Porneia vs. fornicatio

Faith & Science Conversation
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Some months ago I chatted with someone about the change of porneia to fornicatio. I can’t find the information I received from you now.
A friend of mine wrote a book stating the change of wording changed the meaning totally. That porneia only applied the the temple prostitutes, and that fornicatio expanded the implications of the word and changed the original meaning.
I believe Christy Hemphill.he has since began a podcast discussing how this changes how we look at sexual sin. He says the Bible has errors.
Here is part of the book:

Jerome of Stridon was a Christian Priest and Theologian, born around 340 A.D. He wrote “Do you imagine that we approve of any sexual intercourse except for the procreation of children? He who is too ardent a lover of his own wife is an adulterer.” He believed that “woman is the root of all evil,” that all sex is impure, and abstinence is the highest mark of the Christian. While those biases may or may not have had an impact on his translations, they are definitely interesting to note. In A.D. 380, Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire. For the next 1000+ years, if you weren’t Catholic, you weren’t Christian. Guess who translated the scriptures used by the Catholic church? Bingo… Jerome. He started in A.D. 382, and once he was done, the Vulgate became the official Bible of the Christian (Catholic) church.

The “sexual immorality” translation problem started when Jerome took the Greek word “porneia” (and its variants) and translated it into the latin word “fornicatio” (and its variants). The original meaning of fornicatio is “arch or vault.” This was symbolic of the archways at the temples and altars where temple prostitutes practiced their trade. Fornicatio was understood to be referring to the prostitution which occurred at the temples of various gods. It later came to mean “prostitution” in general, and even later became “sexual activity outside of marriage.” Unfortunately, as the definition of fornicatio changed, the translation of the porneia words did not. Therefore, when scripture was translated into English more than one thousand years of tradition later, the word porneia started being translated as “fornication, unchastity, and sexual immorality.”

As a result, when English speaking pastors, churches, and leaders teach today, they say that all sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong. They believe God considers it abominable, because scripture “clearly” says so. In actuality, what God is saying through scripture is that the worship of false gods through sexual prostitution is idolatry, and He HATES idolatry. It takes the acknowledgement of Him away and gives credit to something that doesn’t exist. In essence, it is His Church cheating on Him. His bride is committing adultery by turning to false gods.

When the authors of the New Testament used the word porneia, they knew what it meant. But how do WE know what it meant? Is there a better way for us in the 21st century to understand what was written in the 1st century? I’m so glad you asked. The answer is yes. You see, by the time the Roman empire took over, the Jewish people were speaking Greek in many cities. It became an issue because they could no longer fully understand what they were reading in synagogues. In the mid 3rd century B.C., King Ptolemy of Egypt sent word to Jerusalem that they needed scribes to come translate the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek so that people could read it. In answer to this request, 72 Hebrew scribes (6 from each tribe of Israel) were sent to Alexandria to translate the Torah (first 5 books of the OT) into Greek. Over the next century, other Hebrew translators completed the rest of the Old Testament. The result is what became known as the Septuagint, or LXX (70), which is a shout-out to the number of scribes that did the translations.

What does this mean for us? Well, the disciples and Jesus himself, used the Septuagint more often than not when teaching in synagogues as well as when quoting the Old Testament. The majority of Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are direct quotes from the Septuagint, and not from the Hebrew. Think of it this way: When your pastor preaches, he uses an English translation to get his message across, because that’s what you speak. If he used Hebrew, it wouldn’t have the same effect on you, because you wouldn’t understand. For the same reason, Jesus and his disciples used the Septuagint often, because Greek was the language of their audience.

Knowing the above, the Septuagint is a fantastic resource for us to figure out what Greek words meant at the time the New Testament authors used them. Words have a tendency to change over time (take the Latin word fornicatio or the English word gay for two examples). However, we know that the disciples, Jesus, and Paul all used the Septuagint, so we know that by finding the meaning of a Greek word there, we know exactly what that word meant when the New Testament authors wrote their books. Genius, right!? So, let’s get started. I will warn you though, that you will probably end up skipping a lot of what follows. It does get a bit redundant, because – spoiler alert – as it turns out, porneia only had one real meaning.

