dimmo said:
Here it is again with the Greek words they used (Please follow me on this):
9 . . . Be not deceived: neither fornicators [PORNOI], nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [MALAKOI], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [ARSENOKOITAI], 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
There has been a little confusion as to the meaning Paul was trying to give here. The Greek word used for 'homosexuals' is arsenokoitai. That is made out of two words, arseno and koitai.
Well, apparently the meaning of the term arsenokoitai is not as clear as you would wish...here's a more objective treatment of the term:
The original Greek text describes the two behaviors as "malakoi" (some sources quote "malakee,") and "arsenokoitai." Although these is often translated by modern Bibles as "homosexual," we can be fairly certain that this is not the meaning that Paul wanted to convey.
If he had, he would have used the Greek word "paiderasste." That was the standard term at the time for male homosexuals. We can conclude that he probably meant something different from persons who engaged in male-male adult sexual behavior.
"Malakoi" is translated in both Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25 as "soft" (KJV) or as "fine" (NIV) in references to clothing. It could also mean "loose" or "pliable," as in the phrase "loose morals," implying "unethical behavior." In the early Christian church, the words were interpreted by some as referring to persons who are pliable, easily influenced, without courage or stability. Non-Biblical writings of the era used the world to refer to lazy men, men who cannot handle hard work, and cowards. [John] Wesley's Bible Notes defines "Malakoi" as those "Who live in an easy, indolent way; taking up no cross, enduring no hardship." 6
One knowledgeable but anonymous reviewer of our web site said that the word translated here as "effeminate" really "means men not working or advancing ideas so as to concern themselves with love only. Not working for the good of the whole....Our present culture has all sorts of connotations associated with the word 'effeminate' that simply don't apply" to Paul's era. It would seem that the word "effeminate" can only be regarded as a mistranslation.
"Arsenokoitai" is made up of two parts: "arsen" means "man"; "koitai" means "beds." The Septuagint (an ancient, pre-Christian translation of the Old Testament into Greek) translated the Hebrew "quadesh" in I Kings 14:24, 15:12 and 22:46 as "arsenokoitai." They were referring to "male temple prostitutes" - people who engaged in ritual sex in Pagan temples. 4
Some leaders in the early Christian church also thought that it meant temple prostitutes. Some authorities believe that it simply means male prostitutes with female customers - a practice which appears to have been a common practice in the Roman Empire.
One source refers to other writings which contained the word "arsenokoitai:" (Sibylline Oracles 2.70-77, Acts of John; Theophilus of Antioch Ad Autolycum). They suggest that the term refers "to some kind of economic exploitation by means of sex (but no necessarily homosexual sex)." 2 Probably "pimp" or "man living off of the avails of prostitution" would be the closest English translations.
It is worth noting that "[Though] much Greek homosexual erotic literature has survived, none of it contains the word arsenokoitai."
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_bibc1.htm
And anyway, I would tend to view with great skepticism anything Paul had to say condemning homosexuality, since he was most likely a self-loathing homosexual himself.
The man never married, and constantly referred to the "thorn in the flesh" that bedeviled him. If that ain't homoerotic imagery, I don't know what is. He also maintained close companionships with a number of younger men, most notably Timothy.
Quite frankly, you Christians ought to be calling yourselves Paulians, because he is pretty much the one whose gospel you worship. Paul pretty much co-opted a Jewish shamanic prophet's spiritual truths into a form of religion that would be more easily adopted by the pagan Romans.
