Divorce

Terms and definitions

A) A certificate of divorce in the ancient world gave a woman the right to remarry (e.g., Mishnah, Gittin 9.3: “The essential formula in the bill of divorce is ‘Lo, thou art free to marry any man’ ”) Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (pp. 1829–1830). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

A certificate of divorce in the ancient world gave a woman the right to remarry (e.g., Mishnah, Gittin 9.3: “The essential formula in the bill of divorce is ‘Lo, thou art free to marry any man’ ”)

B) Porneia - Sexual inmorality.

Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (pp. 1829–1830). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

C) Marriage - Gameo - Marriage is called a "covenant," Berith

D) Divorce - Apoluo. Divorce.

E) Adultery - moicheia (נִאוּפִים) Moichao (נאף), , , ,

נִאוּפִים) Moichao (נאף), , , ,

נאף, , , ,

נאף), , , ,

moicheia Moichao, , , ,

In the NT, the focus of the prohibition concerns the breach of commitment and of God’s design.

Gabrielson, T. A. (2014). Adultery. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Adultery is the violation of this one-flesh relationship, the intrusion of an outsider into the total, unique and exclusive commitment which husband and wife are to have to each other.

Powers, B. W. (2000). Adultery. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 378). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

F) Something indicent “ervat davar” (Something indecent)

Historical Context

A) The school of Shammai: A man may not divorce his wife unless he has found unchastity (or adultery) in her...

B) The school of Hillel: (Indecency or other matter) He may divorce her eve if she spoiled a dish for him… Rabbi Akiba says, he may divorce her even if he found another fairer that she. Three stages, writing the letter, giving it to her, and send her away.

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 19

“The school of Shammai says: A man may not divorce his wife unless he has found unchastity in her.… And the school of Hillel says: [He may divorce her] even if she spoiled a dish for him.… Rabbi Akiba says, [he may divorce her] even if he found another fairer than she”

The phrases "any matter"and "a matter of indecency"were very important for lay persons to understand before they went to see a legal expert because their understanding of these would determine which legal expert they went to visit. If they wanted to punish an unfaithful partner through divorce, they would choose to go to a Shammaite court that would apply the interpretation "for a matter of indecency."If they wanted a divorce for a lesser matter or they did not want to go through the difficult and humiliating procedure of proving adultery or other faults, they would go to a Hillelite court that would apply the interpretation "for any matter."1

1. David Instone-Brewer, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: The Social and Literary Context (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2002), 135, http://www.questia.com/read/119913720/divorce-and-remarriage-in-the-bible-the-social-and.

Rhetorical Context:

§253 γυναικὸς δὲ τῆς συνοικούσης βουλόμενος διαζευχθῆναι

"In this narrative Matthew may suggest that the hard-hearted person who cannot forgive or live in proper relation to others in Christ’s body (18:1-35) will also despise weaker people in society in Jesus’ day, people like one’s wife (19:1-12; cf. ) or anyone’s children (19:13-15) in contrast to Jesus, who is unimpressed by worldly status (19:16-22)."Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, New ed. (Grand Rapdis, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2009), 462, http://www.questia.com/read/126373635/the-gospel-of-matthew-a-socio-rhetorical-commentary.)

9 καθ ̓ ἁσδηποτοῦν αἰτίας, πολλαὶ δ ̓ ἂν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις

Jesus summons disciples to work toward God’s ideals, his in tended purposes for the world (19:4-6)

10† τοιαῦται γίγνοιντο, γράμμασι μὲν περὶ τοῦ μηδέποτε συνελθεῖν

11† ἰσχυριζέσθω· λάβοι γὰρ ἂν οὕτως ἐξουσίαν συνοικεῖν ἑτέρῳ, πρότερον

12† γὰρ οὐκ ἐφετέον· εἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον κακωθείη καὶ τελευτήσαντος

The ultimate issue should not be the right to divorce, but God’s original desire for husbands and wives to be one flesh

13† αὐτοῦ θελήσειε γαμεῖν ὁ πρότερος, μὴ ἐξεῖναι αὐτῇ ἐπανιέναι.

the purpose of the law itself was probably “to check haste in divorce” (Gundry 1982: 380), hence to provide some legal protection for the wife

Josephus, F., & Niese, B. (1888–). Flavii Iosephi opera recognovit Benedictvs Niese ... Berolini: apvd Weidmannos.

Although they claim Scripture for their purposes, Jesus challenges their actual knowledge of Scripture by showing that they are proof-texting rather than reading it in light of God’s entire plan:

but both Matthew and Mark use the imperative which implies that it is possible for couples to separate, but they are being asked or commanded not to.

📷, which implies that it is possible for couples to separate, but they are being asked or commanded not to.