There are a number of passages in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...

and the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

that have been interpreted as involving same-sex sexual activity and relationships. The passages about homosexual individuals and sexual relations in the Hebrew Bible are found primarily in the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

(the first five books traditionally attributed to Moses). Some texts included in the New Testament also reference homosexual individuals and sexual relations, such as the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...

, the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...

, and various letters attributed to the Apostle Paul originally directed to the early Christian churches in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. Both references in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament have been interpreted as referring primarily to male homosexual individuals and

sexual practices Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female. Sex or SEX may also refer to: Biology and behaviour *Animal sexual behaviour **Copulation (zoology) **Human sexual activity ** Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse ...

Hebrew Bible

The

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

and its traditional interpretations in

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

have historically affirmed and endorsed a

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...

and

heteronormative Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality is the preferred or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most f ...

approach towards

human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

, favouring exclusively penetrative vaginal intercourse between men and women within the boundaries of

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

over all other forms of human sexual activity, including autoeroticism,

masturbation Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinatio ...

, oral sex, non-penetrative and non-heterosexual sexual intercourse (all of which have been labeled as "

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sodo ...

" at various times), believing and teaching that such behaviors are forbidden because they're considered

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

ful, and further compared to or derived from the behavior of the alleged residents of

Sodom and Gomorrah Sodom and Gomorrah () were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28). They are mentioned frequ ...

Leviticus 18 and 20

Chapters 18 and 20 of Leviticus form part of the

Holiness code The Holiness code is used in biblical criticism to refer to Leviticus chapters 17–26, and sometimes passages in other books of the Pentateuch, especially Numbers and Exodus. It is so called due to its highly repeated use of the word ''holy'' ...

and list prohibited forms of intercourse, including the following verses: *"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." Chapter 18 verse 22 *"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." Chapter 20 verse 13 More recent interpretations focus on the passage's context as part of the

Holiness Code The Holiness code is used in biblical criticism to refer to Leviticus chapters 17–26, and sometimes passages in other books of the Pentateuch, especially Numbers and Exodus. It is so called due to its highly repeated use of the word ''holy'' ...

, a code of purity meant to distinguish the behavior of the Israelites from the polytheistic

Canaanites {{Cat main, Canaan See also: * :Ancient Israel and Judah Ancient Levant Hebrew Bible nations Ancient Lebanon 0050 Ancient Syria Wikipedia categories named after regions 0050 Phoenicia Amarna Age civilizations ...

. Analyses by Saul Olyan, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Judaic Studies Program at Brown University, K. Renato Lings, and others focus on ambiguities embedded in the original Hebrew, arguing these ambiguities may not prohibit all erotic expression between men but rather proscribe

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

between male family members. They argue English translators of Leviticus added to the original text to compensate for perceived lacunae in the biblical text; but thereby altered the verse's meaning. Leviticus 18:22 reads: The

New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.unattested In linguistics, attested languages are languages (living or dead) that have been documented and for which the evidence (attestation) has survived to the present day. Evidence may be recordings, transcriptions, literature or inscriptions. In contr ...

within the context of Genesis (i.e., is found only within Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, and Genesis 49:4) is crucial to illuminate the incestuous connotation of the passage, and the translation of miškevē in light of Genesis results in the text of Leviticus 18 and 20 becoming more cohesive. Some authors alternatively suggest that the prohibitions in Leviticus 18 and 20 specifically condemn males penetrating other males, thus "emasculating" the latter (

anal intercourse Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. Ot ...

