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sophiaserpentia1. The Sexual Code in the Old Testament
The first commandment given to humankind in the Old Testament is, “Be fruitful and multiply.” All sexual prohibitions in the Old Testament can be traced back to this commandment. That is, it was seen as everyone’s sacred duty to reproduce as much as they possibly could. The Old Testament was the product of a pastoral society which had a very high rate of infant mortality.
This society also had an overriding sense of collective duty that is difficult to understand in modern contexts. The commandments of “the Lord” as given in the oldest parts of the Old Testament might be understood as the commands of a ruling conscience governing the Israelite nation, whose morality was primarily focused on the way every action contributed to the collective prosperity, and on the ways actions taken by the nation’s king contributed to the betterment of the kingdom. A man’s prosperity was measured in terms of his successful application of the Lord’s rules, and was thus seen as a sign of the Lord’s approval.
We can see that the sexual code of the Old Testament is aimed at maximizing the reproductive contribution of every person in the nation. The right to marry is given to those men who can materially support a wife and children; those men who can support more than one wife are encouraged to do so. By the time every person is of reproductive age, he or she is already married. Incestuous relations were forbidden because of genetic problems associated with inbreeding.
In line with this analysis, we see that any action that was perceived to be in any way a reduction of one’s reproductive contribution was forbidden. Specifically, many prohibitions regard male conduct; for example, all of Leviticus, chapter 18, is addressed to males. In areas like masturbation or homosexual conduct, attention is paid only to men’s conduct specifically, because such acts by males represent a loss of semen, whereas there is no corresponding loss if women commit such acts. Marital intercourse was restricted to that portion of the menstrual cycle when a female is most likely to conceive.
There are also rules against adultery, non-marital fornication, and prostitution, as these may lead to reproductive confusion or waste of reproductive capacity. Children are generally seen as signs of a man’s prosperity, and so there are rules which exist so that it is clear which man is the father of which child. There exist rules regarding female virginity, but not male virginity, for this reason; if a female who is not a virgin when given to her husband bears a child, it may be unclear who is the father.
2. Christian Views as a Stoic-Influenced Response to a Changing Environment
The urban and cosmopolitan environment in which Christianity was born required an entirely different view towards sexual conduct. In the urban environment, children are not necessarily an economic boon, but may in fact be an economic burden. It is in the Hellenistic and Roman civilizations where we first see an emphasis on monogamy. It is also in this society wherein we first see the idea that sexual abstinence is a sacred practice. (By the rules of the Old Testament, sexual abstinence can be described as a kind of sexual perversion.)
The Christians developed an entirely different sexual rationale. The Christian scheme viewed each person as an individual, rather than a subject of a kingdom. They introduced accordingly a novel idea of salvation, influenced by Stoic philosophy. In the old view, salvation was a national matter -- the Lord’s rebuke or blessing was generally bestowed on the nation as a whole, rather than on each individual. In the new view, salvation was described as a spiritual relationship between God and each individual. Salvation thus did not depend on what nation one came from -- as Paul wrote, “In Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek.”
3. The Permissiveness of Jesus
Jesus demonstrated, in the famous Sermon on the Mount, that orthopraxis (doing what the law tells you to do) is not the key to salvation; salvation, instead, is a spiritual, personal, private matter. Jesus laid out a course of personal spiritual improvement now called theosis, or the process of becoming divinely pure. In this scheme, each person is seen as a work in progress; and so people are to be forgiven of their transgressions rather than shunned or persecuted for them. A transgression is seen now as a mistake, part of an ongoing process of learning, not an unforgivable error.
Correspondingly, early Christian views of sexual morality reflect an unprecedented sense of forgiveness towards sexual transgression. In John 8:3-11, Jesus was confronted by a crowd bearing an accused adulteress, demanding that in accord with the old laws she be stoned to death. Instead of agreeing that she should be put to death, he reminded them that all people have their own history of transgressions, and in light of that none of us has the right to judge one another. He then told the woman, “Now don’t do it again” -- hardly a harsh rebuke! Before that, in John 4:7-26, he offered the “waters of life” to a Samaritan woman even though he was aware of her sexual transgressions. The very fact that he, a Jew, was conversing with her was occasion for shock; but this episode demonstrates well the cosmopolitan attitudes of the early Christians.
