Fung Tat Yeung. / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-72). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- The Theme of Levirate Marriage in the Old and New Testaments --- p.1 / The disagreement between the Sadducees and Paul the former Pharisee --- p.2 / A comparison between Paul's illustration of marriage in Romans 7:1-6 and the levirate law in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 --- p.8 / The transformation in the levirate practice from the era of the Old Testament to that of the New --- p.14 / Chapter 2 --- The Duty of a Levir to His Brother´ةs Widow in the Story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) --- p.17 / Judah s command on Onan: a levirate marriage? --- p.17 / Lexical study of or --- p.19 / Onan's refusal to perform his duty as a brother-in-law --- p.21 / Judah's command on Tamar: prolonged widowhood --- p.23 / Tamar's endeavour in finding the right levir --- p.27 / Evaluation of the levirate practice in Genesis 38 --- p.29 / Chapter 3 --- The Widow´ةs Marriage to Her Husband´ةs Kinsman in the Book of Ruth --- p.32 / Ruth seeking to follow Naomi --- p.32 / "The introduction of Boaz, the kinsman of Naomi´ةs husband's" --- p.35 / Lexical study of 7xi --- p.37 / Boaz's device in securing the redemption of Ruth by himself --- p.41 / Evaluation of the marriage between Boaz and Ruth in the Book of Ruth --- p.44 / Chapter 4 --- The Widow´ةs Marriage to Her Kinsman in the Book of Tobit and Voluntary Widowhood in the Book of Judith --- p.47 / The marriage of a widow by a kinsman in Book of Tobit --- p.48 / Evaluation of the marriage between Tobias and Sarah in the Book of Tobit --- p.53 / The choice of a widow to remain unmarried in the Book of Judith --- p.54 / Evaluation of the voluntary widowhood in the Book of Judith --- p.58 / Conclusion --- p.61 / An overall evaluation of the levirate practice in the Old Testament --- p.61 / The application of the levirate in the New Testament era --- p.63 / The message of the levirate for today --- p.66 / Bibliography --- p.68

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-80).

No description available.

This study considers the origin and purpose of Ruth and concludes that it is best to read the narrative as a call for an inclusive attitude toward any person, Jew or Gentile, who desired to join the Judean community in the Restoration period. In chapter one, I review the difficulties that scholars face in ascertaining Ruth's place in Israel's history, and I outline approaches that they have used to try to establish its purpose and origin. I discuss major interpretive positions, which date the book either to the monarchic period, to the exilic period, or to the Restoration period, and I articulate the format of my own study. In chapter two, I consider how the author of Ruth uses characterization to highlight Ruth, a Gentile outsider, and to criticize the Bethlehemite community. Only Boaz accepts Ruth, which leads to his participation in the line of David. In chapter three, I discuss how the author also magnifies Ruth's character by comparing her with Israel's ancestors. In these ways, Ruth demonstrates that an outsider can embody the ideals of the Restoration community and that they can also be a benefit to the nation. In chapters four and five, I examine arguments for dating Ruth to particular periods in Israel's history. In chapter four, I consider efforts to date the language of Ruth as well as the legal practices that the story describes. I also discuss the narrative's supposed congruence with the concerns of various social settings in Israel's history. In chapter five, I draw on current research on refugee communities to see how the experiences of such people can help us understand the concerns of the Restoration community. In chapter six, I review my arguments for regarding Ruth as a call for inclusion in the Restoration period, and I consider how this conclusion should affect the field of Ruth studies as well as the wider field of Second Temple studies.