The New Testament’s References to Same-Sex Sex in their Greco-Roman Cultural and Historical Context

My project is a collection, assessment, and examination of ancient descriptions of, and attitudes toward same-sex behavior. By establishing a broad Greco-Roman cultural setting, I will examine Paul's references to same-sex behavior. This will bring forward commonalities and differences. The goal is to paint an accurate picture of the ancient perceptions of same-sex behaviors and those in the New Testament. I will demonstrate that the ancient perceptions of same-sex behaviors and those in the New Testament solely rely on the unjust use of another body for sexual satisfaction. The display in the contrasting power dynamic and the reported sexual relations were governed by hierarchical contrast pertaining to social status (class standing) and sexual hierarchy. Following that, I will demonstrate how arsenokoitēs and malakos have been mistranslated in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 to mean “homosexual” by analyzing its uses in other ancient literature. Arsenokoitēs means some sort of sexual exploitation (such as prostitution) and malakos means something that is soft/feminine. Obviously, the implications of such an examination might be used in modern-day debates over what Scripture has to say about sexuality today. Those debates are often undertaken in ignorance about the biblical texts and how they might have been read by their earliest audiences.