Tag: Household Code
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Household: Jesus’ Household Code (Part 2)
(Continuation from the previous post) Status – Matthew 20:1-16 Adherence to, and enforcement of, status differences was another frequent concern of the household codes. It was argued that failure to respect status differences properly would cause the social order to dissolve into chaos. Jesus tells a parable at the beginning of Chapter 20: "For the…
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Household: The “Household Code”
The ancient Greeks saw the household as the primary institution through which society kept order. To promote effective household management, Greek sages would advise the paterfamilias on household management. These discourses came to be known as the "household codes" or "household tables" (and sometimes the German haustafel.) Aristotle's household instructions (fourth century B.C.E.) in Book…
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Household: The Household of Caesar (Part 1)
When most of us think about the underlying basis of government, we think about republican democracy and parliamentary government. These concepts have their roots in Greek culture. Centuries before the New Testament era, the Greeks envisioned autonomous cities as a republic. Concerning the Greeks and city-states, Derek Tidball writes: It was considered by them to…
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The Cultural Context of Ephesians 5:18-6:9
The most recent edition of E-Quality has an edited version of an article by Gordon Fee called The Cultural Context of Ephesians 5:18-6:9. It is a look at the household code in Ephesians, the controversial "husband as head of the wife" passage. When I read the original version of this article four years ago, it…