Everyone influences.
Whether it is by our actions or by what we produce, everything we do has the potential to influence other people and what they believe. According to 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture documentary, that happened on a broad scale last century. You can check out the trailer for the film below:
The film was released late in 2022, but from what I can tell, it’s not had a theatrical run; you can only see it by attending a film festival it’s being aired at. As such, I haven’t seen it as of yet. I would like to, but consequently, I will try to steer clear of the film’s contents. This post will instead be a discussion surrounding the text the film was based upon – 1 Corinthians 6:9.
From the research I have done, the film’s major claim is that the word homosexual first appeared in the Bible in 1946. Subsequently, Christianity has seen a significant change within its theology surrounding the sin of homosexuality. Naturally, if there is any validity to this claim, there is potential for it to dramatically affect the Church in its current condition.
Here’s the text in question:
“9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV.
It’s basically a list of vices. In this text, Paul broadly describes problems that hinder people from following Jesus. Is it possible that the idea of practising homosexuality was introduced into the RSV translation in 1946, affecting subsequent translations in the following decades?
Yes.
But does that mean it is an inaccurate translation?
Not necessarily. Let’s look into it a little further.
The early copies of 1 Corinthians were written in Koine Greek (Koine meaning common). It’s no longer a spoken language, but scholars do understand it and through teams of translators, can accurately translate the language into modern Bibles. So let’s look at the Greek text that has allegedly been mistranslated.
An important word the text uses early is ἄδικοι (adikoi). It’s a descriptive word for someone who violates or has violated justice. It can be someone who deals fraudulently with others, but it’s also unrighteousness and sin. At the very least, it is clear this word refers to people that most of us wouldn’t keep company with. Schreiner simplifies it by translating it as wrongdoers[1]. What is interesting is the list that follows. It’s descriptive, meaning that the following actions exemplify the adikoi person.
In particular, I will look at what has been translated into: men who practice homosexuality. Paul uses two words: μαλακοὶ (malakoi) and ἀρσενοκοῖται (arsenokoitai).
Malakoi can refer to effeminate, soft touch. These things may not be a problem themselves, but the word most commonly refers to a passive homosexual partner. Historically this may have been a male prostitute or an older male domineering a younger male. In this word there is no sense of consent present, which provides some distinction between what is currently accepted through consent. Considering the context of the broader passage in 1 Corinthians, especially arsenokoitai that follows, it is likely that Paul is referring to homosexual relations.
Arsenokoitai appears to be a conjunction of two words: aresenos koitēn. Together, this translates to “bed of a male”. Given that the author Paul was well-educated in both Greek and the Hebrew scriptures and culture, it is highly likely that he was directly referring to the following verses in Leviticus:
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”
Leviticus 18:22 ESV.
“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.”
Leviticus 20:13a ESV.
Irrespective of consent, here both people involved in the homosexual activity have committed sin in the eyes of the Lord. So when considering both malakoi and arsenokoitai together, it becomes clear that Paul is condemning the act of homosexuality in all its forms. While it is possible that the word homosexual was first introduced to Scripture in 1946, that does not mean it is an inappropriate translation. The evidence suggests otherwise.
Similarly, Christianity builds doctrine from the testimony of the entire Bible. Its disapproval of homosexuality is not restricted to 1 Corinthians 6:9. We’ve already looked at Leviticus briefly too. But Romans (also written by the Apostle Paul) is another text which paints a clear picture.
It begins by highlighting that: “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24 ESV). Why? “Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (1:25). Paul continues:
“26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
Romans 1:26-27 ESV.
This text does not include the specific word homosexuality. But again, it provides clear witness that part of humanity’s sinfulness is displayed through homosexual activity. God’s word broadly condemns the behaviour and therefore, even if 1946’s claim is accurate, it ultimately is irrelevant.
But one final point must be made. God does not discriminate. If you’re reading this and you’re being challenged by this, understand that homosexual activity is not the only thing God disdains. It is only one of the symptoms of our sin. All sins cause us to fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). The call of the Gospel has always been to:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 3:2 ESV.
We’re called to set aside our sins, the ways we fail and fall short, and follow Jesus. Does that mean we won’t sin anymore? No. But we actively seek not to sin. We replace our desires with Jesus. He becomes our first love. Many of us will continue to struggle with sin despite following Jesus. In this context, you might even struggle with homosexual desire. But the call of Christ is to not act on that. Just as an unmarried, heterosexual Christian is called to refrain from sexual activity outside of marriage, the same call is valid for those with homosexual attraction. All sin is a problem, and the Holy Spirit works with us, transforming us to purify us of it (Romans 12:2). It’s a long journey, one which won’t be fulfilled until the last day.
God bless.
[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 12 of 15, Perlego.
Leave a Reply