Gigolos, Johns, and Ritualized Pagan Sex (1 Corinthians 6 and Romans 1) Contemporary Theology Sunday School Class August 10
Translational Issues: Hard Words Authorized Version(King James) of 1611 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. (1 Kings 14:24) New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of 1989 There were also male temple prostitutes (qadesh)* in the land Common English (2012) There were also consecrated men in the land!2
Translational Issues: 1 Cor. 6:9-10 9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators (porneia), idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes (malakoi), sodomites (arsenokoitai), 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.!3
malakoi Literally soft/weak ones. Secondarily effeminate. Meanings: 1)men who play the passive sexual role with men. 2) men who are lazy with no self-control, including those who are too devoted to their women(!) lovers.!4
What was Sexually Normative in Rome in the time of Paul? Active/Masculine Passive/Feminine Male Normative Deviant Female Deviant Normative Disciplined Passionate/Lazy Male Normative Deviant!5
arsenokoitai = arsen (male) + koitē (bed). Sibylline Oracles (2 nd -6 th Centuries): Do not steal seeds. Whoever takes for himself is accused to generations of generations to the scattering of life. Do not arsenkoitein, do not betray information, do not murder. Give one who has labored his wage. Do not oppress a poor man. Acts of John (2 nd Century): And let the murderer know that the punishment he has earned awaits him in double measure after he leaves this (world). So also the poisoner, sorcerer, robber, swindler, and arsenkoites, the thief and all of this band.!6 Leviticus 18:22 in Greek
1 Timothy 1:10 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. 9 This means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, 10 fornicators, sodomites (arksenokoitai), slave-traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Romans 1:18-32 Main Point of 1:18-3:23: The need for faith in the saving grace of God to be justified. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:22-23) Paul does not refer to sexual acts as sin but as the one of the consequences that Gentiles face for refusing the one true God. Paul lists several offenses in vv. 29-31.!8
Romans 1:23-27 23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or fourfooted animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.!9
NATURAL vs. UNNATURAL? Euripides referred to a natural sickness that caused unnatural pain, because the pain was unusually intense. Polybius considered unnatural things that were beyond the ordinary conceptions of mankind. So we must reconsider Paul s use of unnatural in Romans 1:26b: Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural could refer to cultic prostitution or sexually aggressive heterosexual women.!10
What was Sexually Normative (or Natural) in Rome in Paul s time? Active/Masculine Passive/Feminine Male Normative Deviant Female Deviant = Insatiable Lust for men! Disciplined Normative Passionate/Lazy Male Normative Deviant = Extreme Passion ( Crazy!11
What is Unnatural for Men? Early Christians who interpreted these verses about something other male heterogenitality: Tatian Tertullian Origen Augustine John Chrysostom Following Paul, early church fathers considered idol worship as forsaking nature. The Galli Priests were crossdressing, castrated priests. They also performed ritualized sexual activities (as well as frenzied dancing, self-cutting, and begging) as part of Roman/Greek goddess cults. From Paul s perspective, the Galli priests showed no selfcontrol.!12
One Last verse to consider: Matthew 8:5-13 5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6 and saying, Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress. 7 And he said to him, I will come and cure him. 8 The centurion answered, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my slave, Do this, and the slave does it. 10 When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, Truly I tell you, in no one * in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, Go; let it be done for you according to your faith. And the servant was healed in that hour.