). This makes the prohibitions more akin to a sodomy law.{{sfnp, Brodsky, 2009

Sodom and Gomorrah

{{Main, Sodom and Gomorrah Sodoma - Aldegrever

The story of the destruction of

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

does not explicitly identify homosexuality as the sin for which they were destroyed. Some interpreters find the story of Sodom and a similar one in Judges 19 to condemn the violent rape of guests more than homosexuality, but the passage has historically been interpreted within

and

as a punishment for homosexuality due to the interpretation that the men of Sodom wished to

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, or have sex with, the angels who retrieved Lot. While the Jewish prophets spoke only of lack of charity as the sin of Sodom,{{Cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TfBYd9xVaXcC&pg=PA37 , year=2006 , pages=37–39 , publisher=Harvard University Press , title=Homosexuality & Civilization , first=Louis , last=Crompton, isbn=9780674030060 the exclusively sexual interpretation became so prevalent among Christian communities that the name "Sodom" became the basis of the word "

", still a legal synonym for homosexual and non-procreative sexual acts, particularly anal or oral sex. While the Jewish prophets

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...

, Amos and

Zephaniah Zephaniah (, ) is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Tanakh, the most prominent one being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah (640–609 BCE) and is attributed a book bearing his name among the ...

refer vaguely to the sin of Sodom, Ezekiel specifies that the city was destroyed because of its commission of social injustice as well as its commission of "abomination:" {{Quote, Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. The

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

ic tradition as written between {{c., 370–500 also interprets the sin of Sodom as lack of charity, with the attempted rape of the angels being a manifestation of the city's violation of the social order of hospitality. Later traditions on Sodom's sin, such as '' Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs'', considered it to be an illicit form of heterosexual intercourse. In Jude 1:7–8 the Bible says of Sodom and Gomorrha:

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these ''filthy'' dreamers defile the flesh..."

This has been interpreted as a reference to homosexuality by some and to the sexual lust of mortals after angels by others. Jewish writers

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; grc, Φίλων, Phílōn; he, יְדִידְיָה, Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah); ), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo's deplo ...

({{abbr, d., died AD 50) and

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

(37 –{{c., 100) were the first reported individuals to assert unambiguously that homosexuality was among the sins of Sodom.{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RKhFRgR-1awC&pg=PA201, last=Greenberg, first=David F., title=The Construction of Homosexuality, publisher=University of Chicago Press, year=1990, isbn=978-0-226-30628-5, page=201 By the end of the 1st century AD, Jews commonly identified the sin of Sodom with homosexual practices.

David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi

{{Main, David and Jonathan#Homoeroticism The account of

David and Jonathan David and Jonathan were, according to the Hebrew Bible's Books of Samuel, heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, who formed a covenant, taking a mutual oath. Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David w ...

in the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshu ...

has been interpreted by traditional and mainstream writers as a relationship of affectionate regard. It has also been interpreted by some authors as of a sexual nature. Theologian

Theodore Jennings Theodore Wesley Jennings Jr. (born 1942-2020), also known as Ted Jennings, was an American theologian and Methodist minister. He was Professor of Biblical and Constructive Theology at the United Church of Christ's Chicago Theological Seminary, w ...

identifies the story as one of desire for David by both Saul and Jonathan, stating, "Saul's jealousy has driven avidinto Jonathan's arms." Michael Coogan, lecturer on the Old Testament at Harvard Divinity School, addresses the claim of the alleged homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan and explicitly rejects it.{{sfn, Coogan, 2010, p=121 The story of

Ruth and Naomi The Book of Ruth ( he, מגילת רות, ''Megilath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings (Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the ...

is also occasionally interpreted by contemporary scholars as the story of a lesbian couple. Coogan states that the Hebrew Bible does not even mention lesbianism.{{sfn, Coogan, 2010, p=135

New Testament

{{Main, Homosexuality in the New Testament {{Christianity and sexual orientation, expanded=overview

Romans 1:26–27

Romans 1:26–27 is commonly cited as one instance of New Testament teaching against homosexuality: {{cquote, That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. This passage, part of a larger discourse in 1:18–32, has been debated by contemporary Bible scholars as to its relevance today, what it actually prohibits and whether it represents Paul's view or rhetoric that Paul is actively arguing against.

