This is a guest post from John Pike , making the case that loving, faithful same-sex relations were known in antiquity, amongst other kinds of same-sex sexual relationships. John is a GP in the Bristol area whom I know online. We have had some very interesting discussions in the context of our having quite different views on whether the Church should change its teaching on marriage and same-sex sexual relationships.
But, as with such discussions, we often find unexpected things in common. John here makes the case that, in the range of patterns of relationship, loving and faithful same-sex relationships were known in antiquity, drawing on academic work which is itself based on primary research. Although I might assess parts of the evidence differently, I think he is essentially correct; it seems extraordinary to suppose that contemporary examples of such relationships are a modern constructionβand outside the Church debate this is a widely held view, and one that deserves to be taken seriously.
Same-sex relationships, and views about them, seem to have been as diverse then as they are now. It includes sections on the Ancient Near East, more on Ancient Greece, and a section on female homoeroticism.
John Pike writes: When one looks at the biblical texts that refer to same gender sexual behaviour, it is important to try and understand exactly what acts took place at various stages of history and to ask whether the biblical writers were aware of the acts and types of relationships that we now know existed.
Were those writers aware of people who we now refer to as lesbian, gay or bisexual? Why are the acts condemned? Did the biblical condemnations apply to people in loving relationships then and, if so, do they still apply to those types of relationships today?
