ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 looks at covenantal models of marriage, tracing the use of marriage as a metaphor for God’s covenant with Israel in the Hebrew Bible and evaluating the impact of such descriptions of an unequal and often violent relationship. It questions whether covenantal models of marriage can offer the possibility of equal partnership, noting how dominant Christian teaching has upheld male headship over women’s bodies. It considers what it would mean develop a more democratic model of the family.
