Reviews


Divorce and Remarriage
by David Instone-Brewer

 

Most of these reviews are for the academic book Divorce and Remarriage in the BIble and a few for the later pastoral book Divorce and Remarriage in the Church. Both books are based on the same texts and arguments, so the reviews apply to both books.

 

 


Published reviews
(Full text of the original reviews. Opening paragraph was extracted later.)

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, December 2003

Apart from Craig Keener's . . . And Marries Another (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991), David Instone-Brewer's book is the most paradigm-challenging study of the NT divorce texts that I have encountered.

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Clergy Journal, February 2003

The layout of the book is remarkably clear and greatly aids the usability of the work. Each chapter begins with a short summary of the conclusions for that chapter, .so that the reader is able to read the work at one time or in separate units.

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Regent's Reviews Spring 2003

Clarity of content (even when argued through much detail) as well as layout are hallmarks of this fine book… If Instone-Brewer's approach to the text is right - and this reader found him persuasive - those of us whose pastoral instincts have been more open to the possibility of divorce and remarriage may find freshly argued biblical support beyond the 'spirit of Jesus' or 'forgiveness and a fresh start' to which we may previously have appealed.

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Religion and Theology June 2003

The fruit of tremendous research and superb scholarship. Some readers will not hold identical conclusions, but all will be challenged by the author's pastoral sensitivity and his command of the pertinent literature.

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Trinity Journal Spring 2003

Arguably the best biblical study on the question of divorce and remarriage. Even if the reader disagrees with his conclusions, or with his suggestions regarding pastoral situations, he will enjoy the book as a rich resource for the OT, Jewish, and NT material. The presentation of primary texts and their meaning is superb, the discussion of dissenting views is fair, and the summaries are concise and to the point.

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Theological Studies, March 2004

I.-B. convinces us because our journey has been a careful step-by-step process, beginning with the meaning of the marriage contract in the ancient Near East milieu as a whole through the Church's interpretations from the second through the twentieth century.

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Christianity and Renewal

The entire book is well documented with clear notes as to where he gets his ideas from and why the Bible means what he thinks it does.

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Expository Times July 2004

For some readers, the author's conclusions may be profoundly liberating, resolving difficult pastoral problems. For others, the argument that the mainstream Church has been so wrong on what has usually been taken to be the apparently unambiguous teaching of Jesus may be profoundly disturbing, raising problems potentially greater than those that it solves.

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Recherches de Science Religieuse 92/2 (2004)

Review in French. Translated extract: It has the exegetical plan of … gathering the findings of an honest reading of the texts, to provides interesting ideas for theologians, moralists and similarly for pastors.

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Currents in Theology 6- Mission April 2004

I-B holds that the background knowledge and assumptions of a first-century reader were already forgotten by the second century, leading to misunderstanding of the biblical texts by the early church fathers.

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Theologische Literaturzeitung 129 (2004) 7/3

I.-B.'s pastoral concern is commendable. But I doubt that it is helped by ignoring past and present differences of opinion on divorce and remarriage, both in Judaism and Christianity.

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Jahrbuch fur Evangelikale Theologie, 17 (2003)

Review in German. Translated extract: There is a welcome emphasis on exegetical context in this study which one misses in many other contributions to the subject.

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Review of Biblical Literature, August 2003 (second review posted)

While I am sympathetic with Instone-Brewer's goals, the book does not hold up to its promise. His argumentation is frequently based on one or two texts and is often developed through leaps in logic, broad assumptions, speculation, and/or overgeneralization.

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Religious Studies Review July 2003

A commendable volume on a controversial subject.

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Kairos No. 332003

Instone-Brewer has provided us a book that is not only a valuable resource for the discussion of the divorce and remarriage, but also a valuable lesson in hermeneutics. It demonstrates the necessity for a good understanding of the social, literary and legal context for correct interpretation.

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INTAMS Review, 9 (2003) (International Academy for Marital Spirituality)

He raises the question, rather bravely, whether perhaps "the Holy Spirit would not have allowed the Church to be confused about such an important matter for so many centuries" (304), but sides with the biblical scholars in interpreting scripture directly, rather than through tradition. His pastoral conclusions and recommendations regarding divorce and remarriage are sensitive and consistent, and based in part on his own experience as a Baptist minister.

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Theology (UK) July/August 2003

Every chapter begins with a synopsis of where it is going, and ends with a longer set of conclusions that emerge from the chapter. The result is that a book that could have been impossibly complex and thoroughly confusing is actually marvellously easy to find one's way through.

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Family Ministry, Summer 2003

He demonstrates a methodology of study that would he quite helpful in the consideration of many questions that puzzle or disturb contemporary readers of the Bible.