Below, I will show the ways porneia was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. I will give you the Old Testament scripture reference, followed by the English translation (ESV) with the English translation of the porneia word in bold. Following that will be a clarifier if needed (such as the English translation of the Septuagint). Finally, I will show you how the porneia word should truly be translated/interpreted. You will see that while the church currently translates porneia into “sexual immorality,” a more accurate translation would be “sexual idolatry.”

Knowing that most of you won’t make it through the below list, I’m going to go ahead and conclude right here. If you want to know how this new (to us anyway) definition of porneia affects the message of the New Testament, please read my book! It can be found here:

I will also post the below information in spreadsheet form on the “Resources” tab of this website.

Genesis 34:31 - But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

True translation: Prostitute

Genesis 38:15 - When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

Clarification: Judah thought Tamar was a temple prostitute, see Genesis 38:21

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Genesis 38:21 - And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.”

Clarification: Hebrew word here is qedesa, and means “temple prostitute.” The fact that porne was used in its place implies that all uses of porne can suggest a temple (or cult) prostitute.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Genesis 38:22 - So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’”

Clarification: Hebrew word here is qedesa, and means “temple prostitute.” The fact that porne was used in its place implies that all uses of porne can suggest a temple (or cult) prostitute.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Genesis 38:24 - About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.”And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

Clarification: Judah thought Tamar was a temple prostitute, see Genesis 38:21. Also, the Hebrew word here (zana) means “harlot” and “harlotry.”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Exodus 34:15 - lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Exodus 34:16 - and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Leviticus 17:7 - So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Leviticus 19:29 - “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.

Clarification: Likely cult prostitution, due to mention of omens, fortune tellers, mediums, and necromancers

True translation: Prostitute

Leviticus 20:5 - then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Leviticus 20:6 - “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Leviticus 21:7 - They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.

True translation: Prostitute

Leviticus 21:9 - And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

Clarification: Likely cult prostitution.

True translation: Prostitute

Leviticus 21:14 - A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people.

True translation: Prostitute

Numbers 14:33 - And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.

True translation: Idolatry

Numbers 15:39 - And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.

True translation: Idolatry

Numbers 25:1 - While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.

Clarification: Numbers 25:2: “These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Deuteronomy 22:21 - then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Clarification: Likely cult prostitution

True translation: Prostitute

Deuteronomy 23:2 - “No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD.

Clarification: English translation of Septuagint: “of a harlot shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord.”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Deuteronomy 23:17 - “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.

Clarification: Hebrew words here are qedesa (feminine) and qades (masculine) and mean “temple prostitute.” The fact that porne was used in their place implies that all uses of porne can suggest a temple (or cult) prostitute.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Deuteronomy 23:18 - You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

Clarification: Hebrew word for “dog” here is “keleb” and means “male cult prostitute”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Deuteronomy 31:16 - And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.

True translation: Idolatry

Joshua 2:1 - And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

True translation: Prostitute

Joshua 6:17 - And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

True translation: Prostitute

Joshua 6:23 - So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.

Clarification: The Septuagint Greek says “Rahab the prostitute” (porne).

True translation: Prostitute

Joshua 6:25 - But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

True translation: Prostitute

Judges 2:15 - Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

Clarification: See 2:17 below

True translation: Idolatry

Judges 2:17 - Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.

True translation: Idolatry

Judges 8:27 - And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

True translation: Idolatry

Judges 8:33 - As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.

True translation: Idolatry

Judges 11:1 - Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.

Clarification: Likely a cult prostitute

True translation: Prostitute

Judges 16:1 - Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.

True translation: Prostitute

1 Kings 3:16 - Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

True translation: Prostitute

1 Kings 21:19 - And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “In the place where dogs (keleb) licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs (keleb) lick your own blood.”’”

Clarification: English translation of Septuagint: “In every place where the swine and the dogs have licked the blood of Nabuthai, there shall the dogs lick thy blood; and the harlots shall wash themselves in thy blood.” In Hebrew, “keleb” (dog) was a metaphor for a male cult prostitute.

