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【Abstract】Holy Bible, also called Scripture, has always been the most faithful mate of human beings. The paper aims to describe the point of view on family in Scripture. First of all, the general introduction begins. Secondly, the opinion on the eldest son in one family and what he should do in his family. Paying much attention does not mean ignoring women, so another view on the women is raised to be discussed. Marriage is the part and parcel of families; next, the responsibilities are covered, that is, in Bible, what they should do. Bible is really a great piece of works that deserves close-reading. It’s certain that it will give you a lot of aspirations!
【Key words】Holy Bible；family；Christianity；responsibilities；eldest son；marriage
1 General introduction
Holy Bible is the Christian critic, called the king of books by westerners. It takes a very important position in western culture and literature. The Bible story has been the household word in the west and deeply rooted in western families. Great influence has been brought to the shaping and development of civilization in the world, especially in the west. The language in Bible has considered the most brief and fluent. Being as the best seller all over the world, it is an indispensable part in nearly all the families, and has made great contribution to many families in various degrees.
2 Views on the eldest son in Holy Bible
2.1Introduction
In the Old Testament, the eldest son’s status is well-known. He is respected and honorable, can get twice properties than others, and also can come to the throne if his father is a king. When we talk about the meaning of the status of the eldest son to Christians nowadays, we should make clear that it is not limited on the surface. We had better notice that the eldest son seems to be a person who has been entrusted with duty and responsibility by God, and he is the heir to the family. Therefore, the real meaning of the eldest son in Old Testament is one who has a kind of mission.
Although all of us were not born of the eldest sons, we are the ones with tasks. The eldest sons in Israeli families will be granted with two shares of assets, and it also means that he will shoulder dual responsibilities than others. So, he has to learn not only how to protect and raise his family but also how to listen to God’s words after the inheritance, and how to be a model among the family members to do things which God is pleased with.
2.2The model for the eldest in the New Testament
As for the entrusting from God, we should talk about it from our background. It is admitted that everyone’s opportunity and background are out his own choice. Good environment may lead you to success; the difficult situation can also steel yourself. Therefore we can’t be too proud, for it is not because of you; we had better no feel inferior, because it is allowed by God. We should think of our special background with a grateful heart, feel God’s instruction, and live on God’s principles in Bible which have been granted and unchangeable. Smooth life has the happiness which God has given, and predicament owns the value which God has endowed.
3 Views on women
The status of the eldest son does mean negating and looking down upon women. In the Old Testament, people think that it pays much more attention to men. However, the views should be understood from the views of the family and the authoritative one in it. Jews greatly emphasize the family life. They reinforce their family and the family’s construction through the marriage system, religious belief and the inheritance to land. Fathers play the role to teach their sons, to arrange their marriage, to pass on power to the eldest sons. Mothers’responsibility is to bear their children. Meanwhile, the whole family offers food and military aid to satisfy the society.
Physically and mentally speaking, the men created by God have the strong point, that is, to have the responsibility in protection, offering and giving, so men’s duty in family is extremely heavy. However, men are inferior to women in educating children. So we have seen many successful children of windows, seldom the widowers. So in the New Testament, the view is that brothers and sisters covered with God’s Gospel are all respected eldest sons.
4 Couples’ responsibilities in Bible
Many couples have very high expectation towards marriage when they marry. They know that many marriages are failures, and the others which are not broken down may not be happy. However, they deeply believe that their own marriage is different, because they love each other very much. Therefore, at the very beginning, they expect too much, yet for most of the couples, their expectation will become disappointment before long. Their sweet dream gets broken, the twinkling stars become sands, and their happiness changes into bubbles. Why do these things take place? In Bible, that is because they do not live the marriage life according to God’s words. After God creates men and women, after they are married, he is not like the inventor who invents the machine and makes the buyer find out how to operate it and the relation among different spare parts. For God, he has offered us obvious materials and leading principles to the purpose of marriage, their different and complementary responsibilities, etc.
4.1 Wives’ responsibilities
4.1.1Be obedient to husband
In the New Testament, wives are ordered to be obedient to husbands.