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and ...

and

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his homilies, preaching and public speaking, his denunciat ...

regarded it as concerning female and male homosexual intercourse, while

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

viewed it as referring to heterosexual and homosexual anal sex. Although Christians of several denominations have historically maintained that this verse is a complete prohibition of all forms of homosexual activity, some 20th- and 21st-century authors contend the passage is not a blanket condemnation of homosexual acts, suggesting, among other interpretations, that the passage condemned heterosexuals who experimented with homosexual activity{{Cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lSSWu9XsD3QC&pg=PA111 , year=2012 , page=111 , publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. , title=Paul Letter to the Romans , first=Colin, last=Kruse, isbn=9780802837431 or that Paul's condemnation was relative to his own culture, in which homosexuality was not understood as an orientation and in which being penetrated was seen as shameful. These interpretations are, however, in a minority. Scholars, noting that Romans 1:18–32 represents an exception in the book of Romans as a whole and uses vocabulary elsewhere not seen in Paul's letters, have for decades puzzled over the passage. Some scholars believe these verses are part of a much larger non-Pauline

interpolation In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...

, a later addition to the letter. Others argue that the grammar of the Greek original demands that Romans 1:18–32 be read as a rhetorical set-up, a summary of Hellenistic Jewish legalist rhetoric that Paul actively forbids followers of Christ from using in Romans 2.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Timothy 1:8–11

In the context of the broader immorality of his audience,

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

wrote in the

First Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author ...

, chapter 6 verses 9-11: {{cquote, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate ({{transl, grc, malakos), nor abusers of themselves with mankind ({{transl, grc, arsenokoitai), Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Timothy 1:8–11 states: {{cquote, But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers; For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind ({{transl, grc, arsenokoitai), for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. In the letter to the Corinthians, within the list of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God, Paul uses two Greek words: {{transl, grc,

malakia ''Malakia'' (, "softness", "weakliness") is an ancient Greek word that, in relation to men, has sometimes been translated as "effeminacy". The contrary characteristic in men was ''karteria'' (, "patient endurance", "perseverance"). Lexicon entr ...

({{lang, grc-x-biblical, μαλακοὶ) and {{transl, grc, arsenokoitai ({{lang, grc-x-biblical, ἀρσενοκοῖται). {{transl, grc, Arsenokoitai is a compound word. Compound words are formed when two or more words are put together to form a new word with a new meaning. In this case, {{transl, grc, arsenokoitai is from the Greek words {{transl, grc, arrhēn/{{transl, grc, arsēn ({{lang, grc-x-biblical, ἄῤῥην/ἄρσην) meaning "male child", and {{transl, grc, koitēn ({{lang, grc-x-biblical, κοίτην) meaning "bed", with a sexual connotation. A direct translation would be "male-bed". Its first recorded use was by Paul in 1 Corinthians and later in 1 Timothy 1 (attributed to Paul), and remains

unattested In linguistics, attested languages are languages (living or dead) that have been documented and for which the evidence (attestation) has survived to the present day. Evidence may be recordings, transcriptions, literature or inscriptions. In contr ...

in contemporaneous sources. Some scholars consider Paul to have adapted this word by translating, to Greek, the verse from Leviticus 20:13, with additional adaption from the wording of the Septuagint translations of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:23{{cite book , last=Greenberg , first=David , title=The Construction of Homosexuality , location=Chicago , publisher=University of Chicago Press , year=1990 , isbn=0-226-30628-3 , url-access=registration , url=https://archive.org/details/constructionofho00gree_0 Due to its unclear definition, English translators struggled with representing the concept of {{transl, grc, arsenokoitai. It has been variously rendered as "sexual perverts" ({{abbr, RSV, Revised Standard Version), "sodomites" ({{abbr, NRSV, New Revised Standard Version), "abusers of themselves with mankind" ({{abbr, KJV, King James Version), "men who have sex with men" ({{abbr, NIV, New International Version) or "practicing homosexuals" ({{abbr, NET, New English Translation). {{transl, grc,

Malakia ''Malakia'' (, "softness", "weakliness") is an ancient Greek word that, in relation to men, has sometimes been translated as "effeminacy". The contrary characteristic in men was ''karteria'' (, "patient endurance", "perseverance"). Lexicon entr ...

