work offers several key takeaways: First, desire in medieval monasticism was not simply repressed but actively shaped and redirected through theological frameworks. Second, homophobia was not a monolithic force but a layered, contradictory system that paradoxically enabled certain forms of spiritual expression. Third, Simeon’s homoerotic theology was not a call for sexual liberation but a radical reimagining of divine love as embodied, present, and deeply personal. Fourth, the preservation of Simeon’s legacy by Nikitas shows how hagiography functions as a form of religious practice and identity formation. Finally, Kruger calls for a more inclusive and interdisciplinary approach to Byzantine studies, one that integrates religious studies, sexuality studies, and literary analysis to understand lived religious experience. The overall tone of the episode is intellectually rich, provocative, and deeply empathetic, reflecting Kruger’s commitment to uncovering the emotional and embodied dimensions of historical faith.