Don’t Do What to Whom? A Survey of Historical-Critical Scholarship on Leviticus 18.22 and 20.13

Abstract

Leviticus 18.22 and 20.13 continue to play a decisive role in the debate over sexuality and the Bible. A bit surprisingly, it was not until the mid-1990s that these texts began to be subjected to thorough historical-critical analyses. Since that time, interest has steadily increased along with the number of hypotheses. Many have assumed that these laws unambiguously condemn ‘homosexuality’. Among specialists, however, there continues to be much disagreement with at least twenty-one unique proposals. This article will survey the various historical-critical offerings, put them into conversation with one another, and describe current trends.