Sodomy: A History of a Christian Biblical Myth

by Michael Carden

The biblical narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah has served as an archetypal story of divine antipathy towards same sex love and desire. 'Sodomy' offers a study of the reception of this story in Christian and Jewish traditions from antiquity to the Reformation. The book argues that the homophobic interpretation of Sodom and Gomorrah is a Christian invention which emerged in the first few centuries of the Christian era. The Jewish tradition - in which Sodom and Gomorrah are associated primarily with inhospitality, xenophobia and abuse of the poor - presents a very different picture. The book will be of interest to students and scholars seeking a fresh perspective on biblical approaches to sexuality.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Sodom is probably the biggest WTF misreading in the bible. Glad he includes midrash in the study. Excellent resource.

[Jeff Hinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary and intense! Scholarly and a challenging read, but shows the animus toward LGBQT people by portions of the christian church is not actually biblical at all. Fascinating explanation of early church writings and the deveoplemnt of the church postion on male homesexality and sexual practices outside of procreative ( missionary positions ONLY ) sexual expression, The book clearly shows that the 10th century church altered the sin of the people of Sodom ( the actual sin is the citizens of SOdom was in hospitality and treating "the other" { visitors and foreigners} respectfully....)
The author was a scholar and professor of Notre Dame and has multiple Ph.D.s

[Santiago Velez · Rating 3 out of 5]

El autor realiza un recorrido suficientemente amplio a través de la historia de la interpretación de Génesis 18 -19. La variedad de las fuentes y autores es bastante buena y sería un trabajo realmente bueno si no estuviera marcado constantemente con la ideología del autor, una justificación repetitiva de la homosexualidad que hace perder en muchos casos la objetividad al analizar los textos que cita y la riqueza de la temática que está tratando. Sin embargo, con una lectura crítica, el libro es una buena fuente acerca de la comprensión en el judaismo y el cristianismo del pecado de Sodoma.

[Cep Subhan KM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Try to move on from a homophobic person based on religious doctrine? This book is a good starting point. Its argument is simple: there is always a lost part of a story in our first reading. The book tries to find that part, for us.