Episode 3: Sodom and Other Tales of Divine Visitors in Disguise
• Does the typical understanding of the Sodom and Gomorrah story hold up to biblical scrutiny? To understand how the Bible’s authors understood the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, we have to look beyond Genesis. Understanding the cultural context and related stories from Greek mythology shed additional light on the story’s intent. I also look into whether Lot is meant to be seen as an evil character in the story.
Hashtags: #Sodom #Gomorrah #theoxeny #Genesis #Baucis #Philemon
Contents
0:00 Logo
0:03 Prologue
1:10 Story recap
3:35 Sodom and Gomorrah beyond Genesis
7:05 Divine visitors in disguise outside the Bible
10:27 The theoxenies of Abraham and Lot
13:28 The story of the Levite’s concubine in Judges 19
15:13 The big picture so far
16:30 What was the sin of Sodom?
19:50 Excursus: Is Lot evil?
22:53 End card with Easter egg
Works cited:
⦾ Athas, George (2016), “Has Lot Lost the Plot? Detail Omission and a Reconsideration of Genesis 19”, JHS 16/5, 2016.
⦾ Carden, Michael (1999), “Homophobia and Rape in Sodom and Gibeah: A Response to Ken Stone”, JSOT 82, 1999.
⦾ Carden, Michael (2004), Sodomy: The History of a Christian Biblical Myth.
⦾ Dover, K.J. (1978), Greek Homosexuality.
⦾ Gnuse, Robert K. (2015), “Seven Gay Texts: Biblical Passages Used to Condemn Homosexuality”, Biblical Theology Bulletin 45/2, 2015.
⦾ Gnuse, Robert K. (2017), “Divine Messengers in Genesis 18-19 and Ovid”, SJOT 31/1, 2017.
⦾ Granerød, Gard (2010), Abraham and Melchizedek: Scribal Activity of Second Temple Times in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 (pp. 103-106).
⦾ Hamilton, Victor (1995), The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50.
⦾ Joyce, Paul M. (2007), Ezekiel: A Commentary.
⦾ Louden, Bruce (2011), Homer’s Odyssey and the Near East.
⦾ Morschauser, Scott (2003), “‘Hospitality’, Hostiles and Hostages: On the Legal Background to Genesis 19.1-9”, JSOT 27/4, 2003.
⦾ Mulder, Martin J. ,“Sodom and Gomorrah”, Anchor Bible Dictionary, 1992.
⦾ Peleg, Yitzhak (2012), “Was Lot a Good Host? Was Lot Saved from Sodom as a Reward for His Hospitality?”, in Universalism and Particularism at Sodom and Gomorrah: Essays in Memory of Ron Pirson.
⦾ Römer, Thomas (2013), “The Horns of Moses: Setting the Bible in its Historical Context”, translated by Liz Libbrecht. Available online: https://books.openedition.org/cdf/3040?lang=en.
⦾ Tapp, Anne Michele (1989), “An Ideology of Expendability: Virgin Daughter Sacrifice" in Mieke Bal (Ed), Anti-covenant: counter-reading women's lives in the Hebrew Bible, 1989.
⦾ Zimmerli, Walther, 1. Mose 12-25: Abraham, 1976 (p. 36).
Additional reading:
⦾ Doyle, Brian (1998), “The Sin of Sodom: yāda', yāda' yāda'? A Reading of the Mamre-Sodom Narrative in Genesis 18-19”, Theology & Sexuality, 1998:9.
⦾ Louden, Bruce (2019), Greek Myth and the Bible, 2019.
⦾ Römer, Thomas (2011), “Quand les dieux rendent visite aux hommes (Gn 18-19). Abraham, Lot et la mythologie grecque et proche-orientale”, in F. Prescendi et Y. Volokhine (ed.), Dans le laboratoire de l'historien des religions. Mélanges offerts à Philippe Borgeaud (Religions en perspectives 24), Genève: Labor et Fides, 2011, pp. 615-626.
⦾ Römer, Thomas (2015), “The Hebrew Bible and Greek Philosophy and Mythology: Some Case Studies”, Semitica 57, 2015.
⦾ van Wolde, Ellen (2014), “Cognitive Grammar at Work in Sodom and Gomorrah”, in Cognitive Linguistic Explorations in Biblical Studies, 2014.
Production credits:
Written, animated, edited, and narrated by Paul Davidson.
Music by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) and Fesliyan Studios (www.fesliyanstudios.com).
All photographs, art, and film footage are public domain or are used in accordance with Fair Use provisions.
Related blog post:
https://isthatinthebible.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/crime-and-punishment-in-sodom-and-gomorrah/