Marriage and Family in the Biblical World

by Ken M. Campbell (Editor)

Current debates about marriage and the family assume much about the history of these institutions. But what do we really know about the social and ethical arrangements of these institutions, especially during biblical times? Placing the history of marriage and family in context requires not only a study of biblical literature that traverses several millennia but also a grasp of extrabiblical literature and sources culled from several different cultural contexts. In this book Ken M. Campbell presents the work of six scholars who trace out the dynamic contours of marriage and family as understood and practiced in six cultural Victor H. Matthews on the ancient Near East, Daniel I. Block on ancient Israel, S. M. Baugh on Greek society, Susan M. Treggiari on Roman society, David W. Chapman on Second Temple Judaism and Andreas Köstenberger on the New Testament era. The result is a well informed and documented map that outlines the similarity and diversity of concepts and customs, including marriage, divorce, sexual ethics, gender roles, children, celibacy, adoption, abortion, contraception and family life, which surrounded and intersected Ancient Israel and the church in New Testament times.

Genres: History, Marriage, Reference, Theology, Biblical Studies

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kent]

Marriage and family are examined in six different historical contexts, one by each contributor. The contexts are:
1 Ancient Near East
2 Ancient Israel (OT period)
3 Ancient Greek society
4 Roman society
5 Second Temple Judaism (roughly 5th century BC - AD 70)
6 The New Testament

Fascinating book and helpful to me as a student of the Bible. While I have picked up many things expressed in this book just from studying the Bible, there were still a number of surprises and insights along the way, such as:
--the ubiquitous practice, whether societally approved or not, of abortion throughout history (with Israel being a notable exception)
--explanations of dowry, bride-price, mohar, and betrothal in each society where it pertained
--the observation that, while Herod's Jerusalem temple had a separate court for women, it was an expression of the misogynistic attitudes developed in the Intertestamental period, for the OT designs (tabernacle, David's temple, Ezekiel's temple) did not exclude women or even segregate them from men
--the argument that OT society is better termed "patricentric" rather than "patriarchic"
--the importance of the clan in OT society
--the structure of the household in OT society
--the vital element of Roman marriage being the consent of both individuals
--how much Jesus relativized (or transcended) biological family bonds by placing them within the larger context of the kingdom of God (e.g., Mk 1:16-20; Lk 5:2-11; 9:57-60; Mk 10:29-31; Lk 2:49; Jn 2:4; 7:6-8; Mk 3:20-21,31-35; Lk 11:27-28; Mt 10:34-36; Lk 14:26; Mt 22:30; cf. 1 Cor 7:29,31)
--and the Scriptural teaching on spiritual warfare as it pertains to family.

As a pastor, I found Kostenberger's section on divorce and remarriage in the NT helpful. Block's chapter on ancient Israel is outstanding, and Kostenberger's chapter on the NT isn't far behind. The other four were also helpful in terms of context for understanding the biblical world.

[Josiah Young]

Well supported with footnotes and references to original and related works. Lots of helpful info. I found it particularly interesting when observing principles regarding societal and familial decisions that are either less common today (e.g. what happens to a dowry after divorce? should polygamy be permitted in the case of a barren wife?) or still common but with varied answers (e.g. what is the goal of parental training / children’s education?).

The chapter on Roman society was poorly written and supported in comparison to the other chapters (each by a different author). It was focused too much on the author’s processes for thinking and too little on actual data and conclusions. Otherwise, the book provided great cultural insights that frame the context for biblical discussions about family life.

[Adam T. Calvert]

A very enlightening and educational resource on the topic of marriage and family as it pertains to the Old and New Testaments. Six views of marriage and the family are discussed with a chapter being dedicated to each, as follows:

1. Ancient Near East
2. Ancient Israel
3. Ancient Greek Society
4. Roman Society
5. Second Temple Judaism
6. New Testament

Each chapter gives a great explanation of the culture, history, and understandings surrounding the concept of marriage and family: how they were viewed by religion and state, and what customs accompanied those views. An excellent resource to be sure.

[Ray Burns]

An insightful and biblically-grounded (when appropriate) look at the various aspects of family throughout history. My interest was primarily in the Old Testament (my favorite chapter), the Intertestamental period, and the New Testament. But a skim of the other sections showed solid historical work.

[Sarah Hubbard]

Helpful textbook on the foundations of marriage and family in Christendom.

[Paul]

This book is a collection of essays from respected scholars who write on the history of the institutions of marriage and family as understood and practiced in the Ancient Near East (ch. 1), Ancient Israel (ch. 2), Ancient Greek Society (ch. 3), Roman Society (ch. 4), Second Temple Judaism (ch. 5), and the New Testament times (ch. 6). Block's and Baugh's articles were particularly incisive (chs. 2 & 3 respectively). Sub-topics such divorce, sexual ethics, gender roles, children, adoption, abortion, exposure practices, and much more are discussed as well.

Not only are good exegetical and theological skills called upon and put on display, but a wealth of extra-biblical historical information is conveyed in this book.

I don't think that there are (currently) many (if any) good defenses of paedobaptism. Right now I have had to gather information from disparate sources in order to present (what I think are) good, solid reasons for reformed paedobaptist belief and practice. There certainly are some good broad arguments for paedobaptism and reformed covenant theology (e.g., Bavinck comes to mind), but there is not much by way of good exegetical arguments for paedobaptism. In books like this one I find many rough nuggets which can be refined into a more robust argument for paedobaptism. Even Andreas Köstenberger’s paper (and he's baptistic!).

But, despite my more specific and nuanced appreciation for this book, any student of the Bible will benefit from reading this book. You will be able to better exegete, and understand, much in the Bible that has to do with family. You will have a much more informed set of background beliefs that will open up new vistas previously hidden from view.

[David Withun]

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