The idea is not popular now that wives should be obedient to husbands. Sometimes people are opposed to this idea, just because of their rejection to Gods’ will. However, sometimes they misunderstand the true meaning of the idea. To point out the wrong concept, I want to mention some points in Bible:
A: Obedience is not only for women, but for all the believers (1 Peter 5).
B: Obedience is not to make wives slaves. In fact, wives who obey their
husbands are the freest, because God’s intention realizes on them.
C: Obedience is not that wives cannot speak and give sincere suggestions.
D: Obedience is not that wives are the ornaments in their families, and cover
up their abilities.
It is sure that this is not to say Jesus is below God, but just the difference during work and responsibilities. It also applies to families. Wives’ obedience does not mean that they are controlled by their husbands, but the differentiation of system and construction, or the distribution of responsibilities in their families. It is pointed that men and women are equally authoritative in their status. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
4.1.2Women are born for men
If we make a careful analysis on Bible, we may conclude that women are born for men. When God creates Eve for Adam, he says: “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.”(Genesis2:18) “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and brought her to the man.”(Genesis2:21) God creates women to help men. Without women, even in the perfect situation, men would not be perfect. Each living creature cannot become men’s suitable helper, only women can. Women and men are similar, but also different. They are complementary to men. Their relation is like the key and the lock, the film and the camera, so they are indispensable. According to Bible, I want to list the ways for wives to help their husbands, including my thoughts.
Make the home a peaceful place—the one to get encouragement, comfort, understanding and protection. Please do not laugh at him. Avoid making their home a messed place.
Be faithful.
Keep good attitude.
Be satisfied with their status, properties and work.
Discuss questions with sincerity.
Be forgiven, tolerant and considerate. “Each of you should look not only to your own business, but also to the interests of others ” (Philippians 2:4)
4.2Husbands’ responsibilities
The following part will talk about husbands’ responsibilities, how they help their wives to perfect them. Wives and husbands should well understand their own duties. Imagine that the football-players in the team do not know clearly their own roles, how awful the situation will be! If workers in one institution do not know their work, everyone will do in his own way. If everyone is the leader, no inferiors, the result is obvious! Many people’s marriages are extremely messed up and frustrating, the reason is that the couples cannot cooperate with each other. For husbands, they have two main responsibilities in the family: they are the head of their wives; they should love their wives.
5 Conclusion
The core of the marriage is the communication system. We can say that whether a couple is happy or not, the depth of their conversation is the standard. The marriages which are failures must have a broken communication system. Those who have very happy marriages own a good communication. In order to make the marriage much happier, the couple should treat each other sincerely and have the ability of self-control. Tolerance also plays an important role. I think among the effective principles to communicate, the most important is to listen to each other, because it will make the other think that he or she is really very important and respected. When they are faced with some difficulty, they must shoulder their responsibilities to solve it together. Both sides should change themselves to some extent for each other. I think that is also a kind of sacrifice which is very necessary.
Marriage is human kind’s special relation. Touching friendship is beautiful and valuable; Bible also pays much attention to the relation between parents and children. However, according to God’s words, among various relations of human, marriage is the particular case.
Bibliography
[1]International Bible Society, Holy Bible, New International Version. Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1982.
[2]程小娟.《圣經》女性主义阐释与女性定位[J] . 河南大学学报: 社会科学版, 2007, (3): 150-154.
[3]贺璋瑢. 《旧约•圣经》中古代希伯来人的婚姻[J]. JOURNAL OF SOUTH CHINA NORMAL UNIVERSITY (SOCIAL SCIENCE EDITION), 2008, (3): 42-45.
[4]黄蓉.作为“文学家”的先知——试探《圣经》先知书的文学特性[J].龙岩学院学报，2005, (5):50-54.
[5]梁工. 关于圣经文学研究的若干思考[J]. 平顶山学院学报, 2009, (3): 108-111.
[6]林庆华,张秋梅. 略论当代西方天主教的女性主义伦理学[J]. 宗教学研究(RELIGIOUS STUDIES), 2007,?(4): 92-97.
[7]宋佳红.论古代基督教婚姻思想的形成[J]. JOURNAL OF HUBEI UNIVERSITY（PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES）,2007,31(2): 100-103.