({{lang, grc-x-biblical, μαλακία, "softness", "weakliness") is an ancient Greek word that, in relation to men, has sometimes been translated as " effeminacy". Also translates to "of things subject to touch, "soft" (used in Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25 to describe a garment); of things not subject to touch, "gentle"; and, of persons or modes of life, a number of meanings that include "pathic". However, in modern Greek it has come to mean "

", and its derivative {{lang, el, μαλάκας – {{transl, el, malakas means "one who masturbates".

Interpretation

{{POV section, date=May 2016 Bishop Gene Robinson says the early church seemed to have understood it as a person with a "soft" or weak morality; later, it would come to denote (and be translated as) those who engage in masturbation, or "those who abuse themselves"; all that is factually known about the word is that it means "soft".{{Better source needed, date=May 2016 Most scholars hold that Paul had two passages of the

Book of Leviticus The book of Leviticus (, from grc, Λευιτικόν, ; he, וַיִּקְרָא, , "And He called") is the third book of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and of the Old Testament, also known as the Third Book of Moses. Scholars generally agree ...

– Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 – in mind when he used the word {{lang, grc-x-biblical, ἀρσενοκοῖται (which may be of his coinage),{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z8UMY_7jQ50C&pg=RA3-PT593, last=Powell, first=Mark Allan, title=HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, publisher=HarperCollins, year=2011, isbn=978-0-06-207859-9 with most commentators and translators interpreting it as a reference to male same-sex intercourse. However, John Boswell states that it "did not connote homosexuality to Paul or his early readers", and that in later Christian literature the word is used, for instance, by Aristides of Athens ({{c., 138) clearly not for homosexuality and possibly for prostitution,

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...

({{abbr, d., died {{c., 340) who evidently used it in reference to women, and in the writings of 6th-century

Patriarch John IV of Constantinople John IV (died September 2, 595), also known as John Nesteutes (, Ioannes the Faster), was the 33rd bishop or Patriarch of Constantinople (April 11, 582 – 595). He was the first to assume the title '' Ecumenical Patriarch''. He is regarded as ...

, known as John the Faster. In a passage dealing with sexual misconduct, John speaks of {{transl, grc, arsenokoitia as active or passive and says that "many men even commit the sin of {{transl, grc, arsenokoitia with their wives".{{efn, Original Greek: {{lang, grc, "Τὸ μέντοι τῆς ἀρσενοκοιτίας μῦσος πολλοὶ καὶ μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν αὐτῶν ἐκτελοῦσιν" Although the constituent elements of the compound word refer to sleeping with men, he obviously does not use it to mean homosexual intercourse and appears to employ it for anal intercourse, not generic homosexual activity. Particulars of Boswell's arguments are rejected by several scholars in a way qualified as persuasive by David F. Greenberg, who declares usage of the term {{transl, grc, arsenokoites by writers such as Aristides of Athens and Eusebius, and in the Sibylline Oracles, to be "consistent with a homosexual meaning". A discussion document issued by the House of Bishops of the Church of England states that most scholars still hold that the word {{transl, grc, arsenokoites relates to homosexuality. Another work attributed to John the Faster, a series of canons that for various sins provided shorter though stricter penances in place of the previous longer penances, applies a penance of 80 days for "intercourse of men with one another" (canon 9), explained in the '' Pedalion'' as mutual masturbation – double the penalty for solitary masturbation (canon 8) – and three years with xerophagy or, in accordance with the older canon of Basil the Great, 15 without (canon 18) for being "so mad as to copulate with another man" – {{lang, grc-x-biblical, ἀρρενομανήσαντα in the original – explained in the ''Pedalion'' as "guilty of arsenocoetia (i.e., sexual intercourse between males)" – {{lang, grc-x-biblical, ἀρσενοκοίτην in the original. According to the same work, ordination is not to be conferred on someone who as a boy has been the victim of anal intercourse, but this is not the case if the semen was ejaculated between his thighs (canon 19). These canons are included, with commentary, in the ''Pedalion'', the most widely used collection of canons of the

