Established 1970

Ancient Greece and Rome took homosexuality in their stride, so today's anti-homosexual bigotry comes from the Judaeo-Christian heritage (see Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10.

Interestingly, the struggle against this bigotry has resulted in a re-examination of these texts, and the story of Sodom (Genesis 19). Commentators now see it as the story of an attempted pack rape, an outrage which was made worse because the rapists were under an obligation to offer hospitality to strangers.

Most Bible references to Sodom (for example, Matthew 10:14-15), use it as a symbol of overall wickedness. Only one, Jude 7, deals exclusively with the sexual aspect, and even it mentions "fornication" before it mentions "going after strange flesh". Ezekiel, by contrast, gives quite a different emphasis, stressing the sins of "pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness" and "neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy". "Abominations", which refers to serving other gods as well as illicit sex, comes last (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

Then there is the love story of David and Jonathan. Raphael Patai says:

The love between the two young men is described in exactly the same terms and phrases which are used in connection with the love of man and woman: "The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul..." (1 Samuel 18:1). "Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David." (1 Samuel 19:2). As to David's feelings towards Jonathan, these are described in his beautiful lament over his friend after Jonathan's death: "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Wonderful was thy love to me, passing the love of women!" (2 Samuel 1:26). The reference here could be homosexual love. The high praise accorded in this Davidic lament to love between the two men as against heterosexual love, reminds us ... of the spirit that pervades Plato's Symposium. Patai, R., Family, Love and the Bible, London, MacGibbon & Kee, 1960, pages 153-154.

Saul, Jonathan's father, seemed to have little doubt about the nature of the relationship between David and his son. As he said to Jonathan:

... do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? 1 Samuel 20:30.

Nor does the meaning of the last word in this passage seem all that obscure:

... they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 1 Samuel 20:41.

Orthodox commentators, however, remain convinced that David and Jonathan were just good friends.