The words
“homosexual” and “heterosexual” were first coined as German nouns by
Austrian-born Hungarian psychologist, Karoly Maria Benkert, in the late 19th
century, who wrote under pseudonym K.M. Kertbeny.
Ed Oxford is a
scholar and researcher. A gay Christian, as well as a graduate of the Talbot
School of Theology, his specialty is the history of the Bible, focusing on
Bible translations, with a focus on the Greek and Hebrew translations,
especially those that relate to human sexuality. Kathy Baldock is an LGBTQ+
advocate and executive director of Canyon Walker Connections, an organization
dedicated to repairing “the division that exists between social and Christian
conservatives and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through
education, training, and dialogue in both secular and religious environments.”
Each had been
dedicated to researching the roots of antigay theology, and together have
written Forging a Sacred Weapon: How the Bible Became Anti-Gay, and
they are also the researchers behind the documentary, 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture. In
the process of this research, they discovered boxes and boxes of notes in the
Yale University archives, among them a half-century old letter written by a
young seminarian named David S., to the RSV — Revised Standard Version of the
Bible — committee.
Now, the
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, is, according to the National
Council of Churches, the “authorized revision of the American Standard
Version, published in 1901, which was a revision of the King James Version,
published in 1611.”
This is
important to know, because the actual word “homosexual” appears for the first
time on February 11, 1946 in the Revised Standard Version. In it, their
translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9, they substitute the word “homosexual” for the
the Greek words “malakoi” and “arsenokoitai.”
Further, as
Oxford shares with Forge, a nonprofit organization that “that
creates space for post-evangelical conversations, which includes tools and
resources for lgbtq+ inclusion in the church,” “…we went to Leviticus
18:22 and [the translator is] translating it for me word for word. In the
English where it says, ‘Man shall not lie with man, for it is an abomination,’
the German version says, ‘Man shall not lie with young boys as he does with a
woman, for it is an abomination.’ I said, ‘What?! Are you sure?’ He said,
‘Yes!” Then we went to Leviticus 20:13— same thing, ‘Young boys.’ So we went to
1 Corinthians to see how they translated arsenokoitai (original Greek word) and
instead of homosexuals it said, ‘Boy molesters will not inherit the kingdom of
God.’”
Further from
there, Oxford shares, “I then grabbed my facsimile copy of Martin Luther’s
original German translation from 1534. My friend is reading through it for me
and he says, “Ed, this says the same thing!” They use the word knabenschander.
Knaben is boy, schander is molester. This word ‘boy molesters’ for the most part
carried through the next several centuries of German Bible translations.
Knabenschander is also in 1 Timothy 1:10. So the interesting thing is, I asked
if they ever changed the word arsenokoitai to homosexual in modern
translations. So my friend found it and told me, ‘The first time
homosexual appears in a German translation is 1983.’”
Although the
mistake was corrected from “homosexual” to “sexual perverts” in the Revised
Standard Version in 1971, the damage had been heavily done, with the word
“homosexual” appearing in most translations of the Bible, mostly in 1
Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10. This became the fuel for the antigay
movement embraced by American conservative Christians, as well as others around
the world.
The
documentary, 1946,
explores and enlightens about this issue, using research and physical evidence,
as well as the testimony of scholars, academics, and experts in the
field. The movie also features an original score from celebrated queer
musician Mary Lambert.
As the
director, Sharon “Rocky” Roggio, has said, “It is my goal to change the
Christian narrative and liberate the many LGBTQIA+ people living in the dark;
oppressed by bad theology. I want us all to live and be acknowledged as equals,
under God’s love. There are truths that must be shared.”
Check
out 1946themovie.com for
ways to watch the documentary.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
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