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

, an English translation of which was produced by Denver Cummings and published by the Orthodox Christian Educational Society in 1957 under the title ''The Rudder''. Some scholars consider that the term was not used to refer to a homosexual orientation, but argue that it referred instead to sexual activity. Other scholars have interpreted {{transl, grc, arsenokoitai and {{transl, grc, malakoi (another word that appears in 1 Corinthians 6:9} as referring to weakness and effeminacy or to the practice of exploitative

pederasty Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and anc ...

Jesus's discussion of marriage

In Matthew 19 and parallel in Mark 10, Jesus is asked if a man can divorce his wife. In that context, Jesus replies: {{Quote, text=He answered, "Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female', and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.", source=Matthew 19:4–6 (NRSV) Theologian

Robert A. J. Gagnon Robert A. J. Gagnon (born July 31, 1958) is an American theological writer, professor of New Testament Theology at Houston Baptist University (since 2018), former associate professor of the New Testament at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (19 ...

argues that Jesus's back-to-back references to Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 show that he "presupposed a two-sex requirement for marriage". On the other hand,

Bart Ehrman Bart Denton Ehrman (born 1955) is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including t ...

, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, states of Jesus's references to Genesis 1 and 2, " esus isnot actually defining marriage. He's answering a specific question." Ehrman notes further "And here the conversation is quite easy. In our surviving records Jesus says nothing about same-sex acts or sexual orientation. Nothing. Nada."

Matthew 8; Luke 7

{{Further, Homosexuality in the New Testament#Pais, Healing the centurion's servant In Matthew 8:5–13 and Luke 7:1–10, Jesus heals a centurion's servant who is dying. Daniel A. Helminiak writes that the Greek word {{transl, grc, pais, used in this account to refer to the servant, was sometimes given a sexual meaning. Donald Wold states that its normal meaning is "boy", "child" or "slave" and its application to a boy lover escapes notice in the standard lexica of

Liddell and Scott Liddell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alice Liddell (1852–1934), Lewis Carroll's "muse" * Allan Liddell (1908–1970) * Alvar Lidell (1908–1981), BBC radio announcer and newsreader * Andreas Lidel (1740s–1780s), co ...

and

Bauer Bauer is a German surname meaning "peasant" or "farmer". For notable people sharing the surname, see Bauer (surname). Bauer may also refer to: Education and literature * Bauer's Lexicon, a dictionary of Biblical Greek * Bauer College of Busin ...

. The Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell and Scott registers three meanings of the word {{lang, grc, παῖς ({{transl, grc, pais): a child in relation to descent (son or daughter); a child in relation to age (boy or girl); a slave or servant (male or female). In her detailed study of the episode in Matthew and Luke, Wendy Cotter dismisses as very unlikely the idea that the use of the Greek word {{transl, grc, pais indicated a sexual relationship between the centurion and the young slave.{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nz-E3rdDbpEC&pg=PA125, last=Cotter, first=Wendy, title=The Christ of the Miracle Stories, publisher=Baker Academic, year=2010, isbn=978-0-8010-3950-8, page=125 Matthew's account has parallels in Luke 7:1–10 and John 4:46–53. There are major differences between John's account and those of the two synoptic writers, but such differences exist also between the two synoptic accounts, with next to nothing of the details in Luke 7:2–6 being present also in Matthew.{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iZC-tdB35bAC&pg=PA169, editor-first=Craig A., editor-last=Evans, title=The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Matthew-Luke, publisher=David C. Cook, year=2003, isbn=978-0-7814-3868-1, page=169 The Commentary of Craig A. Evans states that the word {{transl, grc, pais used by Matthew may be that used in the hypothetical source known as Q used by both Matthew and Luke and, since it can mean either son or slave, it became {{transl, grc, doulos (slave) in Luke and {{transl, grc, huios (son) in John. Writers who admit John 4:46–53 as a parallel passage generally interpret Matthew's {{transl, grc, pais as "child" or "boy", while those who exclude it see it as meaning "servant" or "slave". Theodore W. Jennings Jr. and

