Boswell [1980] argues from silence that if Paul wanted to offer a blanket condemnation of homosexuality he could have used existing words. Boswell is wrong. Arseen is not anthropos; gyne is not theleia. Paul chose gender-emphatic words (Dallas 279). Paul's use of arsenokoitai is the first record that we have of the word being used. It parallels Leviticus 20 "lying with men." (Scroggs) If Paul wanted to narrow his discussion to male prostitutes, he would have said pornos (Dallas 281). Jesus condemns porneia, which means prostitution, but it also means more broadly fornication outside of marriage.

Several critiques of Boswell's advocacy scholarship are available. (Sheehan; Young; Hays; Wright) Socarides ([1995] 306) cites in particular Boswell's affidavit filed against Amendment 2 in the District Court in Colorado in October 1993. There Boswell argues that because the medieval church denounced gays and Jews in the same language, unprejudiced people should accept both.

21 August 1996. Copyright information is available.