Editing Sodomy (section)

=== First century Christian and Jewish opinions ===
==== Modern English translation of Jude ====
The [[Epistle of Jude]] in the [[New Testament]] echoes the Genesis narrative and potentially adds the sexually immoral aspects of Sodom's sins: '''…just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire'' (v. 7, English Standard Version). The phrase rendered ''sexual immorality and unnatural desire'' is literally translated ''strange flesh'' or ''false flesh'', but it is not entirely clear what it refers to.

*The [[English Standard Version|ESV]] translators situated in the year 2001 supply one plausible paraphrase for "false flesh", arguably influenced by more recent Christian views, in making the phrase refer to alleged illicit sexual activity of the Genesis account (cf. the language of the [[epistle to the Romans]] 1:21-32 not specifically referring to Sodom).
*Another theory is that it is just a reference to the “strange flesh” of the intended rape victims, who were angels, not men. There is a counter-argument which focuses on the fact that the men of Sodom did not know that the strangers were angels.
*A third opinion is takes "false flesh" to refer to cannibalism, as such a meaning is used elsewhere in the Mosaic laws, referring to practices of those who lived in [[Canaan]].

==== Josephus ====
The Jewish historian [[Josephus]] used the term “Sodomites” summarizing the Genesis narrative: “About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards [[God]], in so much that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices” (''Antiquities'' 1.11.1 [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/ant1.html] — circa A.D. [[96]]). The final element of his assessment goes beyond the Biblical data, even in the New Testament.