Sodomite - the etymology of this word goes back to biblical parables and has a lot to do with the infamous city called Sodom. But over the centuries, the essence of the word, its semantic content has changed slightly.
The sin of sodomy
Probably everyone knows the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities destroyed by the creator for the numerous sins of their inhabitants, the main of which were various sexual perversions. God sent two angels to the only righteous man of Sodom, Lot, to find out if the city really is doing lewdness.
Lot persuaded God's messengers to spend the night in his house, and when the Sodomites surrounded his house and began to demand the extradition of strangers in order to "know them," Lot offered the excited crowd his two virgin daughters in exchange for the peace of the distinguished guests. So the righteousness of this character is seriously exaggerated, but that's a completely different story. As a result, both cities were burned to the ground, only Lot and his daughters were saved - they were led out by angels.
Since then, the word "sodomite" has appeared in many languages, meaning a person prone to unnatural intimate relationships. Any sexual activity, except for the traditional copulation of a man and a woman for the sake of conceiving offspring, was condemned and persecuted.
Do not think that this meant exclusively homosexuals. The Church actively fought against extramarital affairs, child abusers, zoophiles, necrophiles and others. Indiscriminate communication has always, but especially in that era of low level of medicine and endless migrations, was fraught with incurable diseases, and sometimes epidemics.
Fight against sodomy
The term "Sodomy" was widespread in the criminal and ecclesiastical law of various European states of the Middle Ages. The laws were harsh, and any form of deviant sexual behavior was punished in one way - death.
According to the church version, in 15th century Russia sodomites and heretics almost seized the governing posts of the state. The Metropolitan was a "vicious wolf", the people closest to the king were also engaged in "Jewry" - they followed the Old Testament rules of religion and, of course, led an immoral lifestyle. Many sodomites held high positions, wealthy merchants hired boys for sexual pleasures.
The worried church relied on Joseph Volotsky, a great ascetic, who created a special spiritual school that later educated a huge number of enlighteners, missionaries and preachers. The followers of the Holy Inquisitor Volotskiy began to be called the Josephites, and they fought with all their might against immorality in the highest circles of power, calling for "the execution of the Judaizing heretics (to which the sodomites were also included) with cruel executions" - through burning.
The extraordinary, cruel severity and strength of the Volotsky school balanced the licentiousness of the morals of high society and led to the eradication of any blasphemy for many years. Fortunately, the Inquisition was not widespread, because it contradicted the spirit of Orthodoxy. Later, when passions subsided, the term "sodomy" remained "among the people", changing its meaning and began to mean only turmoil, panic, the noise of the crowd.
Modern interpretation
In Russian, according to the canonical dictionaries of Dahl, Ozhegov and Ushakov, "sodom" has remained synonymous with hubbub, abuse, noise. “Sodomit” means to fuss and make noise, “sodomist” is a provocateur of abuse and quarrels.
In medicine, the term "Sodomy" is used in the same sense as "zoophile". The ROC continues to blame the sin of sodomy on everyone who does not practice traditional copulation solely for the sake of conception, calls on gays to repentance, and accuses the person who decided to change the sex of a rebellion against the creator.
In society, perhaps, there are only two correct definitions of "sodomite". The first, narrower meaning is the definition of any homosexual rapist. Another, broader interpretation, implies a person who is inclined to humiliate others, using his strength or power.
