The biggest problem we have with the homosexual debate is getting to the root of some of the words that were used in the New Testament that translate into different sexual practices. Part of the problem is that we don't always have the best understanding of what certain words meant to people in Bible days, and part of the problem is that the values and customs of the Greek/Roman ways are not the same as what we have today. Therefore, it is important for us to study the meanings of the words that the Bible uses that some translators claim is homosexuality.
Fair warning: Even with the best studies at our disposal, there are still questions unanswered about the precise meanings of some of the words we are dealing with.
ANCIENT CUSTOMS
The following are quick facts about homosexuality in the ancient times. If you want more information there is plenty on the internet and in books that lean one way or another in the debate.
1. Homosexuality was either in vogue or despised, depending upon the era. In other words, it was not constant; during one decade it may be unpopular, but a decade later it may be accepted.
2. Although we don't know much about the lower classes, when homosexuality was in vogue, we know that it was popular among the upper classes.
3. There were two types of male homosexuals - the male (the dominant) and the female who was considered soft, effeminant and deemed to be like a woman.
4. Not all soft and effeminate men were homosexual, but all of them were generally looked down on in society.
5. Wealthy mentors oftentimes took on young boys (under 12 was not considered good) to teach them about life and to receive erotic love. When the boy grew a full set of hair (beard and etc.) he was no longer the recipient of this sex.
6. Wealthy men also took young teenage slave boys as recipients of their sexual desires.
7. Homosexuality was not considered "a way of life" as it is thought of today in the 21st Century.
NEW TESTAMENT WORD STUDIES
The following words are oftentimes associated with homosexuality.
1. Pornos - Those who practice pornos will not inherit the kingom of God; so if they are Christians who practice pornos, they are to be shunned. In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the word to describe the behavior of a man who lived with his father's wife. He asked the Corinthians to shun the man until he repented; which he did.
2. Malakos - The meaning is "effeminate" - the Greek culture emphasized the importance of men living up to man like qualities. Many did not like qualities relating to women such as listening to too much music. Although some have suggested that malakos is a homosexual partner that plays the woman (the receiver), others have pointed out that malakos was not used anywhere else in any other greek literature as a word for homosexual.
3. Arsenkoites - Paul is the first person ever to use this word which literally translates as follows:
"Koites" generally denotes licentious sexual activities, and corresponds to the active person in intercourse, and "arsen", simply means "male". Both koitai and arseno were used side by side in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 (in the LXX/Greek translation which was used in the First Century). And I have already looked into Leviticus and concluded that some sort of homosexual behavior was being condemned (whether temple prostitution or regular). It is possible that Paul combined the two words from Leviticus to create a new word that had never been used before.
People have translated arsenkoites as either a man who has a lot of loose sex with women, a man who takes on a young boy or girl for his pleasures (as has been discussed) or a homosexual.
CONCLUSIONS
From a purely grammatical point of view, there is ambiguity with these words. We don't know enough about the 1st Century culture (both Greek and Roman) to be able to develop clear conclusions or exact definitions for them.
There is just enough ambiguity in these words to leave us with several possible definitions, so anybody can read into them what they want it to say. I am sure that there will be plenty of people who will say that the words are very clear; but that's only because their own pro or anti homosexual world views are blocking other possibilities.
Until now, there has been a lot of ambiguity with the words in both Old and New Testament that we translate homosexual, whoremonger, sodomite, and so on.
And in studying how the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was viewed by other writers in the Bible, it became obvious that the writers in the Bible were usually more concerned with the sins of their own day and age than the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, so homosexuality was never clearly mentioned (although it is clear that some sort of abomination was mentioned - probably the intended violent rape that was homosexual in nature). Maybe Romans 1 will give us more clarification.
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