Russell Martin received his Ph.D. in religion from the University of Toronto. He is interested in understanding how the Judaeo-Christian ethic of appropriate sexual behaviour developed from its initial Judaean roots in ancient Canaan through the subsequent influence of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. He is convinced that we can escape the negative Christian attitude toward sex only by replacing it with a scientifically-based examination of successful models of sexual conduct within human culture that produces a defensible justification for proper behaviour. Such an ethical code would transcend the Judaeo-Christian tradition and render all its predecessors obsolete.