Gives clear guidance about biblical grounds for divorce and remarriage which are both practical and fair in today's imperfect world. To many people, the Bible appears to have nothing sensible or relevant to say about divorce and remarriage. Its teaching often seems harsh and in saying that the only ground for divorce is adultery, it appears to condemn the victims of marital abuse to a lifetime sentence with their partner. New research into the background literature of the Bible, the ancient Near East and ancient Judaism shows that the original hearers of these teachings would have understood them very differently. It has revealed that: * Jesus and Paul rejected no-fault divorces and emphasised that divorce should be avoided if at all possible. * 1st century Jewish men and women could get divorced for neglect or abuse as well as for adultery. Jesus did not reject these grounds and Paul specifically affirmed them. * In the 1st century, remarriage was the right of every divorcee and neither Jesus nor Paul taught otherwise. 288 pages, from Paternoster.

Will God allow me to divorce my abusive husband? Would it be a sin if I remarried? Divorce and remarriage are major pastoral issues facing every church. Yet when we turn to Scripture for guidance, we often hear conflicting messages about its teachings. David Instone-Brewer shows how, when properly understood, the New Testament provides faithful, realistic and wise guidance of crucial importance and practical help for the church today.

To many, the New Testaments 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 ones 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 on divorce and remarriage in light of the first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman world, this book shows that the original audience of the New Testament heard these teachings differently. Through a careful exploration of the background literature of the Old Testament, the ancient Near East, and especially ancient Judaism, David Instone-Brewer constructs a biblical view of divorce and remarriage that is wider in scope than present-day readings.

Among the important findings of the book are that both Jesus and Paul condemned divorce without valid grounds and discouraged divorce even for valid grounds; that both Jesus and Paul affirmed the Old Testament grounds for divorce; that the Old Testament allowed divorce for adultery and for neglect or abuse; and that both Jesus and Paul condemned remarriage after an invalid divorce but not after a valid divorce. Instone-Brewer shows that these principles are not only different from the traditional church interpretation of the New Testament but also directly relevant to modern relationships.

Enhanced with pastoral advice on how to apply the biblical teaching in todays context, this volume will be a valuable resource for anyone seeking serious answers about married life.

Are all the moral commands of the Bible meant to be obeyed exactly for all time, or are there some that need to be adapted for our modern world? Scripture contains lots of guidance on ethical issues, including statements about polygamy, slavery, divorce, sex, and other things that sound strange to our modern ears. Even Christians, who believe the Bible is God's word, disagree on whether women should wear head coverings, whether Christians can ever lie, whether women should preach, and whether Christians should drink alcohol. How can we resolve these issues and figure out how to apply the Bible to our lives? David Instone-Brewer helps answer this question by showing how the Bible's moral commands were understood in their ancient cultural context. The more we understand what God and the biblical authors intended to communicate to the original audience, the better we will be able to make sense of how to apply those commands today. In brief chapters that address a wide variety of moral issues, Instone-Brewer equips Bible readers with a paradigm they can use to discern matters for themselves: Is a biblical command timeless or time-bound? If the command itself is time-bound, what is the timeless purpose behind it? And how do we remain faithful to the Bible's commands today even when handling subjects the Bible does not address? The Scripture in Context series is driven by the conviction that there is nothing as exciting, direct, provocative, and spiritually enlightening as the Bible when we read it as it was meant to be read. Each book in the series dives into the ancient cultural context behind Bible passages, examining the effect this context had on what the Bible writers were saying and how we should understand their words today. When we read the Bible in light of its context, it is anything but boring. Instead, God's word can speak to us as powerfully as it did to those who first read it. Chapters are short and informal, so it's easy to read one chapter at a time or the whole book straight through.

Foreword by Birger Gerhardsson; Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament (TRENT) is a major new six-volume work of scholarship that provides an exhaustive collection of early rabbinic traditions and commentary on their relevance to the New Testament Focusing on 63 rabbinic traditions central to ancient Jewish life, David Instone-Brewer's massive study provides significant insights into Jewish thought and practice prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. For each rabbinic tradition considered, the supporting Hebrew source text is provided side by side with an English translation. Instone-Brewer also presents evidence that exists for accurately dating these rabbinic sources -- a critical task recently advanced by modern dating techniques. He goes on to thoroughly discuss the meaning and importance of each rabbinic tradition for Second Temple Judaism, also analyzing any echoes or direct appearances of the tradition in the New Testament writings. In this first volume, Instone-Brewer examines texts relating to prayer and agriculture. The first section includes texts dealing with when and how to recite the Shema, the Eighteen Benedictions, and other blessings and prayers. The second section contains texts on a wide variety of considerations related to agriculture, such as the "leftovers" to which the poor were entitled, tithing, "mixed" foods and other products, Sabbath Year activities, offerings, and so on. Sure to be a standard reference work for students of both Judaism and Christianity, TRENT provides for the first time a ready resource on rabbinic traditions originating in the New Testament era. Features of TRENT: Discusses 63 tractates that illuminate ancient Jewish life. Follows the traditional order of subject divisions in the Mishnah. Presents Hebrew/Aramaic texts in parallel with a literal English translation and notes on variants. Provides dating evidence along with degree of certainty. Offers commentary on the meaning and significance of rabbinic traditions in Second Temple Judaism. Highlights the presence of rabbinic traditions in the New Testament writings. Includes a full glossary of rabbinic terminology.