Sodomy

Sodomy is a term of religious origin used to characterize certain sexual acts. The term is most commonly used to describe the specific act of anal sex between two males, or between a male and a female. The term "sodomy" also may include non-coital sexual acts such as oral sex and other paraphilia. It is sometimes used to describe human-animal sexual intercourse (bestiality). Laws forbidding certain types of sex acts have been found in some pre-modern cultures and are prevalent in some industrialized nations as well.

Template:Wiktionarypar The term sodomy derives from the name of the ancient city of Sodom, which according to a common interpretation of the Bible, was destroyed by God for its misdeeds (see Sodom and Gomorrah). In today's common language it identifies the practice of anal or oral intercourse.

First century opinions

The epistle of Jude in the New Testament, however, echoes the Genesis narrative and recalls mainly 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, ESV). The phrase rendered "unnatural desire" is literally translated "strange flesh," but it is not entirely clear what it refers to. The ESV translators supply one plausible paraphrase in making the phrase refer to the illicit sexual activity of the Genesis account (cf. the language of the epistle to the Romans 1:21-32), but another theory is that it is a simply reference to the "strange flesh" of the intended rape victims, who were angels, not men.

The first known use of the term sodomy used in a more general sense to mean "crimes against nature" is found in the writings of Jewish historian Josephus (circa A.D. 96) as he summarizes 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). The final element of his assessment goes beyond the Biblical data, even in the New Testament. Despite the inaccuracy, this meaning is the primary one used today.

Evolution of the term in other languages

In modern German, the word Sodomie has no connotation of anal or oral sex, and refers specifically to zoophilia; it has connotations similar to the English-language word "bestiality". (See Paragraph 175, version of June 28, 1935.) The same goes for the Norwegian word sodomi. Sodomy, therefore, can be considered being a false friend.