Celibát – Wolf Hubert (2020)

Church historian Hubert Wolf approaches the issue of celibacy from a historical perspective and starts from the premise that the New Testament does not express any stance on celibacy; therefore, the church's position has undergone numerous changes since the early Middle Ages: from accepting marriage to restricting sexual relations between spouses in connection with receiving sacraments, and acknowledging the fact that Eastern Christian churches allow priests to marry, to the definitive tightening of celibacy, which falls into the 19th century, or rather the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to ecclesiastical-economic reasons – if there are no descendants, there is no one to inherit – Wolf finds other sources of celibacy both in Jewish regulations concerning purity and in late antiquity, especially among the Stoics (ascetic ideal) and Gnostics with their dualism of matter and spirit. However, according to him, this ascetic ideal is not at all in line with the figure of Jesus. Alongside a number of historical aspects, the author also addresses current issues related to celibacy, such as the shortage of priests and the enormous number of cases of sexual abuse. The author strives for a serious and balanced approach, but at the same time does not conceal his own stance on the entire issue, which is characterized by the title of the last chapter: 'The Old System Has Matured…'