The first five books of the Old
Testament are called the Pentateuch (literally 5 tools). They are traditionally attributed
to Moses as their author and contain The Law (Torah). The law contains more than six
hundred regulations governing every day living for the Children of Israel. They cover
everything from instructions on how to wear clothes and prepare ceremonial foods to laws
concerning the observance of holy days and punishment requirements for certain crimes. The
law was specifically given to the Israelites and never intended to be the law for the
Gentiles. In that sense most of us have never been under the Law and there is no need for
us to be under it now.
The Apostle Paul observed that the
ones who have fallen away from grace (Galatians 5:4) are the ones who put themselves under
the Law (the Judaizers) and are not those without the Law. The Law was given to show the
righteousness of God, giving people knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20) and the impossibility
of anyone being able to measure up and be accepted by God on the basis of keeping it.
The major source of condemnation
today against homosexuality and other social and moral issues, has come from those who
have not fully grasped the significance of the law of Grace as opposed to the Law of Moses
and their belief that homosexuality is a violation of God's Law. Nearly every argument
against homosexuality has at its root the Law of Moses. They mistakenly believe that
sodomy is forbidden by the Law. But this is untrue. The word sodomy is a modern word,
coined under the mistaken belief that Sodom was destroyed because of homosexuality. The
word sodomy has taken on new meanings in this century referring to any sexual act other
than copulation between a man and a woman who are married to each other. It varies from
state to state in its legal definition. This variance illustrates one of the prime
difficulties in understanding the scripture in its original language. To understand what
the writer has written, one must understand the words the writer used as the writer
understood them. Word meanings change over time and the unlearned can come away from
passages with a total misunderstanding of the writer's meaning.
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 have been
traditionally translated to condemn homosexual acts and appears in our modern translations
to be clear-cut prohibitions. Some have even said these passages would justify the killing
of homosexuals. Would these people also kill adulterers as well (Lev 20:10)? Following
suit they would also have to prescribe the death penalty for their stubborn and rebellious
sons (Deut 21:18-21). One thing is clear from Paul's teaching: anyone who puts themselves
under the Law obligates themselves to keep the whole Law (Gal 5:3) or they are worthy of
death.
In truth, it is uncertain what Lev
18:22 is saying. The literal translation reads, "You shall not sleep the sleep of a
woman with a man; it is ritually impure."
Many scholars believe that this
saying represents an idiom that has lost its meaning over time due to cultural traditions
of the time long since forgotten. John Boswell makes a case in Christianity, Social
Tolerance and Homosexuality that this prohibition cannot be a blanket condemnation of
homosexuality because the writer uses the Hebrew "toevah" (# 8441) referring to
the act as being "detestable" or an "abomination." The Hebrews used
special words to condemn specific wicked or abominable misdeeds. If this passage had been
referring to sexual misconduct, the writer would have used the word "zimmah"
(#2154) instead of "toevah.".
The land was full of idolatry. The
Palestinian god of the sun, Baal and his consort, the fertility goddess Ashtoreh, were
commonly worshipped in the area and "toevah" appears throughout the Law to
denounce idolatrous practices. But "zimman" is used whenever immoral acts such
as prostitution or rape are the subject. Whatever the detestable acts here are being
prohibited have something to do with idolatry.
In the New Testament, we find that
Jesus said nothing we can identify about homosexuality, even though homosexual
relationships must have undoubtedly been very prevalent at the time due to the widespread
influence of the Greek culture. Had these relationships been such detestable acts, either
he or certainly Paul would clearly have commented on it. Some will, of course, argue that
Paul did comment on it and we will deal with these views in the next section.
