Homosexuality in history

March 9, 2005 2:38 AM

I want evidence of consensual practicing homosexual relationships (between, you know, relatively mature people) in the time of Moses; failing that, in the time of Jesus.
posted by Pretty_Generic to society & culture (4 comments total)

Well, if you date Exodus as being around in the period 2450 (as these people suggest) then look from there you get this which suggests some possibilities, particularly an interpretation of the Gilgamesh legend from about that period.
posted by biffa at 3:32 AM on March 9, 2005

Here is a useful bibliography of works on homosexuality in the ancient world. The standard works are Dover on Greek homosexuality and Williams on Roman homosexuality. There is also John Boswell's book, Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, but this is a highly controversial work and not all scholars agree with its conclusions. Discussions of Boswell's work can be found here and here, with guides to further reading.

It sounds from your question as though you are looking for historical evidence that can be used polemically against modern Christian opponents of homosexuality. You need to be careful here, because there are significant differences between ancient and modern understandings of homosexuality which make it difficult to use historical evidence in a modern context. For example, the ancients tended to take very different attitudes towards 'active' and 'passive' homosexual behaviour, which obviously complicates matters if you are looking for examples of consensual homosexual relationships conducted on a basis of equality. There are also considerable problems in interpreting the New Testament prohibitions of homosexuality, some of which I discussed here in a previous AskMeFi thread.
posted by verstegan at 4:17 AM on March 9, 2005

Sappho? Although - the timing's a good seven hundred years too early for Mr Christ.

Great quote from Maximus from Tyrus though
What else was the love of the Lesbian woman except Socrates' art of love? For they seem to me to have practiced love each in their own way, she that of women, he that of men. For they say that both loved many and were captivated by all things beautiful. What Alcibiades and Charmides and Phaedrus were to him, Gyrinna and Atthis and Anactoria were to the Lesbian.
posted by seanyboy at 4:51 AM on March 9, 2005

David and Jonathan were pretty special friends.
posted by norm at 7:52 AM on March 9, 2005