In yet another departure from modern sensibility, the man who had too much sex, who was overly passionate and didn’t practice self-control, was criticized for being “womanly.” Self-mastery was essential for the Greco-Roman elite male. As Cicero said a couple decades before Jesus was born,
Thus everything comes down to this...that you rule yourself...not to do anything in a base, timid, ignoble, slavelike or womanish way.[1]
The assumption was that women and slaves could not control their appetites or emotions. Thus, the main character flaw of non-elite men was a lack of self-mastery over one’s own body and passions, especially in terms of gluttony and lust.[2] Any intemperate behavior was considered effeminate.
Therefore, hyper-sexuality (considered macho in modern times) was considered womanish/unmanly in ancient times. Similar to gluttony, unchecked sexual activity was thought to have a debilitating effect on constitution and character.[3] For example, in Roman times it was legal and expected for a married male citizen to go to prostitutes (male or female), but it was bad form to visit too often—to be extravagant about it.[4]
To give some context, when the Pharisees accused Jesus by calling him a glutton and drunkard, they questioned his self-mastery.[5] Thus, it was an attack on his fitness to lead.
Pederasty
Another sexual standard wildly different in ancient times is pederasty. Elite males sexually penetrating teen boys was normal in ancient Greece. This pederasty was a rite of passage for adolescent boys.
When the elite boy passed puberty at around 18 years old, he became the penetrator for the rest of his life. These relationships were common and accepted.[6]
The biggest difference in sexual standards between ancient Greece and Rome was that it was illegal to have sex with free born males in Roman times, though it was still normal for elite men to penetrate male and female slaves and prostitutes.[7]
The OT doesn’t mention pederasty, but it doesn’t seem to have been a part of Israelite culture. When Jesus spoke about the severe punishment for causing the “little ones to stumble,” he seemed to be including pederasty.[8] One’s hand or foot, which Jesus instructed his followers in Matthew 18:8 to cut off if it caused them to sin, was often a euphemism for the penis.[9] Jesus commanded us not to cause harm to children and seemed to view pederasty as violence—though his exact meaning isn’t clearly stated.
[1] Tusculan Disputations, 2.53, 55; Epictetus 3.24.20.
[2] Eric Thurman, “Gender Transgressions: Roman World,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies, ed. Julia M. O’Brien (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), Volume 1, p. 299.
[3] Ibid. p 301-2.
[4] Benjamin H. Dunning, “Sexual Transgressions: New Testament,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies, ed. Julia M. O’Brien (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), Volume 2, p. 325.
[5] Matthew 11:19
[6] K. J. Dover, Greek Homosexuality (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989) p. 65.
[7] Anthony Corbeill, “Same-Sex Relations: Roman World,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies, ed. Julia M. O’Brien (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), Volume 2, p. 271.
[8] Mark 9:42
[9] Marianne Blickenstaff, “Sexual Violence: New Testament,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies, ed. Julia M. O’Brien (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), Volume 2, p. 369.