Editing Balls (section)

=== ✝️ Early Christianity ===

* '''Origen of Alexandria (185–254 CE)'''
** A famous early Christian theologian.
** According to Eusebius (his biographer), he castrated himself as a young man, inspired by Matthew 19:12 ("there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven").
** Later the Church condemned this practice, but it shows that some Christian thinkers took the idea very literally.
* '''Saints & “holy eunuchs”'''
** Some Christian hagiographies mention men who were eunuchs by birth or castration and were regarded as ascetics, since their lack of sexual desire was linked to purity.
** For example, the '''Ethiopian eunuch''' in Acts 8:27–39 (baptized by Philip) was one of the earliest recorded converts to Christianity.

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