Christianity and Family Law

Religious contributions to family law could be relegated to history or extolled as showing what the family could and should be. This book gets full marks for the former, and the “historical figures speak for themselves” (p. xx). As the editors note, it “avoids strong methodological or disciplinary biases,” aiming at a general audience (p. xx-xxi). Their introduction succinctly describes each chapter, the reasons chosen for each principal figure or “portrait,” and, sometimes, the gloss added by an author. The authors and editors seek to provide both legal and historical frameworks for the development of family law, stressing the relationship between Christian teachings and various topics. Most are experts on the personages discussed, frequently noting that their contributions are taken from larger works. Almost every chapter reveals new insights, and sometimes the figures themselves are novel (at least to this reader), even though their thoughts may creep into the modern discourse on the family. The editors seek to balance the various divisions in contemporary Christianity and largely succeed. They also include a variety of disciplines.

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