Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia

by William Robertson Smith

Originally published by Cambridge University Press in 1885, this work was the first of its kind to demystify the essence of Arabic Tribal groups by examining the structure and obligations formed with the patriarchal tribes and explaining how the subdivision of an original stock was based on a system of kinship through male descendants. Covered are theories which are derived of traceable kinship versus a less absolute genealogical basis for tribal kinship. Overall, it is a fascinating volume immensely resolute in its analysis of the tribal bonds based on the identification of genealogical roots and understandably the best solid reference available for Western studies of Arabic people - whether solid or nomadic.

Reprinted in later years, Smith's studies were copied by others - a tribute to the thoroughness of the work conducted. At the time, this was the most comprehensive and in-depth study completed which included chapters on:

The Theory of the Genealogists as to the Origin of Arabic Tribal Groups
The Kindred Group and its Dependents or Allies
The Homogeneity of the Kindred Group in relation to the Law Of Marriage and Descent
Paternity
Paternity, Polyandry with Male Kinship, and with Kinship through Women
Female Kinship and bars to Marriage
Totemism

324 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1903

About the author

Rev. Prof William Robertson Smith DD FRSE LLD was a Scottish orientalist, Old Testament scholar, professor of divinity, and minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He was an editor of the Encyclopædia Britannica and contributor to the Encyclopaedia Biblica. He is also known for his book Religion of the Semites, which is considered a foundational text in the comparative study of religion.

Smith's writing approached religious topics without endorsing the Bible as literally true. The result was a furore in the Free Church of Scotland, of which he was a member as well as criticism from conservative parts of America. As a result of a heresy trial, he lost his position at the Aberdeen Free Church College in 1881 and took up a position as a reader in Arabic at the University of Cambridge, where he eventually rose to the position of University Librarian, Professor of Arabic and a fellow of Christ's College. It was during this time that he wrote The Old Testament in the Jewish Church and The Prophets of Israel (1882), which were intended to be theological treatises for the lay audience.

Reviews

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amaziiiiiiiiiing book ;D