JPI 661/861
Biblical Theology of Marriage and Family
The purpose of this course is to help the student discover the Biblical vision of the person, of marriage and family. Consequently, this is a text-oriented course which will examine key Biblical texts which provide the foundation for these fundamental human realties. The OT is indispensable because it explains the foundational keys to all of their natures. In the creation account we will uncover the ground for all Biblical anthropology. But for the Hebrew mind, the narrative and legal texts are critically important because they too give a concrete vision of the value and purpose of marriage and family. Thus, we will study the patriarchal narratives, the legal texts, and the familial rituals in the cult of Israel to understand how the person (imago dei) and family (carrier of the covenant) functioned in the OT. Within the Prophetic period there is an intensification of marital imagery for the covenant, and in the Wisdom Literature we find the ideal vision of marriage which re-establishes the divine vision. In the NT marriage, family, and the person are transformed in the person of Christ. This reconciliation fundamentally alters human nature to such a degree that the redeemed are said to be new creations in Christ. We will study the "renewed" anthropology which is operative in the Gospels and in particular the teachings of Jesus on marriage, celibacy, divorce, the family, and the human person. We will investigate the idea of the Messianic family, i.e., the Church becoming the family of God with its specific and unique call to discipleship. At the heart of the NT experience is baptism. As we look at Pauline texts, we will study: (a) how this new creation in Christ is effected; (b) the relationship between the nature of flesh (sarx) and the life in the spirit (pneumatikoi); and (c) how baptism fundamentally affects marriage and the family (household baptisms), bestowing on them greater iconic value. This study will also include an examination of the meaning of celibacy in the new covenant and the practice of household baptisms.
