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22 Book of Gomorrah Certainly the reality of events is not verified on the basis of historians ' statements. However, their interpretation often is, and the question here is the trustworthiness of Damian's statement that homosexuality had grown up among the clergy of his region. The scholars just cited have been adduced simply to indicate the absence of any serious caveat among respectable historians in taking Damian's claim at its face value. Given the general decline of sexual morality among the clergy at the time, the specific situations dealt with by Damian, and the fact that the Pope saw fit to respond to the Book of Gomorrah, it would seem reasonable to accept Damian's assertion. The specific situations dealt with by Peter Damian tell against Kiihn's view that Damian had overgeneralized from a few individualcases, a view further developed by Bailey.66 Conclusion To the extent that Peter Damian received a reply from the Pope to his questions in regard to the ecclesiastical censure of clerics engaged in homosexual practices, the Book of Gomorrah could be said to have been a success. However, it did not succeed in convincing the Pope to follow through on Damian's call for the indiscriminate deposition of such clerics. Whether or not the work succeeded in reversing the spread of homosexual practices in the areas which were of concern to Damian is unknown. All that can be said is that he never returned to an extended discussion of the theme again. I know of no use of the work by subsequent authors, but an excerpt from Leo's reply is contained in a later collection of canon law.67 The Translation The challenge for a translator is to be faithful to the original while being as idiomatic aspossible in the translation. I will not resurrect the 66 See L. Kiihn, Petrus Damiani und seine Anschauungen uber Staat und Kirche (Karlsruhe, 1913), 3; Bailey, Homosexuality, 115: "His onslaught was probably provoked less by an outbreak of vice than by his revulsion from the conduct of a few licentious individuals which had come to his notice, and which served to sharpen the edge of his indignation." 67 The Polycarpus, Paris, Bibl. nat. lat. 3881, fol. 134r, quotes an excerpt from Leo's reply to Damian. Introduction 23 ancient debate over whether a good translation should be one that translates word for word or idea for idea. In translating Peter Damian one must contend with the words, the ideas, and the rhythmic style which characterize his elegant writing. An introduction such as this, which is intended primarily for those who do not read Latin, is not the place to discuss problems of Latin translation. However, there is one point which should be made about an aspect of Damian's language which challenges English idiom. He frequently strings together words which seem to be used more for their emotive effect than for their cognitive value. One does not often encounter expressions such as "in the pigsty of filthy obscenity" or "who is polluted with a male by the filthy stain of sexual impurity." Such expressions, and they are frequent , perhaps do not sound quite right in English but there is noway of avoiding them short of departing from Damian's words altogether. It is hoped that the quaintness of the expressionsdoes not detract from their real purpose, which is to arouse feelings, not to inform minds. I have translated the text of the Gaetani edition of the Liber Gomorrhianus which is found in Migne, Opusculum 7 (PL 145, 161-90). It was my original intention to compare this edition with the earliest manuscript (Monte Cassino 358, pp. 131-50) containing the work but I was unsuccessful in my attempt to obtain a microfilm.68 As far as possible biblical quotations will follow the translation of The New American Bible (Boston, 1976) and the biblical books are abbreviated according to that edition. Frequently Damian's biblical citations do not correspond to the Vulgate text of the Bible. Reference is made in the notes to untranslated Latin works. It was felt that this would enhance the value of the work for readers of Latin without taking away from the translation. However, wherever English translations do exist they will always be cited. 68 The manuscripts of the works of Peter Damian are discussed by K. Reindel, "Studien zur Uberlieferung der Werke des Petrus Damiani," Deutsches Archiv 15 (1959), 23-102; 16 (I960), 73-154; 18 (1962), 317-417...

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