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Review of Biblical Literature, May 2003

The author is quite up to date on the literature dealing with divorce and remarriage in the biblical world, as well as with secondary literature on the subject in the ancient world, quoting texts and studies on relevant sources in Akkadian, Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. It is refreshing to see a theological treatment of this controversial subject informed from all of these different fields.

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Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 65, 2003

Instone-Brewer has helpfully gathered much lore, particularly that of early (rabbinic) Judaism, that is clearly relevant to any assessment of the NT logia on divorce.

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IZBG 49:2002-2003

A fully annotated scholarly study.

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The Church Times 1/17/03 (UK)

If you want to interpret Jesus and Paul as legislating for us today, and yet be pastorally concerned for divorce and remarriage, this is probably as good an argument as any other. However, I would argue that the Gospels do not contain "rules", nor was Jesus legislating in a "court". His rigorous teaching on marriage challenges us with the high ideals of God, as does his other material on "giving everything away" or "turning the other cheek".

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Methodist Recorder, January 23, 2003

A fascinating read and a persuasive argument. It forced me to reconsider much that I had taken for granted in my understanding of what the New Testament says on one of today's most important issues.

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Themelios Autumn 2003

This book is essential reading for anyone concerned to develop a biblical understanding of divorce and remarriage. The author presents the fruits of many years of research in a clear, gripping and enjoyable way. The major problem with his case is that it is difficult to present it on the basis of Scripture alone, without a thorough background knowledge of Jewish literature.

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Society for Old Testament Study 2003

I-B. has cast his net widely, and much of what is of interest to readers here will be found in the more academic discussion which goes on in the footnotes.

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Journal of Psychology and Christianity Vol. 22 No. 3, 2003

Many readers will discover that Instone-Brewer challenges some commonly held interpretations of Jesus or Paul's position on divorce and remarriage… With the relatively recent discovery and translation of ancient manuscripts such as the Qumran texts, biblical scholars now have access to this critical missing data. For some this will be disconcerting. For others, it will be a breath of fresh air.

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The Bible Today September/October 2002

He makes his case in a serious manner but at times seems to overwork in making the gospel passages fit his theory.

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New Testament Abstracts, Vol. 46, No. 3,2002

The volume traces the history of divorce and remarriage… and [includes] pastoral conclusions-reversing institutionalized misunderstandings.

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EthicsDaily.com (Baptist Center for Ethics), 08/29/02

The depth of research and critical insights reveal a study that engages biblical texts incisively and bridges the gap between the ancient and modern world effectively.

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Christian Observer October 2002

The subject of divorce and remarriage is discussed in detail with a full scholarly background in this well-written book… This is a great reference for the busy pastor.

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Theology Digest, Winter 2002

He seeks "to understand the meaning of the New Testament teaching on divorce and remarriage as it would have been understood by its original readers."

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Churchman, Autumn 2004

This thesis is groundbreaking... [it] cannot be ignored. If it can be sustained, it has significant implications for church pastoral practice and discipline.

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Robert A. J. Gagnon, Autumn 2009

Evangelicals have been softening their stance on divorce-and-remarriage for decades but a recent, well-researched book by evangelical scholar David Instone-Brewer, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible, may be speeding up the process. Instone-Brewer argues that Jesus did not oppose all divorce but only the “any matter” or no-fault divorce promulgated for men by the Hillelite (not Shammaite) branch of the Pharisees. Jesus and Paul assumed the universally accepted grounds for divorce in early Judaism reflected in the marriage contracts of the day: not only adultery but also failure to comply with the three marital obligations specified in Exod 21:10-1l (food, clothing, and conjugal rights).The latter three were grouped in rabbinic sources as material neglect (withholding food and clothing) and emotional neglect (withholding sexual relations, perhaps widened already in the first-century to acts of cruelty and public humiliation). According to Instone-Brewer, Jesus and Paul held that both a person who divorces on valid grounds and a person who is divorced on invalid grounds are free to remarry.

In my opinion, Instone-Brewer has made the best scriptural case, not only to date but also for the foreseeable future, for broadening the grounds for divorce and remarriage- after-divorce beyond the grounds of adultery, extreme physical abuse, and desertion that are normally accepted in evangelical churches. Many evangelicals have rushed to accept this interpretation of New Testament divorce texts—no doubt, partly on humane grounds, partly out of self-interest, and partly as a way of accommodating to the high divorce rate among evangelicals.

What is at stake here? The practical implications of Instone-Brewer?s argument co be far-reaching. The broad classification of “material or emotional neglect” could be misused to permit divorce for almost anything.

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