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

by David Instone-Brewer and Athena Dixon

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802849431
• ISBN13: 9780802849434
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 367 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible--Challenging and Rewarding

Instone-Brewer begins his treatise with basic assumptions, but these are well informed assumptions. For too long Christianity has ignored the thoroughly Jewish context of Jesus and his teaching, insisting that we read the Bible through a Hellenized world view. This is patently false, and fatal to a proper understanding of the Bible. This is not only true in regard to the Marriage and Divorce issue, but the eschatology and other dogmas as well. Instone-Brewer's book will definitely challenge your traditions, but, when read carefully and thoughfully, this book will open your eyes to a greater and more proper understanding of Divorce and Remarriage as taught by Jesus. For too long Christians have been bound by a "grace-less" and legalistic view of God's view of Divorce and Remarriage. While this book does not seek to give license, it does seek to demonstrate God's grace in Christ. Very highly recommended!

Simply superb

Incredible book, breaks down the history and context quite well. To understand the meaning of the bibles discussions one must really strive to hear the words of a 1st century reader. Particuarlly on matters of law. In spirit the message is clear, marriage is sacred. But because of sin it often fails. The problem begins when modern pharasees start making law out of what is supposed to be a positive message. If your going to make law from scripture you better understand the history of what your talking about. The author says there are quite a few reasons for a divorce, though all can be repented of and the marriage can survive any of them. The innocent party is then free to marry, such as the one left for another, deserted, cruelty,etc. He makes allowances also for the 'guilty' party. Repentence is possible. He cautions against remarriage of a person to a person who caused the end of a marriage. It is very complete although truthfully had he delved into the misunderstanding surrounding 'put away' and legal divorce it would have been a nice section. This simple misunderstanding and misstranslation have shackled many divorced christians. All christians should have the right to a fresh start. Jesus absorbed all of our sins. Some legalistic christians make a mockery of Gods grace, by continuing to cause suffering to our brethren post divorce.This book shows these texts have been missread for to long, the church's teaching off base, and their is hope for everyone involved in this sin, a new start, a chance to do it correctly.With this book being required reading in seminary now, there is hope for the future.Praise God.

Excellent resource; well-written and informative

Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible by Dr. Instone-Brewer is an excellent help in looking at the issue of divorce and remarriage in the Christian church today. Having consulted many resources on this important topic, I have found this book to be the single most helpful and affirming book to bring together all I've learned about the issue.There will of course be skepticism as with any book on a controversial subject, and people might question the hermeneutical system behind seeking the authorial intent; but in my opinion, this book is dead on in its analysis of the situation, and honestly seeks the truth. If you're unsure about buying the book, feel free to read as much of it as you like for free online before purchasing; the author has made not only this book, but also the other two versions of the book available... read it for yourself.The author's main conclusions are that any break in the marriage vows is a grounds for divorce; however, Jesus and Paul, while both affirming this, don't recommend divorce, and say to always forgive someone who's broken the marriage vows as long as they're repentant. When a divorce does occur for valid grounds, the innocent party is free to remarry whoever they will (only in the Lord).

A Great Reference Book!

The subject of divorce and remarriage is discussed in detail with a full scholarly background in this well-written book. The author says, "This book . . . lays the academic foundations of a practical and sensitive pastoral response for the millions of people who are suffering from the Church's misunderstanding of this subject." Its purpose "is to understand the meaning of the New Testament teaching on divorce and remarriage as it would have been understood by its original readers." The teaching of Jesus and of Paul on the subject are discussed. Chapters are devoted to marriage vows, a history of divorce, and modern reinterpretations. The final chapter, titled "Pastoral Conclusions," is a frank discussion with the author of how he sees the subject as a pastor dealing with members of his own congregation. Not everyhone will agree with him but he makes a convincing presentation. And excellent bibliography, index of modern authors, index of subjects, and index of scripture and other ancient texts make the book user friendly. This is a great reference for the busy pastor providing also the opportunity to study in detail through the citations and the references.

Reads Paul and Jesus according to their ancient context

Perhaps best to see how the author treats the subject is to read his conclusion (which comes after a CAREFUL reading of Paul and Jesus in their original contexts): "The message of the NT is that divorce is allowed but should be avoided whenever possible. Divorce is allowed only on the grounds of broken marriage vows [including lack of love, food, or proper material care], and the decisions to divorce can be made only by the injured party. A believer should never break the marriage vows, and should try to forgive a repentant partner who has done so. If divorce does happen, remarriage is permitted. All this would be obvious to a 1st-century Jew, but the meaning of the text was obscured at a very early date due to ignorance about Jewish background after 70 C.E. Modern Church practice can be easily adapted to this insight because our marriage services still preserve the four biblical grounds for divorce in the marriage vows. The Church should now be humble and admit that a great mistake has been made. Too many generations of husbands and wives have been forced to remain with their abusing or neglectful partners and have not been allowed to divorce even after suffering repeated unfaithfulness. The Church should not continue in a false teaching because Church tradition should not be regarded as superior to the teaching of Jesus and Paul" p.314I should add that the author has a high view of Scripture, he is a scholar reading the text, and not a man trying to justify divorce. Furthermore, this book is recommended reading in conservative seminaries, so one should not look at this as a liberal attempt to undermine marriage. This book is Biblical (though none will agree with all of its interpretations) and accessible.