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Jonathan Loved David: Homosexuality in Biblical Times
In this thoughtful exploration of a sensitive issue, Tom Horner considers all the references to homosexuality in the Bible--the stories of Sodom and Gibeah, David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, and passages from Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Romans, I Corinthians, and I Timothy. He includes an important discussion of the words and actions of Christ in their biblical and historical context, to determine what conclusions can validly be inferred about Jesus and sexuality. This book contains suggestions for further reading and a complete list of biblical references to homosexuality. Teachers, students, and anyone open to reconsidering homosexuality in the light of the Scriptures will profit from this clearly written work.
168 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 28, 2010
This is an amazing analysis of the history and context around those texts in the Bible that refer to homosexual practice. The verses that are so often quoted to support the view that 'the Bible condemns homosexuality'.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In nine chapters the author goes through the references, adds facts from other written sources of the time and provides enough data to clear up many misunderstandings. Personally, I found the last chapter to be the most illuminating. Tom Horner talks about Jesus and sexuality - and clarifies the point that Jesus was about spirituality and love. What he spoke up against was hypocrisy and lack of inclusiveness, not any particular kind of sexual orientation or behavior.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have some facts at their disposal when next encountering a bigoted argument against same sex relationships. Even though it was written in 1978, the facts haven't changed and are as valid today as they were back then.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In nine chapters the author goes through the references, adds facts from other written sources of the time and provides enough data to clear up many misunderstandings. Personally, I found the last chapter to be the most illuminating. Tom Horner talks about Jesus and sexuality - and clarifies the point that Jesus was about spirituality and love. What he spoke up against was hypocrisy and lack of inclusiveness, not any particular kind of sexual orientation or behavior.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have some facts at their disposal when next encountering a bigoted argument against same sex relationships. Even though it was written in 1978, the facts haven't changed and are as valid today as they were back then.
August 26, 2014
One of the best books I've read regarding homosexuality and the Bible. Very in-depth and balanced explanation of Scripture within the context of its time and culture. Highly recommended.
July 11, 2025
Christ can remain what he has always been: a Man for All People.
Jonathan definitely loved David bro. Those guys were totally doing it just like Achilles and Patroclus 😭😭😭😭😭. Also I really liked how Tom was like ancient greece and near east were all like totally fine with gay people.
Something that opened my eyes a little more was his comment on why there wasn’t like gay marriage back then: kids were your social security net when you get old. No kids means no one takes care of you when you’re old. Also I like how he was like… a lot of people were probably bi in the past seeing how they were in heterosexual marriages but also guys totally banged.
Also banger alert on his exegesis: the Bible nowhere condemns gay relationships (even celebrating David and Jonathan). It condemns fertility rituals in cultic worship of other gods which involved sex between members of the same sex.
Gas bro. Ate this one up. Minus one star bc he was lowkey orientalist but what can you expect from a white guy in the 70s.
Jonathan definitely loved David bro. Those guys were totally doing it just like Achilles and Patroclus 😭😭😭😭😭. Also I really liked how Tom was like ancient greece and near east were all like totally fine with gay people.
Something that opened my eyes a little more was his comment on why there wasn’t like gay marriage back then: kids were your social security net when you get old. No kids means no one takes care of you when you’re old. Also I like how he was like… a lot of people were probably bi in the past seeing how they were in heterosexual marriages but also guys totally banged.
Also banger alert on his exegesis: the Bible nowhere condemns gay relationships (even celebrating David and Jonathan). It condemns fertility rituals in cultic worship of other gods which involved sex between members of the same sex.
Gas bro. Ate this one up. Minus one star bc he was lowkey orientalist but what can you expect from a white guy in the 70s.
July 22, 2016
A more interesting than usual exploration of the subject of homosexuality in Biblical times, not, necessarily, with a view to focus on just the passages which anti-LGBTQ interpreters have used to justify their bias, but also with a view towards understanding the contexts that the writers of Scripture inhabited. Especially informative are the chapters on David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi, which he upholds as possible examples of same-sex love consistent with the contexts in which these stories are set.
