LGBT arguments and the Bible
What is the meaning of arsenokoitai, which Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 6:9 –11 and 1 Timothy 1:10–12? The Revisionist Answer Arsenokoitai cannot refer to “homosexuals” because there is no preceding occurrence of this word with such a meaning. In the lists of vices, the word means “ homosexual acts ,” “pederasts,” or “active male prostitutes ” or refers to ritual impurity . These were the prevalent forms of homosexual activity that found some disapproval in contemporary codes or among the Jews . Paul’s word cannot refer to those of a homosexual orientation or to those who live in a mutually respectful and committed homosexual relationship; these are modern phenomena, unknown to Paul. The Biblical Answer The English term homosexuals is an appropriate correspondent to arsenokoitai, given both ancient sexual practice and today’s usage. We have ample evidence that ancient Greeks and Romans knew about homosexual orientation and that some Greeks practiced a mutually respectful, commit...