True translation: Cult Prostitute

1 Kings 22:38 - And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs (keleb) licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.

True translation: Cult Prostitute

2 Kings 9:22 - And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

1 Chronicles 5:25 - But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

True translation: Idolatry

2 Chronicles 21:11 - Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray.

True translation: Idolatry

2 Chronicles 21:13 - but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you,

True translation: Idolatry

Psalm 73:27 - For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.

Clarification: English translation of Septuagint: “For, behold, they that remove themselves far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed every one that goes a whoring from thee.”

True translation: Idolatry

Psalm 106:39 - Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Proverbs 5:3 - For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil

Clarification: Most likely a cult prostitute given the use of porne in other passages

True translation: Adulteress

Proverbs 6:26 - for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.

Clarification: Most likely a cult prostitute given the use of porne in other passages

True translation: Prostitute

Proverbs 29:3 - He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Clarification: Most likely a cult prostitute given the use of porne in other passages

True translation: Prostitute

Isaiah 1:21 - How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

True translation: Idolatry

Isaiah 23:15 - In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry/Materialism

Isaiah 23:16 - “Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered.”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry/Materialism

Isaiah 47:10 - You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.”

Clarification: English translation of Septuagint: for thy trusting in wickedness: for thou saidst, I am, and there is not another: know thou, the understanding of these things and thy harlotry shall be thy shame; for thou saidst in thy heart, I am, and there is not another.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Isaiah 57:3 - But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.

Clarification: Hebrew word here (zana) means “harlot or prostitute”

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Isaiah 57:9 - You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol.

Clarification: English translation of Septuagint: and thou hast multiplied thy whoredom with them, and thou hast increased the number of them that are far from thee, and hast sent ambassadors beyond thy borders, and hast been debased even to hell.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Jeremiah 2:20 - “For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Jeremiah 3:1

Jeremiah 3:2 - Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom.

Clarification: See Jeremiah 3:9 below

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Jeremiah 3:3 - Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed.

Clarification: See Jeremiah 3:9 below

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Jeremiah 3:6 - The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore?

True translation: Cult Prostitute/Idolatry

Jeremiah 3:7 - And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not retu

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Always good to find clarification. It would be fine to mention the name of the book and the podcast in the comments for those who want to look at it further. Topics of sexuality are difficult to moderate and we tend to shy away from them, but perhaps the same rawness that make them difficult also make them important in our society today. We no longer have temple prostitutes as such, but only because those desires are met more openly though with no less idolatry involved.

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As JPM pointed out we are on very uncomfortable if not dodgy ground here Perhaps we can elevate (or denigrate) sexual practices out of proportion, There is medical evidence that we need a certain amount of sexual release and there are many examples of repression or guilt causing serious mental issues.

From the Garden narrative forward there is a “view” of both nakedness and sexuality that is “edited” in. We are told to go forth and multiply bit clearly not to enjoy it. Heaven forbid we enjoy it!!

It would seem that protitution was directly related t religion and “other Gods” and sexual drive is seen as a force for satanism and the Black Arts. (Epitomised by writers like Dennis Wheatley)

From The OP I am taking it that it si the religious use that the Bible is aiming at, rather than the more carnal activities, but, Paul elivated thr human body to a temple that sex contaminates.
There is plenty of materiL within Scrioture to condemn sexual promiscuity whether within a relationship or from prostitution…Whether it is biblical hyperbola or the actual will of God is not something we like to debate, for fear of repercussions.
Perhaps we can fall back on Romans 14 for personal belief? or perhaps we can claim Scriptura bias, It might be better to leave it underground and covered up as we ourselves are socially expected to do.

Richard

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I’m definitely interested in her podcast. She’s been such a valuable source of info for me the last several years. Helped reshape a lot of my thinking on sex and gender.

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I leave the exact interpretation of the Hebrew and Greek words to those who truly know the languages. I can only point to the fact that any translation, including Septuagint, is just a translation. Whenever you translate a word, the meaning of the word is in danger to change a bit.

