Ebook: Die Familie in der Nachexilszeit: Untersuchungen zur Bedeutung der Verwandtschaft in ausgewählten Texten des Alten Testaments

The starting point of this Erlangen habilitation is the contemporary discussion about the value and significance of the family in modern society amidst the constant change of social values. The author wants to contribute to this discussion by analyzing the growing significance of family and kinship structures within Israelite society in early postexilic time.
After some preliminary remarks (e.g., on terminological issues) the author first gives a brief survey of the scholarly discussion on the topic of the family in the OT (pp. 12–31). The main part of his work contains a detailed historical-critical exegesis of four selected passages (Josh 7; Lev 18; Ruth; Mic 7:1–7), which he has chosen for practical and form-critical reasons (pp. 34–305). His method is characterized by frequent references to issues and the results of cross-cultural, ethno-sociological research; his own approach, however, focuses on a more traditional historico-critical methodology (esp. literary-criticism).