has a Master of Philosophy in Classical Hebrew exegesis from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Cambridge University, England. As part of its expanded Bible coverage, the Journal asked her to comment on the role of the family in the community during Bible times and how this outlook would have shaped Jesus' life.
Virtually all of the roles that the Biblical community asked its members to fulfill were to be found in the way they knew their God. To them, God was a living Spirit who guarded and guided, instructed and corrected, created and kept in order, requiring each one to live in faithful response to God and one's neighbors. The Bible tells of a God who is Father, Mother, husband, deliverer, Lawgiver, righteous Judge, Redeemer, King. And these were all models for the roles that people were expected to fulfill in their communities.
It is no surprise, therefore, that familial structure and responsibility were very appealing among the early monotheists, especially in comparison to peoples whose idols were served with ritual prostitution and child sacrifice. Quite the contrary, the early Hebrews lived in relation to their God as children protected and provided for by a heavenly Father, who also mothered them like an eagle spreading its wings over them. Child sacrifice was prohibited accordingly. The fidelity required within one's relationship to God could be likened to the marriage covenant, and this strengthened the prohibition against adultery and eventually produced the ideal of lifelong monogamy.
