[B-Greek] ARSENOKOITHS: Did I get this right?

Ann Nyland nyland at tsn.cc
Wed Mar 16 18:28:07 EST 2005


The article http://www.clgs.org/5/5_4_3.html
 states
"As others have noted, vice lists are sometimes organized into groups of 
"sins," with sins put together that have something to do with one another.9 
First are listed, say, vices of sex, then those of violence, then others 
related to economics or injustice. Analyzing the occurrence of arsenokoités 
in different vice lists, I noticed that it often occurs not where we would 
expect to find reference to homosexual intercourse - that is, along with 
adultery (moicheia) and prostitution or illicit sex (porneia) - but among 
vices related to economic injustice or exploitation. Though this provides 
little to go on, I suggest that a careful analysis of the actual context of 
the use of arsenokoités, free from linguistically specious arguments from 
etymology or the word's separate parts, indicates that arsenokoités had a 
more specific meaning in Greco-Roman culture than homosexual penetration in 
general, a meaning that is now lost to us. It seems to have referred to some 
kind of economic exploitation by means of sex, perhaps but not necessarily 
homosexual sex."

He quotes the following from the Sibylene Oracles:
"(Never accept in your hand a gift which derives from unjust deeds.)
Do not steal seeds. Whoever takes for himself is accursed (to generations of 
generations, to the scattering of life.
Do not arsenokoitein, do not betray information, do not murder.) Give one 
who has labored his wage. Do not oppress a poor man. Take heed of your 
speech. Keep a secret matter in your heart. (Make provision for orphans and 
widows and those in need.)
Do not be willing to act unjustly, and therefore do not give leave to one 
who is acting unjustly."

His comment on this is "The term occurs in a list of what we might call 
"economic sins," actions related to economic injustice or exploitation: 
accepting gifts from unjust sources, extortion, withholding wages, 
oppressing the poor. "Stealing seeds" probably refers to the hoarding of 
grain; in the ancient world, the poor often accused the rich of withholding 
grain from the market as a price-fixing strategy."

It was suggested to me, and it seems most likely to me, that it has to do 
with the "stealing" of "seeds."  By being an ARSENOKOITHS he is "scattering 
life."

Ann Nyland

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jonathan Robie" <jwrobie at mindspring.com>
To: "Joseph Weaks" <j.weaks at tcu.edu>
Cc: "b-greek Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 6:15 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] ARSENOKOITHS: Did I get this right?


> Joseph Weaks wrote
>
>> Surely, if you are to be so bold as to bring up such a controversial 
>> topic in B-Greek, you should go to lengths to represent both sides in a 
>> fair way.
>
> Just found one of the articles referenced by BDAG, an article by Dale 
> Martin, a student of Boswell:
>
> http://www.clgs.org/5/5_4_3.html
>
> I'd been looking for this, and had not known it was available online.
>
> Jonathan




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