Book Excerpts

Changing Societal Attitudes Towards Sexuality | Holy Censorship or Mistranslation? EXCERPT

Holy Censorship or Mistranslation? does a close reading of the Bible and some of its key translations, to reveal that negative Christian attitudes to sexuality are not rooted in the sacred text but in centuries of mistranslations by modern translators. Combining meticulous scholarship with an accessible writing style, this book offers essential insights into a subject that affects millions. Read an excerpt:

Sex in the Greek Testament

According to several philosophical schools of the Hellenistic period, the concept of pathos, ‘passion’, is something that wise and knowledgeable men should avoid, particularly in the sexual sphere (Loader 2013: 103, 108–11). In certain ways this idea is in keeping with views expressed in the Greek Testament, although early Christian writers only address sexual issues to a limited extent. In his letter to the Colossians 3:5, the apostle Paul urges readers and listeners to turn away from ‘impurity, passion and evil lust’ because such thoughts and impulses are regarded as unchristian.

In the light of his own celibacy, Paul advises the whole congregation in Corinth to follow his example (1 Cor 7:7–8). At the same time, he acknowledges that some believers find the unmarried state to be too challenging for them (7:9). Perhaps this is partly true of Paul himself. Several commentators have wondered about the meaning of Paul’s cryptic reference to a personal weakness in the form of ‘a thorn in the flesh’ (2 Cor 12:7). Some are inclined to interpret this as an allusion to sexual impulses that he is struggling to keep in check.4 Paul is aware that, within marriage, disagreements may arise if the spouses feel differently about having sex. He advises them to treat one another with consideration to avoid undue temptations (7:5).

A few writings included in the Greek Testament address the more problematic sides of people’s sexuality. One of the most important concepts is moicheia, which is often translated as ‘adultery’ or ‘infidelity’. The verb moicheuō, ‘to commit adultery’, appears in Mt 5:28. In this case, Jesus shocks his listeners by declaring that the mere fact of directing a lustful glance at somebody else’s wife equals infidelity. The adulterer or unfaithful man is called moichos, plural moichoi. It also occurs in the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee who gives thanks to God for being less sinful than other people, including adulterers (Lk 18:11). A frequent, related concept is porneia. Some debate exists among scholars as to its specific meaning (Loader 2004: 84; Martin 2006: 67), but in a series of cases it refers to irresponsible, reprehensible or ‘loose’ sexual liaisons, including intercourse with prostitutes. According to Acts 15:20, the Christian assembly held in Jerusalem agreed that followers of the way of Christ should abstain from all forms of porneia and idolatry.

Paul vehemently opposes the idea of Christian men having sex with prostitutes (1 Cor 6:15–18). Quoting Gen 2:24 he argues that two people who have sexual intercourse become ‘one flesh’. This rather free interpretation of the creation story is based on the Greek Septuagint version where the word sarx, ‘flesh’, sometimes has sexual overtones (Loader 2004: 42; Loader 2013: 16). Hence, in 1 Cor 6 Paul compares the act of frequenting a pornē, ‘prostitute’, with Gen 2:24 where a man ‘cleaves’ to his wife. For the apostle, the sex act equals cleaving (kollōmenos) to a woman. He extends this view to the religious sphere by saying that, for Christians, being physically intimate with a prostitute is a violation of their bonding with Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:15).

The sexual interpretation of Gen 2:24, which has proved very popular to this day, virtually begins here.5 What Paul overlooks is the basic meaning of the Hebrew term basar, which throughout the Hebrew Testament has no sexual connotation (Loader 2013: 20). In addition to ‘flesh’ in the literal, physical sense, the word often translates as ‘close relative’, ‘blood relative’, ‘family unit’ or ‘kinship circle’ (cf. Gen 29:14; Lev 18:6; Loader 2004: 87).

Same-sex Intimacy in the Bible

Only one explicit text dealing with a certain form of sexual intimacy between men is featured in the Hebrew Testament. It occurs in two variants in the book of Leviticus. In both cases the main verb is shakhav, ‘lie down’. As this short passage is extremely difficult to translate, I will discuss it in more detail in chapter 7.

Various linguistic expressions are used in the Greek Testament to describe same-sex intimacy. Many commentators have suggested that Rom 1:26 provides an example of relationships between women. However, the Greek wording is highly ambiguous. In two verses of this letter, Paul initially speaks of pathē atimias, ‘dishonourable passions’. The concept alludes to both the idolatrous women of 1:26 and their male counterparts in 1:27. With respect to the men, it appears that they practised some form of orgiastic group sex. Paul stresses the fact that such passions were rooted in idolatry, a point he is making throughout the section 1:18–32.

On a more intimate level, Lk 17 describes situations that will arise in the end times. In 17:34 one such situation is presented in these terms: ‘That night two will be on the same bed. One shall be taken away, the other left behind’. Without being specific, the gospel writer suggests that two persons, possibly male, are sharing a bed. However, whether they just happen to sleep next to each other or have a close relationship is left unsaid.

 

To read more, order your copy of Holy Censorship or Mistranslation?.

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