4. The Restrictiveness of Paul
Paul introduced a scheme of sexual morality quite different from the one presented in John’s Gospel. Paul clearly believed that Christians should prefer total sexual abstinence. See for example I Corinthians 7:1-9, wherein he described marriage as a sexual concession for those unable to abstain.
Many of Paul’s arguments and views make it seem likely that he belonged to a Jewish sect similar to that which wrote the sectarian scrolls found at Qumran. His sexual views, like his views on predestination and spiritual elitism, fit this pattern. But there is a begrudging acceptance even in Paul’s writings.
In Paul’s view, salvation is offered by Christ even to those who, in the stricter views of his own sect, should not receive it. This attitude permeates Paul’s work but is nowhere clearer than in his views on sex. An important passage on this can be found in I Corinthians, chapter 6. In this passage he brought to bear views which conflicted with his, (given here in quotes) and gave his responses:
[I Corinthians 6:9] “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?” Do not be deceived! “Fornicators, idolators, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,
[10] thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers -- none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.”
[11] But this is what some of you used to be! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Paul demonstrated the paradox inherent in the assertion given here in quotes: if “wrongdoers” cannot inherit the kingdom of God, how is it that many who are within the congregation at Corinth came to be Christians? After all, Paul wrote elsewhere (in his letter to the Roman congregation) that all of us are wrongdoers.
Lest he be seen as too permissive, Paul then, in keeping with his style, anticipated objections to this position and responded to them immediately.
[12] “All things are lawful for me.” But not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me.” But I will not be dominated by anything.
[13] “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.” But God will destroy both one and the other.
Paul then gave his rationale for sexual abstinence among Christians: the body belongs to the Lord (a reflection of the older view described above) and is (literally) a piece of the body of Christ. Sexual misconduct among Christians was thus in his view an act of blasphemy. Paul was unconcerned with people’s sexual conduct before joining the church and did not view it as something which excludes someone from the offer of salvation. He did, however, see joining the church as the first step in joining a spiritual elite, which meant that one has practical responsibilities -- not as a matter of divine law, but as a matter of avoiding discord.
5. The Context of the Sexual Debate Within the Church
History tells us that disdain towards sex won out, but the debates within the early church show that rules regarding sexual conduct were a matter of serious disagreement, particularly in the Second Century. The Valentinian school, for example, sided with the sexually permissive attitude of John’s Gospel, and offered to reconcile this view with Paul by interpreting his anti-sexual views in entirely symbolic or figurative ways. Other schools groups insisted on total abstinence, and the views depicted in texts such as “The Acts of Paul and Thecla” praise sexual abstinence to an almost absurd degree.
One final point -- those groups within the church likely to be sexually permissive tended also to be those which were open to equal or nearly-equal participation by women. This is especially true of the Valentinian and certain other (certainly not all!) Gnostic schools. Disdain for sexual acts in early Christian texts is often expressed hand-in-hand with mistrust of women, in places using the imagery of Eve, Delilah, or Jezebel to depict women as temptresses whose primary purpose seems to be to lead men spiritually astray. In contrast, the Gnostic myth showed Eve as a bringer of wisdom and liberation.
Recommended reading: Elaine Pagels, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent
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challenging_god
The first commandment given to humankind in the Old Testament is, “Be fruitful and multiply.” All sexual prohibitions in the Old Testament can be traced back to this commandment. That is, it was seen as everyone’s sacred duty to reproduce as much as they possibly could. The Old Testament was the product of a pastoral society which had a very high rate of infant mortality.
