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Marriage Article by Gary Anderson
Synopsis of “Marriage in the Book of Ruth” by Gary Anderson
This essay examines how marriage is portrayed in the book of Ruth. The advantage of using this book is that it combines Israelite legal thinking about marriage with a quite moving narrative. In order to appreciate the perspective of the Old Testament on marriage one cannot simply provide a list of dos and don'ts. To be sure marriages are enacted through law; but the minimal requirements of the law fail to define a marriage in its full depth. One needs to know how the law is enacted in the concrete details of an individual life. In story of Ruth we see three important features of biblical marriage: 1. the love of God for Israel as a lens with which to examine the love between a husband and wife; 2. the relationship of the married couple to the larger network of family relations – marriage is not just an arrangement between two individuals; and 3. the necessary and non-negotiable linkage of conjugal love and procreation.