[B-Greek] ARSENOKOITHS: Did I get this right?
William Zeitler
william at faithfulbible.com
Wed Mar 16 18:41:55 EST 2005
One wonders if early translations of these words -- in the Aramaic NT,
Coptic, Old Latin, etc. -- might shed light on this.
(Certainly beyond my capabilities!)
william zeitler
-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Ann Nyland
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 3:28 PM
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] ARSENOKOITHS: Did I get this right?
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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