ARSENOKOITHS/ARRENOKOITHS

Steven Craig Miller scmiller at www.plantnet.com
Mon Mar 6 08:41:52 EST 2000


To: Jason Hare,

<< Where can one find references to ARSENOKOITHS/ARRENOKOITHS outside of 
the NT for help in definition? Did the Greeks have another word for 
homosexual, or was this the only one? >>

The Greek term ARSENOKOITAI appears at 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10. It is 
possible that this Greek term was coined by Saint Paul, for there is no 
evidence for this Greek term before the 1st century CE. The wide range of 
guesses at its meaning include: 'homosexuals,' 'perverts,' 'sodomites,' 
'child molesters,' 'male prostitutes' etc. But ARSENOKOITAI appears to be 
an allusion to Leviticus 20:13. The LXX reads:

<< Whoever lies with a male in bed (ARSENOS KOITHN) as with a woman, both 
of them have committed an abomination >> (Lev 20:13a LXX).

The Greek term ARSENOKOITAI would then appear to be a clear allusion to 
ARSENOS KOITHN and thus the context would make it clear that it refers to a 
male homosexual.

-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller at www.plantnet.com
FWIW: I'm neither a clergy-person, nor an academic (and I have no post-grad 
degrees).




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