Tat-Siong Benny Liew Tat-Siong Benny Liew is a Chinese-American New Testament scholar. Biography Liew obtained his BA and MA from Olivet Nazarene University and completed a PhD in New Testament from Vanderbilt University. He taught New Testament at Chicago Theolog ...

write that Roman historical data about patron-client relationships and about same-sex relations among soldiers support the view that the {{transl, grc, pais in Matthew's account is the centurion's "boy-love", and that the centurion did not want Jesus to enter his house for fear the boy would be enamoured of Jesus instead. D.B. Saddington writes that, while he does not exclude the possibility, the evidence the two put forward supports "neither of these interpretations", with Wendy Cotter saying that they fail to take account of Jewish condemnation of pederasty.

Matthew 19:12

In Matthew 19:12, Jesus speaks of

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

s who were born as such, eunuchs who were made so by others, and eunuchs who choose to live as such for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus's reference to eunuchs who were born as such has been interpreted by some commentators as having to do with homosexual orientation;

, for instance, cites in his book "Stromata" (chapter III,1,1) an earlier interpretation from

Basilides Basilides (Greek: Βασιλείδης) was an early Christian Gnostic religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt who taught from 117 to 138 AD, notes that to prove that the heretical sects were "later than the catholic Church," Clement of Alexandri ...

that some men, from birth, are naturally averse to women and should not marry. Catholic priest

John J. McNeill John J. McNeill (1924 or 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American Catholic priest, psychotherapist and academic theologian in the United States, with a particular reputation within the field of queer theology. McNeill was awarded the National ...

writes, "The first category – those eunuchs who have been so from birth – is the closest description we have in the Bible of what we understand today as homosexual."{{Cite book , title=The Church and the homosexual , first=John J. , last=McNeill , pages=64–65 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UD-5Gnn87W8C&pg=PA63 , year=1993 , publisher=Beacon Press , isbn=9780807079317 , edition=4

Acts 8

{{Main, Ethiopian eunuch The Ethiopian eunuch, an early Gentile convert described in Acts 8, has been interpreted by some commentators as an early gay Christian, based on the fact that the word "eunuch" in the Bible was not always used literally, as in Matthew 19:12. Some religious commentators suggest that the combination of "eunuch" together with the title "court official" indicates a literal eunuch who would have been excluded from the Temple by the restriction in Deuteronomy 23:1.{{Cite book , title=The Acts of the Apostles , first1=Luke T., last1=Johnson, first2=Daniel J. , last2=Harrington, page=155, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVLF53DjFPsC&pg=PA155 , year=1992, publisher=Liturgical Press, isbn=0-8146-5807-5

Notes

{{notelist

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

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''Homosexuality in Orthodox Judaism''
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808003231/http://www.lookstein.org/resources/homosexuality_amsel.pdf , date=8 August 2017 . * Boswell, John. 1980 ''Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality''. University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN, 0-226-06711-4 * Brooten, Bernadette. 1998 ''Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism'' University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN, 0-226-07592-3 * Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius.
Hebrew Lexicon entry for Dabaq
'. The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon. * Brunson, Hal. 2007 ''Lesbos, Narcissus, and Paulos: Homosexual Myth and Christian Truth''. {{ISBN, 0-595-40596-7 * {{cite book, last=Coogan, first=Michael, title=God and Sex. What the Bible Really Says, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_gPKQEACAAJ&q=god+and+sex, edition=1st, year=2010, language=en, publisher=Twelve. Hachette Book Group, location=New York, Boston, isbn=978-0-446-54525-9, oclc=505927356 * Crompton, Louis, et al. 2003 ''Homosexuality and Civilization''. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press {{ISBN, 0-674-01197-X * {{cite book, last=Dover, first=Kenneth, year=1978, title=Greek Homosexuality, publisher=Harvard University Press, isbn=0-674-36270-5, url=https://archive.org/details/greekhomosexuali00dove_0 * {{cite journal, last=Durns, first=John Barclay, year=2002, url=http://moses.creighton.edu/jrs/pdf/2002-4.pdf, title=Lot's Wife Looked Back, publisher=Journal of Religion and Society, volume=4, pages=1–16, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060227005417/http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/pdf/2002-4.pdf, archive-date=27 February 2006 * Elliott, John H. 2004
No kingdom of God for softies? or, what was Paul really saying? 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 in context
" ''