In the case of Septuagint, a typical example is the translation of the Hebrew word ‘nephesh’ with the Greek word ‘psyche’. The Greek word was used in Greek philosophy in a different meaning than what the Hebrew word ‘nephesh’ meant in the Hebrew culture. This is a possible source of inclusion of Greek philosophical ideas into the Christian teaching. It also shows that you cannot use Septuagint as a reliable source of what the Hebrew words originally meant.

Temple prostitution was part of the cult worships of that era but not the only form of sexually liberal practices. If we look what Jesus or Paul told about the union of man and woman, that tells more than how different translations used the words related to liberal sexual practices, including the practices of the temple cults.

What medieval catholic writers were teaching about sexuality is not necessarily relevant in this context. It is evident that the Hebrew culture and the biblical scriptures had a more positive attitude towards sexuality. Although there were some differences in the cultural practices throughout the long history, there were strict rules about acceptable sexual behaviour. Sexual practices were fine as long as they happened within the accepted borders (within ‘marriage’ = a socially accepted, public and binding agreement that united a man and a woman). Paul interpreted it so that if a man and a woman unite in sex, they are de facto married, even if the other would be a prostitute.

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Well I think it is unlikely that you can reduce all the Bible’s condemnation of sexual immorality to just being about temple prostitution. But I do think a great deal of its condemnation of other religions could very well be motivated by this.

As for me, coming from such a highly liberal background (free sex and all), I see it as powerful, very habit forming, and thus dangerous. Like drugs it is very easily be abused and can motivate a considerable amount of evil. But also like drugs it is certainly not evil in itself. On the other hand, despite modern objections, its biological purpose really is reproduction. It is foolish to deny this. But denying other aspects of it is over the top.

It is so easily obsessive, and from a God designed it all viewpoint, one wonders why God would make this (and alcohol) so powerfully obsessive and how can God blame people when they go too far with them? Well… I would connect it with the necessity of challenges for the development of life. Thus I would suggest it provides an opportunity for asserting the dominance of the mind over the body and thus making it stronger. This is not to say that either of these (sex or alcohol) is sinful, and I would suggest that this attitude can be just as obsessive (and thus not helpful).

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Whilst the Septuagint is important, the original Hebrew is too as 1st century Jews likely knew the Hebrew word too and what it meant. Why no reference to that? Also, there were other Jewish writings before and during the 1st century giving an insight into Jewish thought. Was the Hebrew word or Greek used in them. Why no reference to those writings?

We are aware of the controversy over the LXX translation of ‘young maiden’ in the Hebrew to ‘Virgin’ in the Greek. Whilst the Greek does mean virgin, the original Hebrew does mean young maiden, even if virginity is implied.

Finally, the important question is - how did Jews in the 1st century live, based on their understanding of the OT, regardless of the language it was written in? Was sex before or outside of marriage condoned? I suspect there is no evidence of that. Undoubtedly Paul drew on Leviticus when referring to wrong sexual behaviour. Whilst sometimes that referred to ‘cultish’ practices, it also included inappropriate familial relations, having sex with a neighbours’ life. And even animals. In other words, covering a wide range, not just associated with literal idols. And in the OT we must remember that God used the metaphor of marriage for his relationship with his people, Israel. It is therefore hardly surprising that the sort of language normally limited to marriage, eg adultery, is used and in that context typically relates to ‘leaving’ God and going off with others. Inevitably a word would be used in a ‘cultish’ context, but that doesnt mean that is the only context in which to use it.

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As the author of the book in question and the co-host of the podcast (along with my wife), I believe I should clarify. I believe my views and conclusions are being over-simplified here. The book was just the beginning of a very long study, which has been continued both in blog form as well as in the podcast. My wife and I have loving friendship with the OP, but I believe she has not listened to the podcast yet.

I do not claim the Bible has errors. I simply refrain from forming an opinion on it based on the lack of original manuscripts. I do, however, claim that copies, translations, and interpretations contain errors.

I believe Biblical writings are inspired and authoritative, and I do make that clear in the book as well as the blog and podcast.

I do not claim to be a scholar, because this is not how I earn a living. I did, however, earn my undergrad degree in Biblical Studies, took many years of Hebrew and Greek, and have continued to study the languages for the past 23 years after graduation. It is a passion of mine. My Master’s degree is in an unrelated field…business.