July 3, 2024
A PIONEERING EXAMINATION OF THE BIBLE AND HOMOSEXUALITY
Tom M. Horner (b. 1927) is an Episcopalian priest who holds degrees from the Duke University Divinity School and Columbia University. He has taught courses in religion at The College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, New York.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, “Today many clergy and laypersons of homosexual orientation do not want to leave their own communions but choose to work from within---for change… No one knows how many more there are---both within and without the churches---who are waiting for fellow Christians to accept them in Christian love. And why do the churches hesitate? Why do they not simply accept homosexuality as a harmless sexual option, at least for certain individuals?... The reasons are varied. Some persons within the churches are perhaps opposed because in many places homosexuality is still ‘against the law.’ … Many people are opposed because society still generally disapproves. It is not the main purpose of this book to prove that society may be wrong on this issue… Perhaps the most significant reason for the hesitation of many within the churches … is their understanding of the teachings of Holy Scripture… [But] How much do the people in the churches really know about homosexuality in biblical times?”
He quotes the famous words of Ruth to Naomi in Ruth 1:17, and comments, “Whether there existed a relationship of physical love between Ruth and Naomi cannot be demonstrated. However, the right words are there. Certainly no other sexual relationship was possible for either of them at the time these words were expressed and for a long time thereafter.” (Pg. 20) Later, he adds, “I have not sought to convince readers that there WAS a homosexual relationship between the two women, but simply to keep open the possibility that such a relationship could have existed.” (Pg. 45)
He quotes 1 Samuel 18:1-4, and observes, “But WHEN the two men come from a society that for two hundred years had lived in the shadow of the Philistine culture, which accepted homosexuality… when one of them---who is the social superior of the two---publicly makes a display of his love… when they meet secretly and kiss each other and shed copious tears at parting; when one of them proclaims that his love for the other surpassed his love for women… we have every reason to believe that a homosexual relationship existed.” (Pg. 27-28)
He says of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, “One of the most interesting factors in regard to the penalty for homosexuality here is that such a decree did not exist---and probably could not have existed---at any earlier period in Israel’s history. Thus, a great deal depends upon … the date of this particular portion of Leviticus. When was the book written, and by whom? Certainly not by Moses! It was compiled by reforming priests … [and] most likely completed about 400 B.C. … It is difficult to understand how the reference in Leviticus 20:13 could have appeared at any earlier time.” (Pg. 76-77)
He suggests, “What was [Paul’s] ‘thorn in the flesh’? [2 Cor 12:7]… Several things might be suggested: epilepsy, arthritis, eye trouble---and also latent homosexuality… this last-named condition… might have been an unconscious problem in Paul… What we do know is that Paul made rather strong demands upon others, that they avoid sex altogether if they could; therefore it is most certain that he lived by that same code himself.” (Pg. 88) He adds about 1 Cor 6:9-10, “We can only believe that Paul, influenced both by his own Jewish background and by what he knew to be widespread practices among the Greeks… EITHER composed the list with great care and forethought OR dashed it off hurriedly---we can never know which---but in any case including those things that would be especially relevant to the situation in Corinth.” (Pg. 95)
He states, “Because he apparently did not need sex, Paul assumed that others could do without it too. But those who cannot, fortunately, can still follow Paul in his major theological teaching, which is that we are saved not by anything that we do anyway but by grace of God in Jesus Christ… regarding excessive lust, however, there is no doubt that Paul would have considered this sinful, whether heterosexual or homosexual.” (Pg. 106-107)
He points out, “The Gospels contain a gold mine of material on interpersonal relationships. And what is NOT said is also of some importance… the Bible never uses the words ‘homosexual,’ ‘heterosexual,’ and ‘bisexual’---these are modern terms. The Bible… makes reference to two men lying together, as we have seen. But even such references as these are not found in the Gospels… [and] there is still no reason to conclude that homosexuality was not known to these writers---and to Jesus himself… On thing is clear, and that is Jesus Christ mad no public pronouncements on homosexuality. Some of his followers, however, have been less restrained…” (Pg. 110)
He observes, “That Jesus supported the indissolubility of marriage, however, is not to say that he thought marriage was for everyone. He never said that. Naturally he would not have. He himself was single. If he ever considered marriage, the Bible does not mention it.” (Pg. 113)
This is one of the most useful books on open/affirming views of homosexuality in the Bible; it will be “must reading” for anyone seriously studying the subject.
