Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Judaism, by Michael S. Berger Introduction The Hebrew Bible The Elephantine Marriage Contract Hellenistic Jewish Philosophy in the Wisdom of Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) The Damascus Document of the Dead Sea Scrolls Josephus on Marriage Law Mishnah on Procreation, Marriage, and Divorce The Babylonian Talmud Aggadic Midrash on Marriage and Family The Babylonian Talmud on Marital Sex The Babylonian Ordinance from the Academy on Divorce The Ordinances of Rabbi Gershom (The Light of the Exile) Medieval Marriage Contracts from the Cairo Geniza Love Poetry from the Golden Age of Spain The Order of the Get Maimonides on Sex Jewish Mysticism on Marriage and Sex The Book of the Pious of Medieval Germany The Epistle on Holiness ("Iggeret Ha-qodesh") Exchange Between Napoleon and the Jewish "Sanhedrin" on Issues of Marriage Contemporary Developments in Jewish Marriage Contracts Reform Opinion on Patrilineal and Matrilineal Descent 2. Christianity, by Luke Timothy Johnson and Mark D. Jordan Introduction Creation and the Fall in the Book of Genesis The Greco-Roman Context Hellenistic Jewish Moral Instruction Gospels of Matthew and Luke Paul's Letters to the Corinthians and Ephesians Apocryphal Christian Texts Augustine of Hippo John Chrysostom Peter Lombard The Fourth Lateran Council Thomas Aquinas Mechthild of Magdeburg Martin Luther Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1549) John Calvin The Council of Trent George Fox A Contemporary Critique of Sexual Ethics A Womanist Critique of Family Theology A Contemporary Liturgy for Same-Sex Unions 3. Islam, by Azizah al-Hibri and Raja' M. El Habti Introduction Creation and the Identity of Origin of Women and Men The Fall from the Garden and Gender Equality The Marriage Contract Consent to Marriage Mahr: The Obligatory Marital Gift Marital Relations Polygamy Marital Conflict Divorce Sexual Ethics Rights Within the Family 4. Hinduism, by Paul B. Courtright Introduction Rig Veda 10.85: The Marriage Hymn The Grhya-Sutras: The Wedding Ceremony Laws of Manu The Kamasutra Divine Marriage: Sivaiva and Parvati The Karma of Marriage: The King's Wife, the Brahmin's Wife, and the Ogre A Contemporary Hindu Marriage Ceremony "Counting the Flowers," a Short Story by Chudamani Raghavan, Translated from the Tamil by the Author 5. Buddhism, Alan Cole Introduction The Beginning of the World The Joys of Ascetism Married Life Versus Life of the Ascetic Songs by Buddhist Women The Conversion of the Nun, Patacara The Buddha Accepts His Aunt, Gotami, as a Nun The Buddha's Renunciation of His Family Confusion Over the Buddha as a Fertility God Buddhism as a Threat to the Indian Family The Buddha's Advice for Laity An Early Buddha Lineage East Asian Buddhism: An Overview The Sutra on the Filial Son The Ghost Festival Sutra The Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents The Blood Bowl Sutra 6. Confucianism, Patricia Buckley Ebrey Introduction The Book of Poetry (Shi jing) The Analects (Lunyu) of Confucius Mencius on Filial Piety Historical Incidents from the Zuo zhuan Record of Ritual The Record of Ritual of the Elder Dai The Classic of Filial Piety Lives of Model Women Admonitions for Women Filial Sons Mr. Yan's Family Instructions The Classic of Filial Piety for Women Yuan Cai on Concubines Zhu Xi on Family and Marriage Sexual Offenses in the Code of the Qing Dynasty Advice to Local Officials on Handling Sexual Offenses Qing Legal Cases Concerning Sexual Offenses Chen Duxiu on the Way of Confucius and Modern Life Feng Youlan on the Philosophy at the Basis of Traditional Chinese Society Index

Promotional Information

Spanning thousands of years, this collection brings together writings and teachings about sex, marriage, and family from the Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Confucian, and Buddhist traditions. It reveals the similarities and differences among the teachings of each tradition and the development of their ideas and practices over time. Selections address a range of subjects, including sexuality and sexual pleasure, the meaning and purpose of marriage, the role of betrothal, the status of women, the place of romance, divorce, celibacy, and sexual deviance. Drawn from a variety of genres, including ritual, legal, theological, poetic, and mythological texts, the chapters present and analyze a diverse range of sources, such as the Zohar on conjugal manners, a contemporary Episcopalian liturgy for same-sex unions, Qur'anic passages on the equality of the sexes, the Ka-masu-tra on husbands, wives, and lovers, Buddhist writings on celibacy, and Confucian teachings on filial piety.

About the Author

Don S. Browning is the Alexander Campbell Professor Emeritus of Religious Ethics and the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. He is the author or editor of more than forty books, including Marriage and Modernization: How Globalization Threatens Marriage and What to Do About It.M. Christian Green is senior fellow and senior lecturer in the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University and author of a forthcoming title on fatherhood in the Western tradition.John Witte Jr. is the Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law, Alonzo L. McDonald Distinguished Professor, and director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. He has published twenty-four books, including The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature.

Reviews

"Impressive... [and] well-edited." -- Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative & Emergent Religions