Sodomite is ... The meaning and history of the origin of the term

To date, there are a lot of terms that modern man does not understand due to the fact that they are outdated or replaced by other concepts. For example, many people do not know what the word "sodomite" means. It is really outdated and out of speech usage, but those who are interested in history or have accidentally heard this archaism, it will be interesting to know its etymology. Let's consider what this word means and what theories of its occurrence are.

What is a sodomite?

According to the explanatory dictionary, a sodomite is a person subject to sodomy. Sodomy, in turn, means a serious deviation from the norm in sexual relations. Often, this concept implies sexual perversions. In other words, the sodomite is an individual who, deviating from the generally accepted norms, comes into sexual contact with a man of his own sex (a woman with a woman, a man with a man). Thus, most often we are talking about a man of homosexual orientation.

However, a sodomite is not only a homosexual, but every individual who enjoys manifestations of sexuality that does not help conception (oral and anal caresses, masturbation, etc.). That is, under sodomy they mean everything that is different from ordinary vaginal sex.

It should be noted that the word we are considering has a biblical coloring. This is due to the history of the emergence of the hyperon.

Christian version of the origin of the term

According to the biblical narrative, previously there were two cities - Sodom and Gomorrah. Their inhabitants were sinners, who often entered into homosexual relationships with each other. Once, at the righteous Lot, who lived in Sodom, two travelers stayed for the night. The inhabitants of the city wanted to enter into sexual relations with them, for which God was angry with them. Lot, who was far from sin, tried to beg mercy from the Almighty, but he destroyed two cities along with their inhabitants.

In this biblical narrative, the notion of "Sodom sin" first appeared, which means entering into a homosexual relationship. The names of cities - Gomorrah and Sodom - became common names in Christian society. According to the Bible, the sodomite is not only a homosexual, but also a person who is subject to debauchery and lust. Thus, in the Old Testament it is said that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were sexually immoral. Thus, the synonym for the word "sodomite" will be the term "sexual pervert".

Catholic version of the origin of the term

In the period from the sixth to the eleventh century, in the central and western parts of Europe, the word "sodomy" denoted any prohibited sexual intercourse, including pre-marital or extramarital sexual intercourse. Also to the sodomites were people who preferred oral and anal caresses with representatives of both their own and the opposite sex. It is worth noting that the Catholic Church recognized only sexual contact between a man and a woman who are lawfully married. Moreover, sexual intercourse between them should not have happened for the sake of pleasure, but solely for the sake of conception of the child.

Later, more precisely in the eleventh century, during the Inquisition, the Catholic Church began to call sodomy a homosexual relationship between a man and a man. Since then only the representatives of the strong half of humanity began to fall under this hyperon, and Sodom's sin began to be perceived as a sexual relationship between a man and a man.

Sodomy in the Russian Empire

The data and sources indicate that in the Russian Empire in pre-Petrine times there was also such a thing as sodomy. Russian people identified this term solely with the homosexual contact of two men. Researchers argue that sodomites were more often rich merchants who even hired themselves boys for their own sexual gratification.

The synonym for the word "sodomite" in the Russian Empire was the concept of "sodomite". It first appeared in Old Russian law to refer to this type of deviant sexual behavior. It should be said that in Russia homosexual relations were not considered to be sinful.

Sodomy in the modern world

Today, the term has ceased to be actively used, because it was replaced by more understandable words and phrases, such as "homosexuality", "non-traditional sexual orientation" and others. Now the hyperonim considered by us became a book concept, which turned into archaism. If earlier it was actively used in church literature and jurisprudence, today many people do not know what sodomite is. We considered the meaning of the term above, so the reader may well consider himself at least a little knowledgeable in this matter.

It is worth noting that in the modern world, sodomy is primarily associated with anal sex and sexual intercourse with animals (zoophilia). Thus, a sodomite is not necessarily a person who gravitates toward sex with members of his own sex, it can also be an individual who enjoys anal sex.