[8]张淑清.从离婚权的演变透视中世纪欧洲犹太妇女的婚姻地位[J].COLLECTED PAPERS OF HISTORY STUDIES, 2008, (2): 60-64.
【Key words】Holy Bible；family；Christianity；responsibilities；eldest son；marriage
1 General introduction
Holy Bible is the Christian critic, called the king of books by westerners. It takes a very important position in western culture and literature. The Bible story has been the household word in the west and deeply rooted in western families. Great influence has been brought to the shaping and development of civilization in the world, especially in the west. The language in Bible has considered the most brief and fluent. Being as the best seller all over the world, it is an indispensable part in nearly all the families, and has made great contribution to many families in various degrees.
2 Views on the eldest son in Holy Bible
2.1Introduction
In the Old Testament, the eldest son’s status is well-known. He is respected and honorable, can get twice properties than others, and also can come to the throne if his father is a king. When we talk about the meaning of the status of the eldest son to Christians nowadays, we should make clear that it is not limited on the surface. We had better notice that the eldest son seems to be a person who has been entrusted with duty and responsibility by God, and he is the heir to the family. Therefore, the real meaning of the eldest son in Old Testament is one who has a kind of mission.
Although all of us were not born of the eldest sons, we are the ones with tasks. The eldest sons in Israeli families will be granted with two shares of assets, and it also means that he will shoulder dual responsibilities than others. So, he has to learn not only how to protect and raise his family but also how to listen to God’s words after the inheritance, and how to be a model among the family members to do things which God is pleased with.
2.2The model for the eldest in the New Testament
As for the entrusting from God, we should talk about it from our background. It is admitted that everyone’s opportunity and background are out his own choice. Good environment may lead you to success; the difficult situation can also steel yourself. Therefore we can’t be too proud, for it is not because of you; we had better no feel inferior, because it is allowed by God. We should think of our special background with a grateful heart, feel God’s instruction, and live on God’s principles in Bible which have been granted and unchangeable. Smooth life has the happiness which God has given, and predicament owns the value which God has endowed.
3 Views on women
The status of the eldest son does mean negating and looking down upon women. In the Old Testament, people think that it pays much more attention to men. However, the views should be understood from the views of the family and the authoritative one in it. Jews greatly emphasize the family life. They reinforce their family and the family’s construction through the marriage system, religious belief and the inheritance to land. Fathers play the role to teach their sons, to arrange their marriage, to pass on power to the eldest sons. Mothers’responsibility is to bear their children. Meanwhile, the whole family offers food and military aid to satisfy the society.
Physically and mentally speaking, the men created by God have the strong point, that is, to have the responsibility in protection, offering and giving, so men’s duty in family is extremely heavy. However, men are inferior to women in educating children. So we have seen many successful children of windows, seldom the widowers. So in the New Testament, the view is that brothers and sisters covered with God’s Gospel are all respected eldest sons.
4 Couples’ responsibilities in Bible
Many couples have very high expectation towards marriage when they marry. They know that many marriages are failures, and the others which are not broken down may not be happy. However, they deeply believe that their own marriage is different, because they love each other very much. Therefore, at the very beginning, they expect too much, yet for most of the couples, their expectation will become disappointment before long. Their sweet dream gets broken, the twinkling stars become sands, and their happiness changes into bubbles. Why do these things take place? In Bible, that is because they do not live the marriage life according to God’s words. After God creates men and women, after they are married, he is not like the inventor who invents the machine and makes the buyer find out how to operate it and the relation among different spare parts. For God, he has offered us obvious materials and leading principles to the purpose of marriage, their different and complementary responsibilities, etc.
4.1 Wives’ responsibilities
4.1.1Be obedient to husband
In the New Testament, wives are ordered to be obedient to husbands.
The idea is not popular now that wives should be obedient to husbands. Sometimes people are opposed to this idea, just because of their rejection to Gods’ will. However, sometimes they misunderstand the true meaning of the idea. To point out the wrong concept, I want to mention some points in Bible:
A: Obedience is not only for women, but for all the believers (1 Peter 5).
