Homosexual readings of Jesus and John
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Since the 16th century, some have interpreted the relationship between Jesus and John the Apostle, the Disciple whom Jesus loved as an erotic, homosexual romance.[1]
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[edit] "Beloved disciple"
One of the factors leading to the assumption that Jesus and John loved each other is the phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved or Beloved Disciple, which is used several times in the Gospel of John, but in none of the other accounts of Jesus.[3] In John's gospel, it is the Beloved Disciple who asks Jesus during the Last Supper who it is that will betray him. Later at the crucifixion, Jesus tells his mother "Woman, here is your son", referring to the Beloved Disciple is the common interpretation. To the Beloved Disciple he says, "Here is your mother."
In art, the Beloved Disciple is portrayed as a beardless youth – the figure of the Student. He is usually shown in major scenes from the Gospel of John, especially the crucifixion and the Last Supper. Many artists have given different interpretations of John 13:23–25, in which the beloved disciple is resting his head against Jesus' chest.
Since the Beloved Disciple does not appear in any of the other New Testament gospels, it has been traditionally seen as a self-reference to John the Evangelist, and this remains the mainstream identification. An issue is the identification of the Evangelist with John the Apostle; that is, whether the apostle is the same man as the evangelist.
[edit] Historical references
Aelred of Rievaulx, in his work Spiritual Friendship, referred to the relationship of Jesus and John as a "marriage" and held it out as an example sanctioning friendships between clerics.[4][1] The view that the two were lovers, considered a blasphemy, evolved during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; it has been claimed that it was held by Francesco Calcagno, who was investigated on that account by the Venetian Inquisition in 1550. Christopher Marlowe was accused of it in 1593, as was Manuel Figueiredo in a Lisbon Inquisition trial of 1618, as well as many others.[1]
James I of England may have been relying on a pre-existing tradition when he defended his (supposedly homosexual) relationship with the young Duke of Buckingham: "I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had his son John, and I have my George."[1] [5]
Others who have given voice to this interpretation of the relationship between Jesus and John have been the philosophers Denis Diderot and Jeremy Bentham.[6]
The theme has been perennial, having recently been raised from within the Christian establishment by Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, who has discussed the possible homoerotic inclinations of Jesus in his relationship with John in a sermon in 2005.[7]
According to Robert Goss, assistant professor of comparative religion at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, in analyzing the interaction between Jesus and John, "What's being portrayed here is a pederastic relationship between an older man and a younger man. A Greek reader would understand."[8]
[edit] Reception
The homosexual reading of the scriptures has been viewed as an intentional misreading.[9] In Greek, the original language of the book of John, there are four words for love - "agape" (spiritual, unconditional love), "storge" (familial love), "philia" (love between friends) and "eros" (erotic love). All of the references to "the disciple whom Jesus loved" use the word "agape".[9]
Some argue that, had the text intended to note an erotic love between Jesus and John, it would have used the word "eros". Others have argued, however, that these Greek terms do not comprise hard and fast boundaries between these forms of love.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d Rictor Norton, Lists of Famous Homosexuals at Gay History and Literature.
- ^ Illustration used in Louis Crompton's Homosexuality and Civilization p. 113.
- ^ "In the Gospel of John, the disciple John frequently refers to himself in the third person as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." McCleary thinks this is highly significant." Crosswalk: Gay Jesus' Claim Draws Fire by Patrick Goodenough, Pacific Rim Bureau Chief, CNSNews.com.
- ^ Louis Crompton, Homosexuality and Civilization p.180
- ^ "I love the Earl of Buckingham more than anyone else," James announced to his councilors, "and more than you who are here assembled." He compared his love for the earl to Jesus's affection for the "beloved disciple" John. "Jesus Christ did the same," the king said, "and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had his John, and I have my George." From Royal Panoply, Brief Lives Of The English Monarchs, Carrolly Erickson, St. Martin's Press (May 2, 2006). ISBN 0312316437
- ^ Louis Crompton, Homosexuality and Civilization, p. 111.
- ^ "Jesus might have been homosexual, says the first openly gay bishop". The Telegraph, London: 2005-04-03.
- ^ Hank Hyena, "Was Jesus Gay: A search for the messiah's true sexuality leads to a snare of lusty theories," 1998-04, Salon.com.
- ^ a b Crosswalk: Gay Jesus' Claim Draws Fire by Patrick Goodenough, Pacific Rim Bureau Chief, CNSNews.com.
