When I picked up this book at my local bookstore, I first was happy because I noticed from afar that it was thin. But then I felt dread because up close, I noticed “Ph.D.” attached to the author’s name. I braced myself for what I thought would be a tough read on a very well-researched subject.
I must have braced too much. In the end, I was almost disappointed by the summary nature of the book, and thus, the lack of certain details. This is not to say that I was disappointed by the book. Only that as someone who is fascinated by language from an historical point of view, I’d have appreciated more. For instance, there really are only a handful of verses in the Bible that appear to have anything to say about homosexuality. Within each, there usually is a key word or two that nails down the heart of the matter. The list from the Old Testament is so short that I can provide the words right here: “To know” from Genesis, and “abomination” and “lyings” from Leviticus. My complaint is, why not show us the actual Hebrew words? The original Greek text is shown for the New Testament passages later, thankfully, and to actual benefit.
It’s a small potatoes complaint. The rest is all praise. The book is reasonable reading. Helminiak hammers his points home with a repetition that is almost, um, biblical. You may already know all of the passages quoted here as “anti-gay.” What this book provides is a defense against them. For instance, “abomination” back in days of the 12 Tribes of Israel, really was used to denote “unclean.”
Another major bonus is a section devoted to passages that may, in fact, be pro-gay. I found it odd, but not at all suprising, that the fundamentalists who have taught me the anti-gay passages over the years never bothered to mention the much more friendly stuff. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the Jesus/Centurion story, and that of David, who must have been quite a knockout, what with all the love and jealously that he evoked in the men around him. Here is one reasonable translation of 1 Samuel 16:21: “When David came to Saul and he [David] had an erection in his presence, he [Saul] loved him greatly.” Later, the appalled Samuel says, “Surely, thrusts in the rear are an offense.” Samuel laments further, saying that the Kingdom of Israel will pass to David, “Saul’s darling.” Who knew the First Century was full of jealous bitches and size queens?
The list of sources at the end of the book includes a brief synopsis of each title, making further research on a particular passage easier. However, I wish that Helminiak didn’t editorialize so much here. I’d rather be the one to say that a source was convincing (or not) in its arguments. Still a novel idea, and a worthwhile book.