The History of Celibacy in Christianity

[Gnist]

I put this directly under Christianity, although the article is mostly about the Catholic church. Despite that you may dislike the publisher as much as I do - I dislike the way they are so focused on what they consider to be flaws of Catholicism - I thought it an interesting read nevertheless. The summary of historical facts are rather to the point - it is the general tendency of the site I find disturbing.

A Brief History of Celibacy in the
Catholic Church

First Century
Peter, the first pope, and the apostles that Jesus chose were, for the most part, married men. The New Testament implies that women presided at eucharistic meals in the early church.

More: A Brief History of Celibacy - FutureChurch

[Marulus]

It is a curious matter that celibacy was a requirement not only for priests, but for university professors as well, even for those who were not ordained priests or monks. I think that these practices dragged on well into the 19th century in some English universities, with obligation of celibacy in Oxford and Cambridge abolished only in the 70-ies (or was it even in the 80-ies, I can't find a link to that right now). It is the more curious in the view of the fact that the very Church of England had abanodned celibacy long before that.

[Savorgnan]

In fact, celibacy is a Roman military custom. Marriage was forbidden to the legionnaires of the professional imperial army. When the Church became
the Roman Church, in 313, this typical latin custom of celibacy passed on to Christianism.

[Marulus]

The obligation of celibacy for the teaching staff (even for the laymen, ie. those who did not pertain to any of the ecclesiastical orders) at medieval universities:

Celibacy, however, was obligatory on all scholars and masters; as a rule, a master who married lost his position, and though married scholars are sometimes mentioned, e.g. at Oxford, they were disqualified for taking degrees. Still, celibacy was not universally enforced; there were married professors of medicine at Salerno, and at the university of the Roman Curia, which was under the direct supervision of the pope, the masters of law had their wives and children. One of the famous canonists of Bologna was Joannes Andrea (1270-1328, whose daughter Novella sometimes lectured in his stead. At Paris the obligation of celibacy for masters in medicine was removed by Cardinal Estouteville in 1452, for those in law by the statutes of 1600. The first rector at Greifswald (1456) was married, as was also the rector at Vienna in 1470. In other German universities the requirement of celibacy remained longer in force, owing in part, at least, to the fact that many of the chairs were endowed with the revenue of canonries; but this did not imply that laymen were excluded from university positions.

[source]

This article mentions Oxford as one of the univerities in which there were instances of married scholars, but it refers to the period of the Middle Ages. It appears that the obligation of celibacy for Oxford dons was lifted in 1877.

The obligation of celibacy for professors at Cambridge University was abolished only in 1881.

To the semi-monastic origin of the colleges must be traced such rules as those enjoining on the fellows celibacy and the clerical status, which were in force until almost the close of the nineteenth century. The final abolition of the restrictions as to marriage and clerical orders was brought about only in 1881, when new statutes were issued by the Cambridge commissioners in conformity with an act of Parliament passed four years previously.

[source]

[Marulus]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

In fact, celibacy is a Roman military custom. Marriage was forbidden to the legionnaires of the professional imperial army. When the Church became rthe Roman Church, in 313, this typical latin custom of celibacy passed on to Christianism.

There are some explanations which bring the custom of the celibacy in the Catholic into connexion with some economic factors. The priests had been originally - according to this explanation - barred from marrying lest the ecclesiastical property be dispersed.

Celibacy of the clergy is at any rate not a dogma of the Church.