Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #9: 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10

Nissinen treats 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10 under the same heading. The texts read: "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes (malakos), sodomites (arsenokoitēs), thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #8: Romans 1:26-27

In chapter six, Nissinen proceeds to address NT passages dealing with homoeroticism. He identifies three: Rom 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9; and 1 Tim 1:10. Nissinen opens in contending that "Paul himself was flesh and blood, an educated male of Hellenistic Jewish origin whose worldview and moral standards, even after his conversion to Jesus Christ, had …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #7: Judaism

In the following chapter, Nissinen turns to attitudes towards homoeroticism in ancient Judaism. He begins with the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. Here, the moral depravity of the Gentiles comes into focus, and homoeroticism is given as an example: "The majority of other men defile themselves in their relationships, thereby committing a serious offense, and lands and …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #6: Ancient Greece and Rome

In his next chapter, Nissinen turns to homoeroticism in classical antiquity. This will provide important background context for the ways that homoeroticism is approached in the NT. Nissinen begins with Greek pederasty, from paiderastia, love for boys, which was a form of homoeroticism that took place between adult men and boys. The majority of sources concerning …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #5: Gibeah, Ham and Noah, and David and Jonathan

Nissinen addresses three other OT texts that relate to homoeroticism in the OT: Judges 19; Gen 9:20-27; and 1 Sam 18-20; 2 Sam 1:26. Judges 19 presents a similar story to that of Genesis 19 (Sodom), and Nissinen suspects the texts may be related, perhaps Judges 19 being later, but he doesn't go into detail …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #4: Sodom

Having addressed the prohibitions in Leviticus, Nissinen proceeds to the destruction of Sodom in Gen 19:1-11: "The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground. He said, 'Please, my …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #3: Leviticus

In this third post, I address Nissinen's comments on OT biblical texts dealing with homoeroticism. I will just focus on Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 in this post, but in the same chapter Nissinen will also address Genesis 19:1-11; Judges 19; Genesis 9:20-27; 1 Sam 18-20; and 2 Sam 1:26. Because of the paucity of such …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #2: Ancient Mesopotamia

In this second post I address the first chapter of Nissinen's book, that on homoeroticism in ancient Mesopotamia. The opening paragraph is worth quoting in full: "Ancient Near Eastern sources document same-sex erotic interaction meagerly and ambiguously. The available material comes mostly from Mesopotamia. With regard to other significant cultures of that area, those of …

Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen #1: Introduction

I was recently lent Marti Nissinen's Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, trans. by Kirsi Stjerna (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1998). The book is twenty years old this year so I'm not sure how up to date it is, but it seemed like topical work and one that is worth writing about. This first post …

Ancient Wisdom–Modern World: 2018 Vose Conference

Last week I attended the 2018 conference at Vose Seminary in Perth, Australia, to present my paper on Ecclesiastes. I cannot give much more information as I expect it to go under peer review soon. The conference was aimed at pastors, addressing the theme of biblical wisdom, which included both the wisdom literature and the …