In Paul’s world, if a man took the active role in a sexual encounter, his behavior was deemed “natural,” but if he took the passive role, his behavior was considered “unnatural,” for he had taken the presumed position of a woman, deemed in that culture to be his inferior. The opposite was true for women: sexual passivity was deemed “natural,” while dominance was “unnatural.” These ideas were rooted in the honor-shame cultures of the Mediterranean and heavily influenced by patriarchal assumptions.
