Research Paper on "Gender Roles in Marriage According to the Bible"

Research Paper 5 pages (1946 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gender and Marriage in the Bible

According to Saint Paul, it is better to marry than to burn with desire. This apparently unequivocal statement has caused many to view the Bible as taking a generally negative view of human sexuality but endorsing marriage. However, Paul's comment must be contextualized: Paul viewed the coming of the end of the world as happening sooner, rather than later, and was giving counsel to Christians how to govern their lives with this in mind. "The time is short," Paul wrote when addressing the Christian community of the Corinthians. "This world in its present form is passing away" (Corinthians 7: 2-29; 31). Paul believed that it was better for Christians not to be distracted by worldly and physical concerns, although he did not believe that sexual activity within marriage was immoral in and of itself. Sexual activity was a distraction when contemplating higher matters, but at least marriage provided some containment for that distraction. Specifically, Paul stated:

It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that (I Corinthians 7: 2-7).

Thus, according to Paul, chastity was in theory a superior state, and one which he practiced himself. However, given that sexual desire was a part of the human condition, it was better to marry than burn -- in other words, it was better to wed than to be distracted by desire, or to be indiscriminately immoral with many people. Marriage could contain human passion, while still allowing for Christians to turn their attention to God for most of the day.

Paul was also dealing with the phenomenon of Christians who were married to pagans. Sometimes, in a marriage, one partner wanted to be celibate; the other did not. Paul provides marital advice to these Christians, stressing that given a married couple 'belongs' to one another, they must both fulfill their marital duties, unless by mutual consent they have decided to focus on spiritual matters alone. Even then, Paul suggests that they reunite in sexual intercourse occasionally, to ensure that they do not engage in immoral behavior wit others. Paul gives similar council to the divorced and widows in I Corinthians -- sexual intercourse is not necessary, but those who cannot control themselves should use the release of marriage, rather than indiscriminate action. The emphasis overall in Paul is that people should 'keep as they are' rather than seek to alter their state of being, given the 'shortness' of the time.

Paul's advice may reflect Jesus' statement that divorce was unacceptable under most circumstances. "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32). But there is an implication in Jesus' language that he was protecting the woman in question, not merely guarding against her sexual morality. Jesus may have wished to ensure that women were not indiscriminately thrown out of their homes without any recourse or support, more than trying to guard against sexual transgressions. Similarly, Paul's language does not take the form of an outright ban on marriage; rather he attempts to clarify the behaviors expected within the Christian community.

To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? (I Corinthians 7: 11-16).

A husband or wife's lack of belief in Christ is not an excuse for leaving him or her, as clearly some new Christians desired to do. So long as the partners were respectful to one another, and so long as the Christian was not cast out by the non-Christian, Paul advised the marriage to continue, as this would increase the chances of sanctification of both partners and their children. Paul advocated a degree of social harmony, to ensure that marriages were not broken up by the faith, but sustained.

Thus, the New Testament's language is not as condemnatory of marriage as might initially be expected, and there is relatively equal language in some of Paul's writings, and protective language in Jesus' chastisement of the practice of casting out women from marriage. However, it is not as enthusiastic in tone as the fact that the new children of Israel were bade 'be fruitful and multiply' in the Hebrew Scriptures. Eve's sin brings about knowledge and the pain of childbirth upon her and her daughters. But after God destroys the earth in the Great Flood (except for Noah, his families, and the animals Noah saves) God resolves to allow the human race to continue and makes procreation his wish, not abstinence (Genesis 9:1). Sexuality and God's favor are intertwined throughout Exodus, as Sarah's ability to have a child late in life is seen as a blessing. Even Job is shown to be favored by God before he is tested because of his many children. Children are thus seen as evidence of God's blessing in the Hebrew Scriptures. Christianity rejected this notion that sexuality and faith were intertwined.

One aspect of the Hebrew Scriptures which Paul retains in his counsel, however, is its emphasis on gender distinctions in accepted behavior (for example, in Leviticus there are specific injunctions regarding female cleanliness and menstruation). Paul's advice regarding marriage seems fairly equitable, in the sense that he states that it is better for both men and women to take a partner rather than to burn. But within a worship context he clarifies the relationship, suggesting that woman is the subordinate of man, while man answers to God alone:

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God (1 Corinthians 11: 7-12).

According to Paul, women 'come' from males, based upon the Genesis story of the Garden of Eden and the creation of humanity. Recalling the sin of Eve serves to put women in their rightful place. However, Paul also acknowledges the mutual humility of both genders in relationship to God, and reminds them both that everything comes from God. Still, most of the early church fathers emphasized the unique fallibility of Eve: "The woman therefore, is the originator of the man's wrongdoing, not the man of the woman's. Hence Paul also says, 'Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and committed sin (I Timothy 2:14)."

While scholars dispute whether Timothy was authored by Paul, unlike Corinthians which has more mild language about women, the fact that Paul is widely attributed to such views undeniably had an effect upon how Christianity was interpreted. Dennis Ronald MacDonald argues in his book The Legend and the Apostle: The Battle for… READ MORE

How to Reference "Gender Roles in Marriage According to the Bible" Research Paper in a Bibliography

Related Research Papers:

Same Sex Marriage and Equal Protection Clause Term Paper

Same-Sex Marriage - Equal Protection Clause

same-sex marriage and equal protection clause: analysis and recommendation for a legal position for justice in the supreme court for prevention of same-sex marriage… read more

Term Paper 20 pages (6291 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Sexuality / Gender

---

Role of Women in Judaism, Christianity Research Proposal

Role of Women in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

There is a general agreement among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that God created both man and woman however, the agreement ends there… read more

Research Proposal 12 pages (3648 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Stacy Unhitched Term Paper

Stacey, Judith. Unhitched: Love, Marriage, and Family Values from West Hollywood to Western

China. New York: NYU Press, 2011.

Sociologist and NYU professor Judith Stacey's 2011 book Unhitched: Love, Marriage,… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1993 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

Premarital and Marital Relationship Issues Research Paper

Marital Satisfaction

Predicting Marital Satisfaction Based on Premarital Conditions

Available research indicates that the modern divorce rate is both perceived in a native sense as being statistically high and according… read more

Research Paper 8 pages (2390 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

Factors Predicting Marital Success or Failure Research Paper

Predicting Marital Success or Failure

Marriage and marital success is an issue that has dominated debate in the counseling and research field for quite a long period of time. For… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (2817 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>