Biblical and theological foundations of the family : the domestic church

Biblical and Theological Foundations of the Family argues that the family has a constitutive nature and a specific theological purpose, which God reveals in the church. Joseph Atkinson investigates the principles of the doctrine of Creation which inform the family "from the beginning"; the vital way the family functions as "carrier of the covenant" in the Old Testament; and the critical aspects of Hebraic anthropology, especially corporate personality, upon which the family is based. This book provides a counter argument to the view of the human person developed in modern thought and which prevails todaythe autonomous, self-determining individual, with no essential nature or social or ecclesial aspects. Atkinson discusses the constitutive corporate nature of the human person and how the covenantal family of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The author does so by investigating how baptism transforms the family and gives it an ecclesial identity, making it a "domestic church". He then examines the development of the family's ecclesial nature in the church fathers, and the providential re-appropriation of the family's inner ecclesial identity in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and in subsequent magisterial teachings. This ground-breaking work establishes a solid biblical and theological foundation on which a theology of the family can be constructed. It thus fills a critical lack in the current literature on the family. The wide range of sources, including Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, give this work a genuine ecumenical dimension. Biblical and Theological Foundations of the Family will become indispensable for anyone wanting to engage in serious study of the structure and meaning of the family and its place in the salvific will of God. Biblical And Theological Foundations Of The Family Argues That The Family Has A Constitutive Nature And A Specific Theological Purpose, Which God Reveals In The Church. Joseph Atkinson Investigates The Principles Of The Doctrine Of Creation Which Inform The Family From The Beginning; The Vital Way The Family Functions As Carrier Of The Covenant In The Old Testament; And The Critical Aspects Of Hebraic Anthropology, Especially Corporate Personality, Upon Which The Family Is Based. -- Provided By Publisher. The Need For A Theology Of The Family -- Foundations Of The Family In The Old Testament -- The Family In Mythological Thought -- The Principles Of Creation And Covenantal Reality -- Abraham And The Family Of Faith -- Family As The Carrier Of The Covenant -- Family As Image Of The Covenant -- Hebraic Anthropological Principles: Corporate Personality -- Foundations Of The Family In The New Testament, Early Church, And Vatican Ii -- The Family Of Abraham In The New Testament -- The Corporate Dimension Of Baptism In The New Testament -- Appropriation By The Church Fathers -- Vatican Ii And The Problems Of Appropriation. Joseph C. Atkinson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Preface by José Granados ix Foreword by Francis Martin xv Author’s Preface xix Notes on Hebrew Language and Sources xxiii Introduction: The Need for a Theology of the Family 1 Part 1. Foundations of the Family in the Old Testament 13 1. The Family in Mythological Thought 19 2. The Principles of Creation and Covenantal Reality 33 3. Abraham and the Family of Faith 78 4. Family as the Carrier of the Covenant 91 5. Family as Image of the Covenant 128 6. Hebraic Anthropological Principles: Corporate Personality 161 PART 2. Foundations of the Family in the New Testament, Early Church, and Vatican II 193 7. The Family of Abraham in the New Testament 197 8. The Corporate Dimension of Baptism in the New Testament 220 9. Appropriation by the Church Fathers 269 10. Vatican II and the Problems of Appropriation 301 Bibliography 327 Scriptural Indexes 337 Index of Names 343 General Index 346