Biblical Theology Bulletin The ''Biblical Theology Bulletin'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes articles and book reviews in the fields of biblical studies and, to a lesser extent, theology. The journal was established in 1971 under the editorsh ...

'', Spring 2004. * Gagnon, Robert A. J. 2001 ''The Bible and Homosexual Practice''. Abingdon Press. {{ISBN, 0-687-08413-X * Greenberg, David F. 1988 ''The construction of homosexuality''. University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN, 0-226-30628-3 *Halsall, Paul
''Homosexuality and Catholicism: A Partially Annotated Bibliography''
* Helminiak, Daniel 2000 ''What the Bible really says about homosexuality''. Alamo Square Press. {{ISBN, 1-886360-09-X *Horner, Tom. 1978 ''Jonathan Loved David''. Westminster Press. {{ISBN, 0-664-24185-9 *House of Bishops 1991 ''Issues in Human Sexuality''. Church of England. {{ISBN, 0-7151-3745-X * Jennings, Theodore 2003 ''The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives From the New Testament''. Pilgrim Press. {{ISBN, 0-8298-1535-X *Johns, Loren 200
"Homosexuality and the Bible: A Case Study in the Use of the Bible for Ethics"
Associated

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

Biblical

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

. *Koch, Timothy R 2001 "Cruising as methodology: homoeroticism and the scriptures", in ''Queer Commentary and the Hebrew Bible'', Ken Stone, ed. Pilgrim Press. {{ISBN, 0-8298-1447-7 *Martin, Dale. 1996 "Arsenokoites and malakos: Meanings and Consequences", pp. 117–136. in ''Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality''. Robert Brawley, ed. Westminster Press {{ISBN, 0-664-25638-4. * McNeill, J. J. 1993 ''The Church and the Homosexual''. Beacon Press. (4th edn.). {{ISBN, 0-8070-7931-6 *Nissinen, Martti. 1998 ''Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective.'' Augsburg Fortress Publishers. {{ISBN, 0-8006-2985-X *Ostling, R. N. 200
Book claims Jesus had homosexual relationship
Chicago Sun-Times 29 May 2003. *Robinson, B. A. 1996–200

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. * Robinson, Gene. 2012 ''God Believes in Love. Straight talk about gay marriage''. Vintage Press. {{ISBN, 978-0-307-94809-0 *Satlow, Michael 1995 ''Tasting the Dish: Rabbinic Rhetorics of Sexuality''. Scholars Press. {{ISBN, 0-7885-0159-3 *Townsley, Jeramy 2003

' *Walsh, Jerome T. 2001 �
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13: Who Is Doing What To Whom?
�� Journal of Biblical Literature 120/2, p. 201–209. * Williams, Rowan 2002 'The Body's Grace', in Eugene F. Rogers (ed.), ''Theology and Sexuality: Classic and Contemporary Readings'', Blackwell. {{ISBN, 0-631-21277-9 {{refend {{The Bible {{Religion and LGBT people {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Bible And Homosexuality LGBT and Judaism Judaism-related controversies Homosex Religious law LGBT and Christianity

Homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

Homosexuality-related mass media