Re: finally, some verses...
Submitted by F.O.D. on April 14 1999 at 16:56:19
In reply to finally, some verses... Submitted by scott on April 12 1999 at 23:52:12
|
I don't have too many new thoughts with me today. I'll just touch over a couple. Centurion - it's clear that the centurion loved his boy, but it seems a bit presumptuous to conclude from that that he was in a sexual relationship with the boy. Maybe he consider the boy, his servant, to be like a son (did you ever see Ben Hur? Ben Hur (Charlton Heston) was even formally adopted by his master the Roman official). That fits just as well as the pederastic hypothesis. Jonathan - they have a beautiful relationship, don't they? Maybe I'll write a novel about them some day :) I think all same-gender-attracted relationships should be modelled on them. But at the same time, David's demonstrated heterosexual virility (cf. Michal, Bathsheba), makes me balk at accepting that D & J had a sexual relationship. Or, in other terms, maybe they loved each other enough that they would have wanted to share a sexual relationship (2 Sam 1 seems to make it clear they had that sort of love), but refrained out of respect for God and his laws? The sexual drive is not our master! Indeed (I'm sure I'm grasping here), you might suppose it was the frustration that David felt at not being able to express the depth of his love for Jonathan that finally led him to act out in lust when he took Bathsheba. (But I don't believe this, because in 1 Sam 18 he has the hots for Michal Saul's daughter at the very same time that his friendship with J is starting). Song of Songs - hey, a new one! I've never thought much about this verse before. From the language here "we will build towers of silver on her...we will enclose her with panels of cedar", I get the impression that the sister's emergent sexuality is being recognised, but that it is taken that she is not yet "ripe", and therefore it is the job of the friends to help build her up, make her mature, until the day that she is ready for love (this fits in with my thoughts about the Ezekial passage). Notice also the Beloved's response in v 10 "my breasts are like towers" - she is saying that she is already ready for her Lover, unlike the sister, whose "towers" are yet to be built. As for the Bible study, I am only available during the day, say till 6pm CBF time (Bach can we have a clock can we??), no later, but as I said I'm not so happy about IRC under present circumstances, so maybe you should carry on without me for now. One last thought, probably worth throwing into the Study about sexuality. It's a completely general idea and applies to all areas of life. Eccl 3. There us a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven... a time to embrace and a time to refrain... There is a time for sex, and a time for keeping oneself from sexual relations... May God's spirit lead you all and guide you! Fod |