This society also had an overriding sense of collective duty that is difficult to understand in modern contexts. The commandments of “the Lord” as given in the oldest parts of the Old Testament might be understood as the commands of a ruling conscience governing the Israelite nation, whose morality was primarily focused on the way every action contributed to the collective prosperity, and on the ways actions taken by the nation’s king contributed to the betterment of the kingdom. A man’s prosperity was measured in terms of his successful application of the Lord’s rules, and was thus seen as a sign of the Lord’s approval.
We can see that the sexual code of the Old Testament is aimed at maximizing the reproductive contribution of every person in the nation. The right to marry is given to those men who can materially support a wife and children; those men who can support more than one wife are encouraged to do so. By the time every person is of reproductive age, he or she is already married. Incestuous relations were forbidden because of genetic problems associated with inbreeding.
In line with this analysis, we see that any action that was perceived to be in any way a reduction of one’s reproductive contribution was forbidden. Specifically, many prohibitions regard male conduct; for example, all of Leviticus, chapter 18, is addressed to males. In areas like masturbation or homosexual conduct, attention is paid only to men’s conduct specifically, because such acts by males represent a loss of semen, whereas there is no corresponding loss if women commit such acts. Marital intercourse was restricted to that portion of the menstrual cycle when a female is most likely to conceive.
There are also rules against adultery, non-marital fornication, and prostitution, as these may lead to reproductive confusion or waste of reproductive capacity. Children are generally seen as signs of a man’s prosperity, and so there are rules which exist so that it is clear which man is the father of which child. There exist rules regarding female virginity, but not male virginity, for this reason; if a female who is not a virgin when given to her husband bears a child, it may be unclear who is the father.
2. Christian Views as a Stoic-Influenced Response to a Changing Environment
The urban and cosmopolitan environment in which Christianity was born required an entirely different view towards sexual conduct. In the urban environment, children are not necessarily an economic boon, but may in fact be an economic burden. It is in the Hellenistic and Roman civilizations where we first see an emphasis on monogamy. It is also in this society wherein we first see the idea that sexual abstinence is a sacred practice. (By the rules of the Old Testament, sexual abstinence can be described as a kind of sexual perversion.)
The Christians developed an entirely different sexual rationale. The Christian scheme viewed each person as an individual, rather than a subject of a kingdom. They introduced accordingly a novel idea of salvation, influenced by Stoic philosophy. In the old view, salvation was a national matter -- the Lord’s rebuke or blessing was generally bestowed on the nation as a whole, rather than on each individual. In the new view, salvation was described as a spiritual relationship between God and each individual. Salvation thus did not depend on what nation one came from -- as Paul wrote, “In Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek.”
3. The Permissiveness of Jesus
Jesus demonstrated, in the famous Sermon on the Mount, that orthopraxis (doing what the law tells you to do) is not the key to salvation; salvation, instead, is a spiritual, personal, private matter. Jesus laid out a course of personal spiritual improvement now called theosis, or the process of becoming divinely pure. In this scheme, each person is seen as a work in progress; and so people are to be forgiven of their transgressions rather than shunned or persecuted for them. A transgression is seen now as a mistake, part of an ongoing process of learning, not an unforgivable error.
Correspondingly, early Christian views of sexual morality reflect an unprecedented sense of forgiveness towards sexual transgression. In John 8:3-11, Jesus was confronted by a crowd bearing an accused adulteress, demanding that in accord with the old laws she be stoned to death. Instead of agreeing that she should be put to death, he reminded them that all people have their own history of transgressions, and in light of that none of us has the right to judge one another. He then told the woman, “Now don’t do it again” -- hardly a harsh rebuke! Before that, in John 4:7-26, he offered the “waters of life” to a Samaritan woman even though he was aware of her sexual transgressions. The very fact that he, a Jew, was conversing with her was occasion for shock; but this episode demonstrates well the cosmopolitan attitudes of the early Christians.
4. The Restrictiveness of Paul
Paul introduced a scheme of sexual morality quite different from the one presented in John’s Gospel. Paul clearly believed that Christians should prefer total sexual abstinence. See for example I Corinthians 7:1-9, wherein he described marriage as a sexual concession for those unable to abstain.
