Not a Fad: A Trans History Lesson

Chapter 6: Pelagia/Pelagius (7th Century)

The story of Saint Pelagia can be found in several sources, but her life in full was transmitted via the deacon James of Edessa in the 7th century (Ward 66-75).

James writes that in the beginning of his career in the church he traveled to Antioch to meet with several bishops, including the holy Nonnus. While the men were standing outside of the church, a woman walked down the street in front of them, brazenly exposing not only an opulent display of wealth, but also her body. James, along with most of his companions, averted his eyes in shame. But Nonnus gazed upon this actress, and afterwards proclaimed how delighted he had been by being exposed to her beauty. The other men did not know how to respond, but Nonnus was so moved by the sight of this woman that he began to weep. He cried for both the emptiness of the harlot's soul, and the sin he felt himself commit when he gazed upon her.

That night Nonnus had a dream that confused him, and on the next day, that very same woman whom he had seen on the street had a compulsion to enter the house of God for the first time in her life. When she heard Nonnus preaching she was immediately overwhelmed by the weight of her sins. Upon the completion of his sermon, this woman, Pelagia, threw herself at the bishop's feet and begged to be converted. Never before had the bishop seen a sinner so eager to find God, and after hearing her confession, she was baptized.

After her conversion, Pelagia was visited by the devil three times, but each time she was able to renounce him, and further, she donated all of her magnificent wealth to the church in order to be redistributed to the poor. Upon the eighth day after her baptism, when new converts customarily shed their white baptismal robes, Pelagia took a change of Nonnus's clothes and left Antioch. She found a cave in the desert near Jerusalem where she lived as a solitary monk.

Several years later, James himself went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem, he was told to go visit a reclusive eunuch by the name of Pelagius. When he met the monk James did not recognize her because of her emaciated body and sunken face, resulting from years of fasting. Pelagius had gained a reputation for the extremity of his pious behavior and the severity of his ascetic practices. James visited the recluse Pelagius several times, and the fame of this solitary monk spread throughout the surrounding monasteries.

One day, James returned to meet with the hermit, but discovered that the monk had died. Devastated, he went and called upon his fellow brothers to come anoint the body for burial. When they disrobed the body they were amazed to discover that this monk was in fact a woman. James realized that Pelagius and Pelagia were the same person. So, not only was this monk born a woman, but also he had been a harlot. Everyone was in awe that an individual had been able to completely change their life around.

The story of Pelagia/Pelagius is a hybrid of two popular models in hagiographical literature: the reformed prostitute and the female monk. This person was able to find repentance for her luxurious sins by sacrificing both her female sexuality and renouncing the weakness of her gender. Because hagiography is a genre of archetypes, these works can be used to attest what was considered standard versus exceptional behavior. In the texts that are examined in this book, for example, women who can pass as being as intelligent and pious as men are considered extraordinary. This is not to say that many cross-dressing saints did not encounter severe challenges during their life as men.

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Author's Note:

Were there any facts that you learned and found interesting?

Was there anything in this chapter that you found confusing? Or do you have any followup questions?

Thanks,
- Brian