Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: The Social and Literary Context

Գրքի շապիկի երեսը
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 07 հնս, 2002 թ. - 355 էջ
To many, the New Testament's teaching on divorce and remarriage seems to be both impractical and unfair. The "plain" meaning of the texts allows for divorce only in cases of adultery or desertion, and it does not permit remarriage until the death of one's former spouse. But are these proscriptions the final word for Christians today? Are we correctly reading the scriptures that address these issues?

By looking closely at the biblical texts on divorce and remarriage in light of the first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman world, this book shows that the original audience of the New Testament heard these teachings differently. Through a careful exploration of the background literature of the Old Testament, the ancient Near East, and especially ancient Judaism, David Instone-Brewer constructs a biblical view of divorce and remarriage that is wider in scope than present-day readings.

Among the important findings of the book are that both Jesus and Paul condemned divorce without valid grounds and discouraged divorce even for valid grounds; that both Jesus and Paul affirmed the Old Testament grounds for divorce; that the Old Testament allowed divorce for adultery and for neglect or abuse; and that both Jesus and Paul condemned remarriage after an invalid divorce but not after a valid divorce. Instone-Brewer shows that these principles are not only different from the traditional church interpretation of the New Testament but also directly relevant to modern relationships.

Enhanced with pastoral advice on how to apply the biblical teaching in today's context, this volume will be a valuable resource for anyone seeking serious answers about married life.

From inside the book

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Marriage Is a Contract
1
The Divorce Certificate Allows Remarriage
20
Breaking Marriage Vows Is Condemned
34
Increasing Rights for Women
59
Increasing Grounds for Divorce
85
Divorce on Biblical Grounds Only
133
Biblical Grounds Include Neglect
189
Vows Inherited from the Bible and Judaism
213
Interpretations in Church History
238
Different Ways to Understand the Biblical Text
268
Reversing Institutionalized Misunderstandings
300
Bibliography
315
Index of Modern Authors
334
Index of Subjects
338
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Texts
348
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David Instone-Brewer is senior research fellow in Rabbinics and the New Testament at Tyndale House, Cambridge, and a member of the Divinity Faculty at the University of Cambridge and the British Association of Jewish Studies.

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