Many of Paul’s arguments and views make it seem likely that he belonged to a Jewish sect similar to that which wrote the sectarian scrolls found at Qumran. His sexual views, like his views on predestination and spiritual elitism, fit this pattern. But there is a begrudging acceptance even in Paul’s writings.
In Paul’s view, salvation is offered by Christ even to those who, in the stricter views of his own sect, should not receive it. This attitude permeates Paul’s work but is nowhere clearer than in his views on sex. An important passage on this can be found in I Corinthians, chapter 6. In this passage he brought to bear views which conflicted with his, (given here in quotes) and gave his responses:
[I Corinthians 6:9] “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?” Do not be deceived! “Fornicators, idolators, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,
[10] thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers -- none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.”
[11] But this is what some of you used to be! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Paul demonstrated the paradox inherent in the assertion given here in quotes: if “wrongdoers” cannot inherit the kingdom of God, how is it that many who are within the congregation at Corinth came to be Christians? After all, Paul wrote elsewhere (in his letter to the Roman congregation) that all of us are wrongdoers.
Lest he be seen as too permissive, Paul then, in keeping with his style, anticipated objections to this position and responded to them immediately.
[12] “All things are lawful for me.” But not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me.” But I will not be dominated by anything.
[13] “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.” But God will destroy both one and the other.
Paul then gave his rationale for sexual abstinence among Christians: the body belongs to the Lord (a reflection of the older view described above) and is (literally) a piece of the body of Christ. Sexual misconduct among Christians was thus in his view an act of blasphemy. Paul was unconcerned with people’s sexual conduct before joining the church and did not view it as something which excludes someone from the offer of salvation. He did, however, see joining the church as the first step in joining a spiritual elite, which meant that one has practical responsibilities -- not as a matter of divine law, but as a matter of avoiding discord.
5. The Context of the Sexual Debate Within the Church
History tells us that disdain towards sex won out, but the debates within the early church show that rules regarding sexual conduct were a matter of serious disagreement, particularly in the Second Century. The Valentinian school, for example, sided with the sexually permissive attitude of John’s Gospel, and offered to reconcile this view with Paul by interpreting his anti-sexual views in entirely symbolic or figurative ways. Other schools groups insisted on total abstinence, and the views depicted in texts such as “The Acts of Paul and Thecla” praise sexual abstinence to an almost absurd degree.
One final point -- those groups within the church likely to be sexually permissive tended also to be those which were open to equal or nearly-equal participation by women. This is especially true of the Valentinian and certain other (certainly not all!) Gnostic schools. Disdain for sexual acts in early Christian texts is often expressed hand-in-hand with mistrust of women, in places using the imagery of Eve, Delilah, or Jezebel to depict women as temptresses whose primary purpose seems to be to lead men spiritually astray. In contrast, the Gnostic myth showed Eve as a bringer of wisdom and liberation.
Recommended reading: Elaine Pagels, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent
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challenging_god
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As regards your number # 3, Miss Sophia...
Date: 2004-05-21 02:32 pm (UTC)In addition to that, there's the fact that the Roman centurion who was rewarded with the accolade, "Never have I seen greater faith among the Jews," when Christ acceded to his request to cure his "body-slave," was actually requesting that his minion or catamite or something like that be cured, because such slave boys were required by Roman LAW and custom to be at the disposition of their masters for sexual satisfactions. And even if THIS Roman warrior was not "living in sin" with his catamite, all the people standing around Christ and him would have ASSUMED that to be the case--the custom and practice being that widespread among the slaveowners of the Graeco-Roman world. Apart from these two possible incidences of actual contact with homosexuality, however, the notion that Jesus would never have been confronted by homosexual behaviour in a country occupied by Romans is preposterous. Homosexuality among Romans and their Greek servants and secretaries would have stared Him in the face, and, if he'd wanted to denounce it, the occasions would have been ample.
Re: As regards your number # 3, Miss Sophia...
Date: 2004-05-21 02:37 pm (UTC)