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  • From: jwest AT highland.net
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Musings on Pauline Studies
  • Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 11:09:11 +0000 (GMT)


> Jim Miller wrote:
>
> > The culture of the Roman Empire was very
> > homophobic. They definitely despised
> > sexuality between adult males (or between
> > females of any age). What they tolerated and
> > approved was pederasty, sex between an
> > adult male and an adolescent boy, usually a slave
> > owner or a brothel patron using a slave boy.
>
> Jim,
>
> This is generally correct, but I don't believe for a
> moment that Paul distinguished "homosexuality" from
> "pederastry", or that the latter was somehow worse
> than the former. The latter was simply a subset of the
> former, which was an abomination in any form. The
> Corinthians passage can be argued to refer to
> pederastry in particular, but the Romans text is
> unambiguous. Paul abhored same-sex unions of any sort
> -- between women (Rom 1:26) and men (Rom 1:27), men
> and boys, etc.

the whole modern perception of ancient views of homosexuality is essentially
incorrect. not only was it *normal* behavior- it was socially acceptable.

modern interpretations of the bible misread paul on this point. there is a
sea
of literature on the subject.

best

jim







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