B: Obedience is not to make wives slaves. In fact, wives who obey their
husbands are the freest, because God’s intention realizes on them.
C: Obedience is not that wives cannot speak and give sincere suggestions.
D: Obedience is not that wives are the ornaments in their families, and cover
up their abilities.
It is sure that this is not to say Jesus is below God, but just the difference during work and responsibilities. It also applies to families. Wives’ obedience does not mean that they are controlled by their husbands, but the differentiation of system and construction, or the distribution of responsibilities in their families. It is pointed that men and women are equally authoritative in their status. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
4.1.2Women are born for men
If we make a careful analysis on Bible, we may conclude that women are born for men. When God creates Eve for Adam, he says: “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.”(Genesis2:18) “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and brought her to the man.”(Genesis2:21) God creates women to help men. Without women, even in the perfect situation, men would not be perfect. Each living creature cannot become men’s suitable helper, only women can. Women and men are similar, but also different. They are complementary to men. Their relation is like the key and the lock, the film and the camera, so they are indispensable. According to Bible, I want to list the ways for wives to help their husbands, including my thoughts.
Make the home a peaceful place—the one to get encouragement, comfort, understanding and protection. Please do not laugh at him. Avoid making their home a messed place.
Be faithful.
Keep good attitude.
Be satisfied with their status, properties and work.
Discuss questions with sincerity.
Be forgiven, tolerant and considerate. “Each of you should look not only to your own business, but also to the interests of others ” (Philippians 2:4)
4.2Husbands’ responsibilities
The following part will talk about husbands’ responsibilities, how they help their wives to perfect them. Wives and husbands should well understand their own duties. Imagine that the football-players in the team do not know clearly their own roles, how awful the situation will be! If workers in one institution do not know their work, everyone will do in his own way. If everyone is the leader, no inferiors, the result is obvious! Many people’s marriages are extremely messed up and frustrating, the reason is that the couples cannot cooperate with each other. For husbands, they have two main responsibilities in the family: they are the head of their wives; they should love their wives.
5 Conclusion
The core of the marriage is the communication system. We can say that whether a couple is happy or not, the depth of their conversation is the standard. The marriages which are failures must have a broken communication system. Those who have very happy marriages own a good communication. In order to make the marriage much happier, the couple should treat each other sincerely and have the ability of self-control. Tolerance also plays an important role. I think among the effective principles to communicate, the most important is to listen to each other, because it will make the other think that he or she is really very important and respected. When they are faced with some difficulty, they must shoulder their responsibilities to solve it together. Both sides should change themselves to some extent for each other. I think that is also a kind of sacrifice which is very necessary.
Marriage is human kind’s special relation. Touching friendship is beautiful and valuable; Bible also pays much attention to the relation between parents and children. However, according to God’s words, among various relations of human, marriage is the particular case.
Bibliography
[1]International Bible Society, Holy Bible, New International Version. Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1982.
[2]程小娟.《圣經》女性主义阐释与女性定位[J] . 河南大学学报: 社会科学版, 2007, (3): 150-154.
[3]贺璋瑢. 《旧约•圣经》中古代希伯来人的婚姻[J]. JOURNAL OF SOUTH CHINA NORMAL UNIVERSITY (SOCIAL SCIENCE EDITION), 2008, (3): 42-45.
[4]黄蓉.作为“文学家”的先知——试探《圣经》先知书的文学特性[J].龙岩学院学报，2005, (5):50-54.
[5]梁工. 关于圣经文学研究的若干思考[J]. 平顶山学院学报, 2009, (3): 108-111.
[6]林庆华,张秋梅. 略论当代西方天主教的女性主义伦理学[J]. 宗教学研究(RELIGIOUS STUDIES), 2007,?(4): 92-97.
[7]宋佳红.论古代基督教婚姻思想的形成[J]. JOURNAL OF HUBEI UNIVERSITY（PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES）,2007,31(2): 100-103.
[8]张淑清.从离婚权的演变透视中世纪欧洲犹太妇女的婚姻地位[J].COLLECTED PAPERS OF HISTORY STUDIES, 2008, (2): 60-64.