The biblical narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah has served as an archetypal story of divine antipathy towards same sex love and desire. Sodomy offers a study of the reception of this story in Christian and Jewish traditions from antiquity to the Reformation. The book argues that the homophobic interpretation of Sodom and Gomorrah is a Christian invention which emerged in the first few centuries of the Christian era. The Jewish tradition - in which Sodom and Gomorrah are associated primarily with inhospitality, xenophobia and abuse of the poor - presents a very different picture. The book will be of interest to students and scholars seeking a fresh perspective on biblical approaches to sexuality.

"Fascinating and instructive.'"

Source: Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"This book offers a reading of the Sodom and Gomorrah story compared to the Gibeah story in Judg. 19-21, which shows a parallel scenario but in a more 'heterosexual' perspective. Carden is interested in the meaning of both biblical texts as well as in their reception in rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity.'"

Source: Review of Biblical Literature