Family in the Bible: Exploring Customs, Culture, and Context

by Richard S. Hess (Editor), M. Daniel Carroll R. (Editor)

What does the Bible say about the importance of the family? How can we apply these ancient perspectives to modern Christian life? The essays gathered in this volume provide reflections from leading biblical scholars.
The authors focus on reading the Scriptures from the perspective of the authors in ancient Israelite society and the surrounding cultures. They find there an overarching sense of the central role the family played in the larger social structure. However different our contemporary culture might be, these reflections can form the basis of an evangelical vision of the family informed by a biblical worldview.

Genres: Family

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Richard S. Hess (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Earl S. Kalland Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado, and editor of the Denver Journal. He is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including Israelite Religions, Song of Songs in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms, and the commentary on Joshua in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series.

Reviews

[Norman Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The contributors by no means answer all the complex questions regarding the role that the Bible ought to play in Christian families/household today. But the book succeeds in showing how different the world of the Bible is from our own (mostly western) contexts.

However we close that gap (if we plan to so at all), it seems clear that in the Christian tradition, the family/household has always been a central place for faith formation.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book exploring the world of the family in biblical times. The contributors each contribute excellent material on their assigned topics. The book is divided into two parts: (I) Family in the Old Testament, (II) Family in the New Testament. The aim is to recover a biblical view of the family. A key theme that comes out of that aim is that we need to fulfill our role as teachers of our young. Almost all of the comments I made in this review are applicable here.

[Kayla]

Great overview of family structure and roles throughout OT. Doesn't only focus on the obvious narrative "case-studies", but also examines the family as described/implied in poetry, wisdom lit, and prophetic material.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful supplement from a conservative point of view

Hess, Richard S. and M. Daniel Carroll R. eds. Family in the Bible: Exploring Customs, Culture, and Context. Grand rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003.