The word Porneia and its various forms were used at least 131 times in the LXX, and when looking at each instance, it becomes clear that it is referring to an abandoning of God, whether that be through sex (prostitution), or a love of knowledge or possessions.

When taking that understanding to the New Testament writings, it changes the way the writings are understood.

Without having the time to go into every detail of what I have studied, here is the link to the podcast for anyone who is interested.

And our website is https://lovedoneright.org/ . You can find a link to the book there.

I would recommend skipping the introduction and starting on episode 2 of the podcast. The book really isn’t necessary, as we cover it all in the podcast.

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Thanks for engaging! I skimmed over your podcasts and blogs and look forward to reading and listening to them. One of the topics looked interesting, “Why I am still a Southern Baptist”, as that also describes me, though our church not far from you in Marble Falls is pretty moderate and more closely associated with the BGCT. Blessings!

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tl;dr

But I scanned enough to get the gist.

Ever since the so-called sexual revolution, there has been a contingent wanting to redefine what the Bible says about sex.

The Greek “porneia” means no more and no less than everything embraced by Christian teaching on sexual behavior. Yes, there was a contingent that was hypercritical even of sexual relations between spouses. They were mostly ignored.

We are not in a vacuum on this. The major Jewish writers of the NT period, Josephus and Philo, as well as the Midrash, clearly show that the prevailing view toward sexual practices in NT times - particularly in the culture of early Christians - was exactly as it has been traditionally represented.

The most scholarly exposition of “porneia” remains that of Kyle Harper, classicist and historian at the University of Oklahoma:

Harper, Kyle, Porneia: The Making of a Christian Sexual Norm , The Journal of Biblical Literature, (2012) 131:363-383

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For Philo, Josephus, and the Midrash citations:

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Uh, absolutely not. This myth began with Freud, who literally just made stuff up.

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The medical consensus is that sex is beneficial for health but not necessary for health. And there are plenty of things one can do to reap the same benefits.

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That is correct enough.

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Harper’s article provides support to my conclusions. It’s also worth mentioning that he attends an Episcopal church (which I think is excellent, but by and large disagrees with your take on sexual morality).

In speaking of the Hebrew word “zanah,” Harper writes:

But in Biblical Hebrew זנה acquired a metaphorical meaning that was to shape the destiny of the term in later discourse. From the time of Hosea, זנה came to mean idolatry (Hos 1:2; 4:12–13). (p370)

He continues:
The metaphorical sense of זנה as idolatry would decisively influence the development of Greek πορνεία. (p.370)

The association between false forms of worship and deviant forms of sexual behavior would also make πορνεία an especially important term in the construction of group sexual identities. (p.370)

In speaking of Porneia in 1 Corinthians 6, Harper says:

At issue is a category of sexual activity that some members of the Corinthian community believe is allowed but that Paul views as illicit. This category is most readily comprehensible as that wide subset of extramarital sexual activity that was tolerated in Greek culture, the sexual use of dishonored women. If there were any doubt that Paul had prostitution principally in mind, his immediate reference to the πόρνη makes it clear that for him, as for Philo, prostitution was the main venue of such pagan sexual license. (p378)

Although the grounds of sexual morality were intensely contested in the early Christian communities flung across the Roman Empire, the dominant trend in the use of πορνεία was the ascendance of one particular meaning—sex with dishonored women. (p379)

He concludes:

The pervasive misunderstanding of the classical meaning of πορνεία has obscured the radicalism of Judeo-Christian πορνεία. Classical πορνεία was the act of selling oneself, not a whole class of actions categorized as immoral. Jewish and Christian πορνεία could evoke the whole array of extramarital sex acts of which Greek and Roman culture approved. (p.383, his conclusion)

Πορνεία is indeed extramarital sex—but Christian “fornication” developed amid a society where the legitimacy of heterosexual contact was determined not by the presence or absence of marriage so much as the status of the woman involved. (p.383)

So, in other words, Harper believes that porneia in the Septuagint is understood as the act of selling oneself (prostitution and metaphorically idolatry). And porneia for 1st century Jews and Christians is understood as extramarital sex acts of Greek and Roman culture, which according to Harper (based on his understanding of what Paul and Philo meant) is the sexual use of dishonored women, specifically prostitution.

