Gay leviticus
Has 'Homosexual' Always Been in the Bible?
Reprinted with permission from The Forge Online
The pos “arsenokoitai” shows up in two unlike verses in the bible, but it was not translated to mean “homosexual” until 1946.
We got to sit down with Ed Oxford at his residence in Long Beach, California and communicate about this doubt.
You have been part of a study team that is seeking to know how the judgment was made to put the synonyms homosexual in the bible. Is that true?
Ed: Yes. It first showed up in the RSV translation. So before figuring out why they decided to operate that word in the RSV translation (which is outlined in my upcoming book with Kathy Baldock, Forging a Sacred Weapon: How the Bible Became Anti-Gay) I wanted to see how other cultures and translations treated the same verses when they were translated during the Reformation 500 years ago. So I started collecting old Bibles in French, German, Irish, Gaelic, Czechoslovakian, Polish… you mention it. Now I’ve got most European major languages that I’ve collected over time. Anyway, I had a German buddy come back to town and I asked if he could help me with some pa
The Bible on Homosexual Behavior
One way to argue against these passages is to make what I call the “shellfish objection.” Keith Sharpe puts it this way: “Until Christian fundamentalists boycott shellfish restaurants, stop wearing poly-cotton T-shirts, and stone to death their wayward offspring, there is no obligation to listen to their diatribes about homosexuality being a sin” (The Gay Gospels, 21).
In other words, if we can disregard rules like the exclude on eating shellfish in Leviticus 11:12, then we should be allowed to disobey other prohibitions from the Old Testament. But this argument confuses the Aged Testament’s temporary ceremonial laws with its permanent moral laws.
Here’s an analogy to help understand this distinction.
I remember two rules my mom gave me when I was young: hold her hand when I cross the avenue and don’t drink what’s under the sink. Today, I include to follow only the latter rule, since the former is no longer needed to shield me. In fact, it would now do me more impair than good.
Old Testament ritual/ceremonial laws were like mom’s handholding govern. The reason they forbade the Israelites from using certain fabrics or foods, or interacting with bodily
Today is the first morning of pride month! Content Pride!
I wanted to speak about the Torah, and what it says about being gay, and male lover relationships. I am culturally Jewish, and an atheist. I think that studying the Torah is intriguing for two reasons: First, it is a culturally significant work of ancient literature. Second, it contains law codes that many people structure their lives around. I don’t ponder it reveals anything about any higher power, but I think it’s worth studying regardless.
The Torah is often interpreted to bar gay relationships and sex. In my opinion, that is not an reliable interpretation of the chat, and I’d like to discuss this matter of interpretation. I am exiting to the side questions of morality, ethics, excellent law codes, etc. I want to focus purely on the question, “What does the Torah actually say?”
I want to attention in particular on two passages in the Torah that are often interpreted as banning gay relationships and/or sex, Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. I will be using the translation found in “The Torah: A Modern Commentary, Revised Edition”, edited by Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut, linked above.
I believe that with a full reading, in context, and with
Leviticus 18:22
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”[1] It is not a surprise that this verse seems to say that gay male sex is forbidden in the eyes of God. The dominant view of western Christianity forbids queer relations. This verse is one of the clobber passages that people cite from the Bible to condemn homosexuality. This essay first looks at the various ways the verse is translated into the English Bible and then explores some of the strategies used to create an affirming interpretation of what this route means for the LGBTQ community. More specifically, it presents the interpretation of K. Renato Lings in which Lev. 18:22 refers to male-on-male incest.
While Lev. 18:22 is used to condemn homosexuality, we must recognize that the word “homosexuality” was only recently coined in the English language. So did this term exist in ancient Israel? Charles D. Myers, Jr. confirms that none of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible mention homosexuality.[2] He also contends that in ancient Israel same-sex relations were viewed as an ancient Close East problem. The ancient Near East tradition included pederasty and relations between an older gentleman and