James Finn
Sep 26, 2023

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No and yes, respectively. It turns out that the homophobia (and overt sexism) probably developed much later in Church history than the New Testament era and the early Church - most of it not cropping up until the middle ages, sometimes quite late in the middle ages. I did learn a lot about the early origins of anti-semitism, which does appear to have roots in the New Testament era, though not always (but sometimes!) intentional or conscious roots. For a good examination of that issue, the book Constantine's Sword is a great starting place. It's long and dense, but much of it is narratively powerful too, so it's not a huge chore to read like academic works sometimes are.

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James Finn
James Finn

Written by James Finn

James Finn is an LGBTQ columnist, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, an alumnus of Act Up NY, and an agented but unpublished novelist.

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