earticle

영어

Divorce in the Old Testament: Breaking the permanent covenant? Eun-Ae Lee Lecturer at Ewha Womans University München Universität Dr. Theol. This paper investigates the understanding of divorce in the Old Testament. This study applies a historical-critical method from a feministic perspective of the so-called ‘divorce law’ in Deuteronomy(Deut 24:1-4) and other texts that deal with the concept of ‘divorce’. Divorce refers to the end of a marriage relationship. In the Old Testament, marriage is often regarded as a covenant between husband and wife. In Genesis, marriage is a permanent covenant commanded by God(Gen 2:23). The purpose of the ‘divorce law’(Deut 24:1-4) is to forbid a woman's former husband to take her back to be his wife. Nevertheless, the text shows that divorce, like marriage, is possible in ancient Israelite society, and that the reasons for the divorce can be founded not only in a wife's sexual fault, but also in the change of heart of the husband. The woman with a ‘certificate of divorce’ was allowed to remarry another man. However, reunion with her former husband is explained as an abomination before God and as an act to bring sin upon the land. The legal institutions of marriage, divorce, and remarriage are interpreted now in terms of their cultic and theological meanings. In prophetic texts such as Hosea, Jeremiah, and Malachi, the marriage-divorce formula is used as a symbol to indicate the covenantal relationship between Yahweh und Israel. The adultery of Judah as a wife caused a breaking of the covenant, namely divorce with her husband Yahweh. However, God wants only the faithfulness of Israel. Malachi gives the Israelite living in the postexilic period the warning against divorcing his Jewish wife to marry a pagan wife. The concept of ‘divorce’ is discussed beyond the dimension of the legislation within the theological and ethical dimensions.

한국어

이 논문은 신명기의 ‘이혼법’(신 24:1-4) 연구를 통해, 비록 당시 이스라엘 사회가 이혼을 법적으로 허용하고 이혼 후의 삶 또한 보장하고 있지만, 이혼 이후에 발생하는 복잡한 관계가 본래 결혼에 대한 야웨 하나님의 의지에 반하는 것임을 밝히고자 한다. 필자는 남자와 여자 사이의 혼인 계약의 파괴라는 이혼 개념은 예언자 본문들에서 야웨와 이스라엘 사이의 계약관계를 나타내는 윤리적, 신학적 의미로 확대되었음을 확인한다.