Tom M. Horner (b. 1927) is an Episcopalian priest who holds degrees from the Duke University Divinity School and Columbia University. He has taught courses in religion at The College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, New York.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, “Today many clergy and laypersons of homosexual orientation do not want to leave their own communions but choose to work from within---for change… No one knows how many more there are---both within and without the churches---who are waiting for fellow Christians to accept them in Christian love. And why do the churches hesitate? Why do they not simply accept homosexuality as a harmless sexual option, at least for certain individuals?... The reasons are varied. Some persons within the churches are perhaps opposed because in many places homosexuality is still ‘against the law.’ … Many people are opposed because society still generally disapproves. It is not the main purpose of this book to prove that society may be wrong on this issue… Perhaps the most significant reason for the hesitation of many within the churches … is their understanding of the teachings of Holy Scripture… [But] How much do the people in the churches really know about homosexuality in biblical times?”
He quotes the famous words of Ruth to Naomi in Ruth 1:17, and comments, “Whether there existed a relationship of physical love between Ruth and Naomi cannot be demonstrated. However, the right words are there. Certainly no other sexual relationship was possible for either of them at the time these words were expressed and for a long time thereafter.” (Pg. 20) Later, he adds, “I have not sought to convince readers that there WAS a homosexual relationship between the two women, but simply to keep open the possibility that such a relationship could have existed.” (Pg. 45)
He quotes 1 Samuel 18:1-4, and observes, “But WHEN the two men come from a society that for two hundred years had lived in the shadow of the Philistine culture, which accepted homosexuality… when one of them---who is the social superior of the two---publicly makes a display of his love… when they meet secretly and kiss each other and shed copious tears at parting; when one of them proclaims that his love for the other surpassed his love for women… we have every reason to believe that a homosexual relationship existed.” (Pg. 27-28)
He says of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, “One of the most interesting factors in regard to the penalty for homosexuality here is that such a decree did not exist---and probably could not have existed---at any earlier period in Israel’s history. Thus, a great deal depends upon … the date of this particular portion of Leviticus. When was the book written, and by whom? Certainly not by Moses! It was compiled by reforming priests … [and] most likely completed about 400 B.C. … It is difficult to understand how the reference in Leviticus 20:13 could have appeared at any earlier time.” (Pg. 76-77)
He suggests, “What was [Paul’s] ‘thorn in the flesh’? [2 Cor 12:7]… Several things might be suggested: epilepsy, arthritis, eye trouble---and also latent homosexuality… this last-named condition… might have been an unconscious problem in Paul… What we do know is that Paul made rather strong demands upon others, that they avoid sex altogether if they could; therefore it is most certain that he lived by that same code himself.” (Pg. 88) He adds about 1 Cor 6:9-10, “We can only believe that Paul, influenced both by his own Jewish background and by what he knew to be widespread practices among the Greeks… EITHER composed the list with great care and forethought OR dashed it off hurriedly---we can never know which---but in any case including those things that would be especially relevant to the situation in Corinth.” (Pg. 95)
He states, “Because he apparently did not need sex, Paul assumed that others could do without it too. But those who cannot, fortunately, can still follow Paul in his major theological teaching, which is that we are saved not by anything that we do anyway but by grace of God in Jesus Christ… regarding excessive lust, however, there is no doubt that Paul would have considered this sinful, whether heterosexual or homosexual.” (Pg. 106-107)
He points out, “The Gospels contain a gold mine of material on interpersonal relationships. And what is NOT said is also of some importance… the Bible never uses the words ‘homosexual,’ ‘heterosexual,’ and ‘bisexual’---these are modern terms. The Bible… makes reference to two men lying together, as we have seen. But even such references as these are not found in the Gospels… [and] there is still no reason to conclude that homosexuality was not known to these writers---and to Jesus himself… On thing is clear, and that is Jesus Christ mad no public pronouncements on homosexuality. Some of his followers, however, have been less restrained…” (Pg. 110)
He observes, “That Jesus supported the indissolubility of marriage, however, is not to say that he thought marriage was for everyone. He never said that. Naturally he would not have. He himself was single. If he ever considered marriage, the Bible does not mention it.” (Pg. 113)
This is one of the most useful books on open/affirming views of homosexuality in the Bible; it will be “must reading” for anyone seriously studying the subject.
November 11, 2017
the Bible is hella gay. (I knew that.)
June 26, 2023
Absolutely required reading. Well-researched, well-argued, compelling. I have so many thoughts, none of which are suited to this format, suffice to say I need more Christians to read this book.
May 5, 2025
If you like historical revisionism that fits an agenda, you'll like this book! If you like facts, sacred tradition, biblical scholarship, etc. - look elsewhere!
September 12, 2010
Great work documenting homosexual coupling in the Bible.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews