Just Genesis

Linguistically, if we are to make sense of this, we must consider the addition of a suffix or prefix. These markers further clarify kin relationships and are especially evident Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, and Akkadian. Linguists have identified common affixes in some kinship terms that strongly suggest a connection between these languages and some middle and modern languages such as Old Siberian and Turkish.

The social structure of the biblical Hebrew revolves around the three offices of Priest, King, and Prophet, all positions being by divine appointment and maintained through endogamous marriage. These offices are related in terms of functions and by blood as the priest, the king, and the prophet are all Hebrew. Of these three offices, on;y that of the priest was never filled by a female is that of the priest.

Other peoples had priests and shamans, but these were not like the Hebrew priests. Other peoples had kings, but these were not like the Hebrew kings. Other people had prophets or oracles/seers, but these were not like the Hebrew prophets. Foreign kings were never chosen by God to rule over the Hebrew (Deut. 17:15).

“When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it
and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother."

Deuteronomy 17:17 forbids the king from taking "many wives." The wording appears to acknowledge that the marriage pattern of the Hebrew forefathers involved only two wives. This pattern is found with Lamech, Terah, Abraham, Esau, Jacob, Amram, Moses, Elkanah and Joash. In 2 Chronicles 24:1–3 we read:

"Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughter.

Part 1 of this series addresses the Feminist claim that the biblical Hebrew had a patriarchal social structure. This unfounded assumption is the basis for attempts to justify the innovation of women priests. Since women were denied the opportunity to serve as priests among the patriarchal Hebrew the Church should ordain women to correct that social injustice.

It should be noted that arguments in favor of women priests come primarily from New Testament professors whose focus precludes a wider investigation into the historic roots of the Church's priesthood among Abraham's Hebrew people. Among them are William Witt and N.T. Wright.

The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church of North America noted in a recent statement that women's ordination is an innovation without sufficient Scriptural warrant to make it a normative practice. This was the conclusion of the ACNA house of bishops after consideration of a 5-year study of the question. Dr. William Witt served as one of the advisers to the study group. He argues that women were denied the opportunity to serve as priests among the Hebrew because of patriarchy, and to correct that social injustice the Church should ordain women.

However, examination of the social structure of the biblical Hebrew reveals that the argument has no basis in fact. The social structure of the biblical Hebrew is not patriarchal because it is not characterized by these 6 conditions of absolute patriarchy:

1. descent is traced through the paternal line only (Part 2)
2. inheritance rights come through the father's lineage only (Part 3)
3. right to rule is vested with males only (Part 4)
4. patrilocal residence; that is the bride lives with or near the groom's clan/family (Part 5)
5. governed by a council of all males (Part 6)
6. ultimate authority rests with a male figure such as a patriarch, chief or king.

In this article we explore the claim that the social structure of the biblical Hebrew was characterized by the governance of males exclusively.