Sex and the church Notes
Jewish attitude to sex- High value of sex along as it led to the birth of
children
Concern for the physical survival
Reproduction was a sacred duty
Every man and woman had a duty to get married including priests and rabbis
Jews thought sex was to be enjoyed to create a good family life
Male culture
Legally male husband’s possessed their wife’s, the woman’s job was to serve
them and their place was in the home
Men got the idea women were nothing but trouble from the bible when eve ate
the poisoned apple
Genesis 3:16 “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
http://biblehub.com/genesis/3-16.htm
Be fruitful and multiply
Jews practiced polygamy
Homosexuality was condemned, though discussing lesbians was fine. It was
only men who 'mattered'. In the Old Testament it says, "Thou shalt not lie
with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination".
Abominations: Trimming your beard, getting a tattoo and mixing fabric with
clothing
Romans deeply admired the Greeks and adopted many of their customs including
their attitudes towards sex
One strand the Greek sexual tradition affirmed sexuality, they celebrated
sexual pleasure and the world of the senses
The Greeks celebrated physical beauty, stressing the importance of lovely
bodies, especially males
Also they celebrated the penis, it held the power of reproduction and it was
a symbol of good luck
Penises warded of the evil eye
Greek society was also dominated by men, they kept their women indoors,
wives had no more rights than slaves, and their sole sexual purpose was to bare
children, preferably boys
Not all women were wives, "men had other needs too"
Around 340bc the Athenian states man said we have courtesans for your
pleasure, prostitutes to service our daily needs and wives to bare us our
legitimate children and to look after our housekeeping. (All women were there
to serve men one way or another).
The Greeks encouraged relationships between a young man and an older role
model, it was an important part of becoming a citizen. The older man was
expected to teach the younger man how to play their part in society.
Rules: The older man must be active and the younger man was to be passive
The younger man had to be of a certain age, if he was any younger it would
be a wrong form and any older they would suspiciously look like full time
homosexuals.
