Date
12-16-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)
Chair
Steven Mathews.
Keywords
New Testament Household Codes
Disciplines
Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Recommended Citation
Peavley, Michael H., "New Testament Household Codes and Contemporary Christians: Rejecting Patriarchy and Affirming the Lordship of Christ" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7874.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7874
Abstract
Virtually all considerations of human behavior operate under the assumption that there is such a thing as a family in every society, because the family is empirically ubiquitous. In every corner of the globe and as far back in time as our lenses of historical and anthropological research can peer, a small, kinship-structured unit is visible on the broad landscape of human existence.” This quote illustrates how the English word “family” disguises the social connection and complexity of household relationships over the wide portrait of human existence. It is widely accepted that the New Testament household codes were adopted from Greco-Roman cultural norms for promoting domestic and social order within the community and in the church by New Testament writers. One significant problem with the household codes found in the New Testament is that the application of these texts in a contemporary setting is not straightforward. This dissertation will examine the Greco-Roman and New Testament family codes from historical and biblical viewpoints, demonstrating that these laws were culturally related in ancient cultures but lack binding relevance in current contexts due to cultural disparities. Although the family regulations were more culturally binding in ancient cultures than in modern ones, this dissertation will illustrate the theological connection and relevance for both contexts. It will delineate the theological rationale for Paul and Peter's references to home regulations in their epistles. It will also show the family regulations in the New Testament were not intended to endorse its patriarchal system as divinely sanctioned, but rather to direct Christians towards the example of humility and love shown by Jesus Christ.
