Development of Greek Terms in the NT
Danny Andre' Dixon
bereandad at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 21 13:57:15 EDT 2002
Kent:
Based on the reading I've done in Robin Scroggs work,
I think a case can be made for Paul having created the
noun ARSENOKOITHS, which in the NIV is inaccurately
(or at least imprecisely, I would maintain),
translated "homosexual offenders."
As you may well know, the psychological term
"homosexual" never occurred in an English translation
of the Bible until 1946 in the Revised Standard
Version where two Greek terms in 1 Corinthians 6:9
were combined into one English word, homosexuals.
The first word is ARSENOKOITHS, which is a compound
word formed from the noun ARSEN, "male," and KOITEW,
"I bed [sexually]," suggesting the translation as
simply "a male who beds/lies with (i.e. has sexual
intercourse with)another male." The second word is
MALAKOS (not a New Testament invenstion), literally
translated "soft," to be understood figuratively in
the present discussion.
Options of Interpretation
1. As if roles were not switched in contemporary
sexual romps, the two Greek words may simply describe
active and passive roles in homoerotic intercourse.
And anyone engaging in it, as the 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
indicates, would "not inherit the kingdom of heaven."
2. A large body of evidence has the words describe the
most widely accepted male-male sexual practice at the
time of the New Testament writings, namely
Graeco-Roman pederasty described as early as the time
of Socrates and onward.
Here the ARSENOKOITHS would have been an older man, a
patron, who took on a responsibility, in something of
a mentorship, the MALAKOS, provided financially for
the boy's education and introduction to society, and
in return shared in willing intercourse of different
kinds with the boy.
This is called "man-boy love" because the written
descriptions in the various texts and
then-contemporary pottery depictions represent
intercourse between a bearded person with one who was
not. In art of the time, one with a beard represented
an older man, and one who was beardless represented an
adolescent. Only rarely is there either discussion or
paintings describing two bearded individuals engaging
in intercourse, although there is much more evidence
of homoerotic behavior between adolescents.
Abusively at times, the older man would tire of the
boy for various reasons, not the least of which was
that he began to grow facial hair, which was
considered unattractive and undesirable. Consequently,
the boy would be let go for someone more desirable.
Equally abusive was the fact that sometimes
sophisticated boys in the pederastic [man-boy love]
arrangement would exploit the older men whom they
seduced, in order to get money and gifts. The idea
that has been suggested is that Paul was condemning
the abuse in the relationships between men and boys,
regardless of the direction from which it originated.
3. Additionally, ample evidence describes the MALAKOS
as being a "call boy" or male prostitute who exploited
and manipulated the ARSENOKOITHS or older men. Mark
Antony was said to be such a prostitute before coming
into his own position as a leader in the Roman Empire
at the time of Julius Caesar. The interpretation here
is that Paul was condemning male homosexual
prostitutes and those who had sexual intercourse with
them, declaring that they were "unrighteous" and would
"not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9).
He points out that some of the Corinthian Christians
had been ARSENOKOITAI and MALAKOI, but were no longer.
They were "washed," "sanctified," and "justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of
our God" (1 Corinthians 6:10).
4. Significant is the fact that the Apostle Paul seems
to be the first writer to use ARSENOKOITHS (in 1
Corinthians 6:9). The possibility exists that Paul,
who was familiar with the Old Testament translation
into Greek simply repeats the Old Testament
prohibition of Leviticus 18:22 [with the death penalty
prescribed for this behavior in 20:13]. In Lev. 18:22
in the LXX, we find the terms ARSEN and KOITH in the
sentence and with a man do not lie [META ARSENOS OU
KOIMHQHSH] the lying of a woman [KOITHN GUNAIKEIAN],
means "have sexual intercourse with a man as one does
with a woman." In this passage it would imply
homoerotic intercourse without consideration of the
age of the partners.
Again, however, the majority of the Paul-contemporary
writings describes man-boy homoerotic intercourse,
even though he appears to have coined the term first,
whatever he meant by it.
5. Also to repeat, regarding the term MALAKOS in 1
Corinthians 6:10, the term literally means "soft," and
was used of catamites or male prostitutes, especially
when it is used in contexts where the Greek word
ARSENOKOITHS is also used (Bauer, 109, 488). The idea
that has been suggested is that in this passage Paul
is condemning this particular abusive exploitation and
not general homosexuality. Paul says in the passage
that MALAKOI and ARSENOKOITAI "will not inherit the
kingdom of heaven" (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10).
Regards,
Danny A Dixon, M.A.
3702 Murray Ct.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
--------------------
Works:
Bauer, Walter, W.F. Arndt and F.W. Gingrich, A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other
Early Christian Literature 2nd edition revised and
augmented by F.W. Gingrich and F.W. Danker.Chicago:
The University of Chicago Press, 1979. S.v.:
"arsenokoites," p. 109 and "malakos," p. 488.
Brenton, Sir Lancelot C.L., The Septuagint with
Apocrypha: Greek and English. Originally published by
Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., London, 1851. My edition
is that printed by Hendrikson Publishers, June 2001.
P. 153
Scroggs, Robin. The New Testament and Homosexuality.
Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1983.
=====
Danny Andre' Dixon
817-732-7072 Home
817-938-DIXN (3496) Cell
Host of Frogs Examining Truth. Check it out at www.FrogTrek.cc
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