rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo) (10/19/84)
Numbers in parentheses refer to page numbers in Boswell's CHRISTIANITY, SOCIAL TOLERANCE, & HOMOSEXUALITY (University of Chicago Press, 1981, $9.95 in paperback). All errors of fact or interpretation are mine. ======================================================================= > "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God? > Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral not idolaters > nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders > nor thieves not the greedy nor drunkards nor swindlers will > inherit the kingdom of God. > And that is what some of you [the Christians of Corinth] were. > But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified > in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ > and by the Spirit of our God." > 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV) Why is this passage taken from NIV, and not NASB, like the others? Could it be the NASB version is not as homophobic? I'll take the same liberty and offer another variant of this text, taken from the Roman Catholic Confraternity Edition of the Bible (based both on the Rheims-Douai edition and on new research & translation). Note the differences: LAWSUITS BEFORE PAGANS: PUBLIC LITIGATION [heading inserted by editors] Or do you know that the unjust will not possess the Kingdom of Heaven? Do not err: neither fornicators nor idolators nor adulterers Nor the effeminate nor sodomites nor thieves nor the covetous nor drunkards nor the evil-tongued will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (C) First note how imprecise translation can be: eg., "swindlers" in NIV becomes "the evil-tongued" in C, hardly the same thing. And note how easily the eye glosses over variants that seem synonymous but whose small difference in meaning may be what counts: NIV's "the greedy" & C's "the covetous". Covetousness can simply be the desire to have without seeking or resulting in possession; it also tends to be applied to the immediate environment. Greed often implies active attempts to acquire and successful possession. The word also suggests that anything, however remote or abstract, can become the object of the "passion" it denotes. For moralities emphasizing acts or end-results or the evil of depriva- tion, this perhaps tiny difference in meaning would be absolutely crucial. CONTINUED [Sorry for the delay in finishing this: I've been enjoying my weekends & goofing off! I'll try to finish this by next week.]