[Greek] πορνεία (porneia), [Latin] fornicatio, [Latin] prostitutio

[Greek] πορνεία (porneia), [Latin] fornicatio, [Latin] prostitutio: unchastity, dishonoring, profaning, immorality, whoredom, idolatry; 26 scriptures

Babylon Marriage Market: painting by Edwin Long (1875)

Background information:

Babylonian Marriage Market: (early precursors of harlotry: prostituting oneself) 

1. Every woman of the land is compelled to sit in the temple of Aphrodite.
2. She does not go home until some stranger puts money in her lap and have intercourse with her.
3. She cannot refuse for that would be a “sin” as the money becomes sacred. 
4. The money is given to the temple as a devotion or prayer to the goddess to ensure fertility (a financial sexual transaction).
5. After intercourse, she is discharged from her “sacred duty” and now can leave the temple grounds.

Greek Hellenism: This term means fornication, licentiousness, adultery, prostitution, idolatry, and unchastity.

Aristophanes’ Plutus 155: “You speak of male whores; yet some of them are honest, and it’s not money they ask of their patrons.”

Xenophon’s Memorabilia 1.6.12: “For to offer one’s beauty for money to all comers is called prostitution. But we think it is virtuous to become friendly with a lover who is known to be a man of honor.”

Demosthenes’ Against Neara 59.41: “She charged higher fees from those who sought her favors as being now a respectable woman living with her husband.”

Cultic prostitution:

1. Prostitution practiced in service to mother deities (prostituting oneself to idols)
2. Daughters of prominent families practiced prostitution in payment to the fertility gods 
3. Prostitution cults found in Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt

Extra-marital intercourse:

1. Masters have access to female slaves and concubines
2. Prostitution arises with increased prosperity and commerce
3. Alien women, as 2^nd class citizens, become self-supporting professional “friends” in Greek society (“working women”)
4. Extra-marital intercourse was forbidden to the wife (but not for the husband. This is not surprising in a patriarchal society.)
5. Greek tolerance allowed for intercourse between young men and harlots
6. Homosexuality developed and spread throughout Greece
7. Harlots were slaves, musicians, dancers, and singers
8. Harlots of brothels charged higher prices for their services
9. Greek stoicism rejects prostitution. Chastity is best.

Old Testament: This term means prostitution, soliciting, unfaithfulness, idolatry, fornication, and unchastity.

1. Leading into fornication can mean “whoring after other gods” and “turning aside from God” (SPIRITUAL HARLOTRY!) [More of this to come in the next post]
2. Canaanite cults (Baal and Astarte) enter into the religion of Israel
3. The harlot is a familiar figure in national life
4. Extra-marital sanctions did not apply to men involving relations with alien women
5. Israel patriarchal culture comes into conflict with the matriarchal nature religion of Canaan
6. Any toleration (or promotion) brings the threat of God’s divine judgment
7. God has a metaphorical marriage relationship with Israel
8. Israel, in being unfaithful to God, is likened to a harlot (Nations and institutions can become spiritual harlots)

Harlotry: Spiritual harlotry (whoredom) can also refer to unfaithfulness to God, unchastity, “whoring after other gods”, and turning aside from God.

Hos.4:12: The land gives itself to harlotry, turning away from God

Exo.34:16: They render their wanton worship to their gods

2Chr.21:11: He led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into idolatry and seduced Judah

Hos.1:2: The land prostitutes itself, turning away from the Lord

Eze.16:26: You played the harlot with the Egyptians

Jdg.2:17: They prostituted themselves by following other gods, bowing down to them

Hos.4:18: They play the harlot; in their arrogance they love shame

Conclusion:

Fornication, fornicate, prostitute, prostitution, porn, pornographic

This term encompasses MORE than just prostitution and fornication. This term includes IDOLATRY, UNCHASTITY, and UNFAITHFULNESS.

Xenophon’s perspectives on offering one’s beauty for money as a form of prostitution:

1. This is certainly an old fashioned cultural attitude toward about beauty.
2. This can be a technically true explanation as it pertains to prostitution. He is not wrong in saying this about prostitution.
3. He also refers to the double standard which may occur with “high value” persons. (One wonders if he could have time-traveled to the future and watched those You-Tube videos. ☺☺☺)
4. This statement should not apply to those many women who are utilizing their beautiful attributes (assets) in productive and wholesome ways.
5. Yet many nuances exist in what defines beauty standards, “prostituting,” putting something forward, promoting, and selling.

Chastity continues to become a time honored admirable quality.

The “working woman” (harlot) has also become a well known figure throughout human history.

Perhaps mother deity cults developed in response AGAINST patriarchal cultural attitudes. Could this be one of the earliest instances of feminism in history?

Cultic prostitution perhaps brought a certain status to prostitution.

The Old Testament culture develops the important metaphorical notion that Israel is a bride to God. Unfaithful bride Israel ===> spiritual harlot.

Update: Applying this principle of a societal level, many of us could be likened to “little pagans” worshipping or bowing down to our gods. Such gods (idols) include fame, celebrity, wealth, social media, likes, technology. Many of us are already bowing down to our cell phones and electronic devices. There is actually a medical condition called “tech neck” (neck and shoulder strain).

NEVER DISCOUNT THE PRESENCE OF THE DEVIL when one is being seduced or enchanted by the world (the devil’s domain!) The devil only needs for you forget about God!

Fast forward to today: Unfortunately, there remains too many people who continue to have this naive and “romantic” notion of Synodality: walking with each other. This sounds so magical  and wonderful!

When synodality (lived experiences) TAKE PRECEDENCE over Church teachings, this becomes a great problem. SYNODALITY BECOMES AN IDOL!  Sound familiar?

The Church (bride of Christ) strays from Church teachings (to synodality)  ===> spiritual harlotry

Spiritual harlotry: the Church [bride of Christ] having “intercourse” with the world (world’s values):

1. Ignoring, disregarding, and paying lip service to Church teachings against homosexuality. (Just ignore Church teachings because of the culture.)
2. The Church is acting more like a UNITED Nations NGO rather than a divine institution.
3. The Church is more focused on MAKING A BETTER WORLD and SEEKING FAVOR WITH THE WORLD rather than BRINGING SOULS INTO HEAVEN.
4. The Church is entrenched in political issues, social justice, immigration and illegal immigration, and environmental issues.
5. The Church has engaged in questionable financial transactions (illegal immigration and human trafficking), syncretism (mixing pagan influences with the Mass), and mixing faith with blessing evil (Fiducia Supplicans).
6. The Church is more concerned about tolerance, compassion, false compassion, and mercy above all else rather than with Church teachings.
7. GREAT WARNING SIGNS TO COME ABOUT SYNODALITY! The German Synodal Church is “reforming” and “renewing” itself into decline and heresy.
8. The Modernists and Synodalists have become the New Nicolatians. Revelations shows that Jesus hated the deeds of the Nicolatians. (There will be a link to this in the next post.)
9. HOW AND WHY DID THIS BEGIN IN THE FIRST PLACE? Vatican II.  After all, Synodality is just a continuation of Vatican II  (“We must bring in some “fresh air” into the Church so that the Church “can get with the times”  —> BE CAREFUL FOR WHAT YOU WISH FOR!!!

Yet, Pope Leo, a product of this synodal mind set, unfortunately seeks to continue to follow this synodal path. They are now creating a synodal and worldly Church made in the image of man (and his lived experiences), looking less and less like Jesus’ Church.    

“Let it be well recorded that a harlot is a gate which leads to death.” Latin proverb

Next post: homosexuality in the Church  BUCKLE UP!!  This is going to be a bumpy ride!