Adelphopoiesis
From LGBT Archive
Adelphopoiesis (Greek ἀδελφοποίησις, literally the making of brothers) refers to a number of ceremonies used by different branches of the Christian church in the middle ages, to unite people of the same sex. The exact meaning of these ceremonies has been debated. The American writer John Boswell interpreted them as almost the equivalent of gay marriage. However the British gay historian, Alan Bray was more cautious in his interpretation.
In the period leading up to the introduction of civil partnerships in the UK, some members of Croydon Area Gay Society staged re-enactments of a version of the ceremony, in both its Eastern Orthodox and its Roman Catholic versions.
