Introduction: my approach : defining terms
The pre-Christian era : Jewish culture, pagan cultures
A celibate Jesus? : arguments pro and con : His sexual orientation
The apostolic era : Paul's letters and other New Testament writings
The patristic era : movement toward sexual abstinence : monasticism and Jerome :
Augustine's anti-sex theology
The medieval era : Roman-Byzantine schism over clerical marriage : papal attempts to put asunder espoused clerics
From Luther to Paul VI : the anti-celibate Protestants, the counter-Reformation
The contemporary era : John Paul II's intransigence : diocese problems, abusive prelates
Conclusion: the heritage in summary : on imitating Jesus : moving toward recovery.
