From John Boswell 'Cristianity, social Tolerance, and homosexuality, U. of Chicago press, 1980, he was a professor of history at yale.
'There are three passages in the writings of Paul which have been supposed to deal with homosexual relations. Two words in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and one in 1 Timothy 1:10 have ben taken at least since the early twentieth century to indicate that "homosexuals" will be excluded from heaven.
The first of these two, "malakos" (basicly, "soft,"), is an extremely common greek word; it occurs elsewhere in the new testament with the meaning "sick" and in patristic writings with senses as varied as "liquid," "cowardly," "refined," "weak willed," "delicate," "gentle," and debauched. In a specifically moral sense it very frequently means "licentious," "loose," "wanting in self-control." At a broad level , it might be translated as "unrestrained," or "wanton,' but to assume that either of these concepts necessarily applies to gay people is wholly gratuitous. The word is never used in greek to designate gay people as a group, or even in reference to homosexual acts generically, and it often occurs in writings contemporary with the Pauline epistles in reference to heterosexual persons or activity.
What is more to the point, the unanimous tradition of the church through the reformation, and of Catholicism until well into the twentieth century, has been that this word applied to masturbation. This was the interpretation not only of native greek speakers in the early middle ages but of the very theologians who most contributed to the stigmatization of homosexuality. Since few people any longer regard masturbation as the sort of activity that would preclude entrance to heaven, the condemnation has been transfered to a group so widely despised that their exclusion does not trouble translators or theologians.
The second word "arsenokoitai," is quite rare, and its aplication to homosexuality in particular is more understandible. The best evidence, however, suggests very strongly that it did not connote homosexuality to Paul or his contemporariesbut meant "male prostitute," unitil the fourth century, after which it became confused with a variety of dissaproved sexual behavior and was often equated with homosexuality.'
(This author was so pedantic, he gave even hebrew quotes without translation or transliteration.) I would say that the elements of the greek compound word, 'arseno' would mean, strong, manly; 'koiti' is a cognate for our 'coitus'; so 'fucker' would be the closest anglo saxon word. 'Malakoi' is a cognate for botanical latin 'mollis',(one who is) 'soft'.