Based on my individual studies, I conclude:

The porneia words are used at least 131 times in the Septuagint, and the common denominator in its usage is a turning away from God…idolatry. Whether that be through sex (the particular example in scripture being cult prostitution), idolatry of knowledge, or idolatry of possessions (I list specific examples of those usages in episode 9 of my podcast “But it is Biblical?”).

These LXX scriptures are used and quoted from regularly by Jesus and the NT authors. When they used the term porneia, they would not have used a meaning that contradicted the meaning in the scriptures they taught.

For example, if I used a book to teach people they needed to be gay…and the book I used consistently used the word “gay” to mean “happy”…then I would choose a different word if my intended meaning disagrees with the meaning in the book I am promoting. If the word changed its meaning in between the book being written, and my usage of it to teach the book…then I would choose a different word to avoid confusion.

By using the Septuagint, we find out how the authors of the NT understood the word Porneia, because we know they used the Septuagint to teach. The idea that they would all use that word, but with a different meaning, is highly unlikely.

The NT authors and LXX translators were teaching the importance of not replacing God with anything. They were not speaking to what we now consider “sexual immorality.” I am not saying that specific sex acts are right or wrong, simply that we should not use the word porneia in a way the authors did not intend.

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If you go back into the Greek world, πορνεία (por-NAY-ah) can be understood that way, but by the time of the LXX it has broadened to all prostitution, and in second-Temple Judaism includes any sexual activity by married individuals outside of marriage. This is pretty cear from the TDNT article.
So thinking that the shift from Greek πορνεία to Latin fornicatio is where the change took place is contrary to the linguistic usage unless you want to just look at sex before official marriage, and even that is debatable since unmarried sex was warned against accompanied with admonitions to marry young.

That’s a skewed view; the Songs of Songs is enough to shatter the “don’t enjoy it” notion.

That’s an association that Judaism invented; in Canaan, there was both sacral and secular prostitution, which is actually recognized in the OT with the prohibition against bringing the wages of a prostitute into the Temple, something that wasn’t even possible with religious prostitution since money there went to the religious institution (with some possible exceptions).

Especially since the LXX only goes back a few centuries BC in Jewish thought!

Yes. IIRC there were sexual “events” (not organized enough to call rituals) surrounding Asherah activities that included pretty much anyone able to engage.

That was not uncommon among (especially late-) second-Temple Judaism. Josephus tries to portray Israel as never ever even having had prostitutes!

BTW, I recall a Lutheran pastor answering a question about premarital sex with, “No such thing – you have sex, you’re married” – which shocked the heck out of the high-schoolers who made up most of the group present.

As I recall that’s where Philo went as well – which puts you in good company.

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No. A far more accurate representation comes from how Philo, Josephus, and the Midrash interpreted the Scriptures and their expectations of first century Jewish sexual morality. We see the same positions in Clement, writing in the second century. I linked to those sources above. Hearing their words directly clearly supersedes your guesswork. We know exactly what they taught.

I’m glad you consider Kyle Harper a reliable source. These additional quotes from his article should settle this quickly.

“Sirach also attests the use of πορνεία as a broadly conceived sexual vice.” p. 371

“Πορνεία in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs functions, as in Sirach, as
a catchall vice for any sexual transgression.” p. 372

“In the Testaments, πορνεία has become an inclusive sexual category denoting illicit sexual activity, including incest, prostitution, exogamy, and unchastity.” p. 372

“By the first century c.e., πορνεία was the chief vice in a system of sexual morality rooted in conjugal sexuality. Πορνεία was broad enough to cover sexual sins as diverse as incest and exogamy.” p. 374

"Ultimately, πορνεία in Paul’s letters does have the broad sense of “sexual immorality,” p. 379

There is really no dispute how it was understood in first century Judea, or what Jesus, Paul, or the Apostles intended when they invoked the term.

