Whoredom: God's Unfaithful Wife in Biblical Theology (New Studies in Biblical Theology)

Formerly common in theological and pastoral discourse but largely overlooked in this century, the biblical theme of spiritual adultery - or "whoredom" - is surveyed afresh in this engaging book by Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. Beginning with Genesis 2:23-24, which is definitional of human marriage, Ortlund studies the passages in the Pentateuch and other Old Testament books that describe human violations of God's covenant with Israel in marital and sexual terms. In the New Testament Ortlund shows how Jesus presents himself as the Bridegroom of the people of God while confronting his generation as "evil and adulterous." Jesus' self-understanding and perception of the covenant community translate finally into the teaching of James, Paul, and John, who bring to completion the theme of the marriage of the church to God. Firmly grounding his arguments in the biblical text while also consulting the history of interpretation for depth of exegesis, Ortlund demonstrates that the biblical theme of whoredom both illuminates the profoundly intimate nature of the church's relationship with God and, conversely, emphasizes the dignity and symbolic significance of human marriage. In an important appendix Ortlund interacts with current feminist objections to the harlot metaphor.