Separating the Secular from the Spiritual: Wives, Sons and Clients of the Clergy in Late AntiqueHispania

Abstract

Like elsewhere in the Latin West, by the mid-seventh century, holding episcopal office in northwestern Hispania had become honorable not only in spiritual terms, but also for the access to revenue and prestige it provided. This paper uses written and material sources to argue that some bishops merged their sacred duties with worldly ambitions, which made it difficult for members of the lower clergy to progress within the church hierarchy through diligence, piety and seniority alone. Clerical marriages and the families they produced created a financial imperative for presbyters and deacons to maintain good relations with the bishops in charge of their promotions and appointments. However, even working to become the favorite of a particular bishop did not guarantee security for the members of the lower clergy and their dependents in the northwestern Visigothic Kingdom.