Anyone is free to accept or reject what Jesus, the Apostles, and Scripture clearly taught about sexuality. If you reject it that’s your business. You have a lot of company. But it’s absurd to assert that Judaism and Christianity misunderstood their own teaching for thousands of years. C. S. Lewis would correctly identify this as a severe case of chronological snobbery.

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It seems you are debating the cultural sex practices, while I am debating the meaning of the word porneia as the NT authors understood it.

Why do you say the LXX is not a good way to understand the word’s meaning? Nearly every Bible scholar agrees the LXX is useful in knowing how the NT authors used Greek words and vice versa. Kyle Harper used the same technique…and came up with the same conclusion I did…

The investigation then traces the relationship between the Hebrew root זנה and πορνεία in the LXX; the Hebrew Scriptures created an enduring association between sexual sin and “idolatry.” p265

This is more than guesswork. There are over 130 usages of the word in the LXX, and if you read the context behind all of them, it is remarkable how the meaning of Porneia stands out.

Also, if a more accurate representation of “porneia” can be found in Philo and Josephus, can you please provide examples of them using the word?

Harper gave an example on p374, but it agrees with my conclusion:

In De vita Mosis, Philo includes an illuminating presentation of πορνεία that reflects the word’s potential meanings in the first century c.e. Philo retold, with elaborate embellishment, the story of the heresy of Peor (Numbers 25). In Philo’s version, Balaam tells Balak, “Feminine beauty is the greatest weakness for man. If you order the most beautiful of the women to prostitute themselves and become public women, you will ensnare the youth of your rival” (Mos. 1.296). The women seduce the young men with all the prostitute’s arts, playing hard to get until they convince the Israelite youth to sacrifice to false gods in exchange for sexual favors. Never had the metaphor of “whoring after false gods” been described in such literal and dramatic detail.

For my purposes, I really don’t care about Clement, because that was 100-150 years after the NT was written, and my goal is to find out what the NT authors meant when they used “porneia.” He also believed that you shouldn’t have sex with your pregnant wife, and that hairiness was a mark of male superiority:

This, then, the mark of the man, the beard, by which he is seen to be a man, is older than Eve, and is the token of their superior nature.
Paidagogos, 3.3

Also, there is very little in Sirach that sheds light on the definition of porneia. You can plug in the definition of cult prostitution, and the verses still make perfect sense.

How do you interpret this verse?
Wisdom 14:12 says: “For the invention of idols was the beginning of porneia, and the discovery of them the corruption of life.”

Do you really think there is no dispute? If it wasn’t a dispute, you wouldn’t be writing blog posts about it. Even the journal that published Harper’s article also published at least one scholarly refute to it, claiming he was wrong.

I don’t reject what Jesus and the apostles taught in scripture. I simply reject some interpretations of it.

Jesus did exactly that. And he was right. Was he being absurd?

All of my studies have been led by the Holy Spirit. I get nothing out of it. I have no motivation to go against my own church other than following God’s prompting. I take no issue with you disagreeing with me, but to call it guesswork is simply untrue and presumptive on your part. By your own admission, even the original post here was too long, and you only skimmed it. I assume, then, that you are also not familiar with my work. Let’s keep this respectful.

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I’ve never been a huge fan of people using this kind of argument to justify all kinds of things from young earth creationism to racism. Not saying that you are wrong, I don’t really have a lot of knowledge about this topic in particular, but it’s kind of like “well if you wanna disagree with Jesus who taught the universe was created 6,000 years ago” then be my guest. He clearly taught a global flood, did he not?

In other words, I’m not sure what this gets you in the argument, except some kind of trump card. There’s also the possibility that I have come to embrace to some degree that Jesus and the Apostles were in part products of their time, phrasing things through cultural lenses and practices that wouldn’t necessarily be prescriptive for today - at least not directly.

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Interestingly, use of one of the Hebrew words behind the LXX πορνεία word-group implies that young males can’t commit it, only young females; while as I recall the other Hebrew word’s use implies that even sex outside of one’s tribe – not just outside Israel! – was forbidden. Maybe things have gotten clearer with research, but from my memory it’s a bit of a scholarly quagmire.

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