Further down the page Bornnude posted some comments that included a reference to Bathsheba. I started to respond down there, but so much has been added since then that I thought it might not be seen.
The site of David's palace in Jerusalem has been excavated, and so have the houses below it (the palace is on top of a steep hill). Much of the ancient City of David is there to be seen.
When you stand at the palace and look down at the houses, it is immediately obvious that Bathsheba was engaging in a deliberately seductive act. All of the rooftops were clearly visible from the palace, and one cannot imagine that it was routine for refined women to bathe on their housetops—though that may well have been done elsewhere on flatter land.
I realize that many naturists believe that nudity was common among the Jews in Biblical times, but I have never heard that theory expressed by an actual Biblical scholar. It was common among other peoples, and in Jesus' time the Roman conquerors routinely practiced social nudity. The Jews for some reason—and this always seemed strange to me, considering the emphasis on circumcision—developed a culture high in body modesty.
So that Biblical story was not about naturism. It is about an attractive young wife letting the king know that she was available for sexual purposes.
Nudity today is no doubt used sometimes for a similar purpose, but that is not what Christian naturism is about. Our communication problem is that people who haven't experienced social nudity have only the images of their own evil imaginations by which to judge. They end up judging us by their own worst imaginations, and then cite the story of David and Bathsheba in justification.
I do agree with one thing here. Nudity should not be accepted when it leads to sexual desires of the flesh. But let's remember this is one of many different situations where nudity occurs in the Bible. There is a situation where Nudity and public drunkness in the Old Testment. Then I believe, God told Ishiah to be nude for 3 years?
I understand your view here. True, we do not emphasize Bathsheba in naturism, though fault still layed squarely on David. In order for Bathsheba to seduce him through her act of bathing outside, she would also have to have known that David would be out there at that time. She may have known his schedule or routine, but there was nothing that indicated that she has done anything unusual or different.
Had Bathsheba made a dicision that would cause her to do something totally out of the ordinary, I am sure that the scriptures would have indicated that, or at least hinted at it. It seems that David would know her routine better than she knowing his.
However, you are right in saying that the Jews were not exactly "naturists" in our way of thinking. For that matter, neither are the tribes of naked people in Africa. We think about it and make more emphasis on being nude than whole cultures who are nude 90% of the time. It's our way of thinking verses their way. After all, we are the ones who are making websites out of the subject.
But the Jewish didn't make laws against such either. They may have made snide remarks, giggled or gawked, but I don't think any of them made a big deal out of nudity as we do in America.
We have a habit of interpreting the bible according to our culture and way of thinking instead of letting the bible speak of their culture and way of thinking.
The Western culture thinks linearaly, where the Eastern culture thinks outside the box, or better yet, outside the circle, or maybe in circles.
When someone says "in three days, such and such is going to happen" we think in 72 hours, they think, "what did he mean by that? Lets ponder this in council".
Did she or didn't she? It was David who was held accountable. Jesus said for men to not lust after the women, he didn't qualify the women or make adjustments on how the women behaved first.
No, Bathsebas rooftop scene was not a "naturist moment", but it does tell us that nudity was not as big a deal as we make it out to be.
And my whole point around this was not to expres innocence or guilt on Bathsheba. The point was the debate I had read where one of the parties was using this incident as a proof that nudity in public was sinful. Ignoring the other cases where God actually commanded it.
Bornude, I believe the underlying fault in the entire event was lazy! Read your Bible this way; One morning when David awoke and decided not to attend the war.... David was supposed to have been on the battlefield but instead he decided to hang around the house. All satan needs is a small crack to wiggle into and away he goes. I don't know what Bathsheba's intent was but David wasn't supposed to be there to start with and look what grew from a small thing. He called in sick and the "sickness" never went away. He became an adulterer, a murderer, and was ultimately responsable for the death of his own son. Now the good news!! God said David was a man after His Own heart! Forgiveness is the key to success with God, giving and receiving. The same God that forgave David knew me and I am forever grateful He could forgive David or what would have become of me. I'll never forget from where I've come. Bearone
David's royal city, which is spoken of rather grandly in the Bible, actually excavated out to be just a small village by modern standards. Most of the people who lived there were more or less associated with the palace, or at least had daily contact with someone who was.
Whether the king was in residence, and what his daily schedule was, would be common knowledge.
