Ancient Ethics

Ethicist John Barton says there are three basic models, patterns or paradigms that form the basis
of all ethics in the Bible: (1) obedience to God's will; (2) natural law; and (3) the imitation of God.
Barton goes on to say the first is probably the strongest model. Obedience as a basis for ethics is found in
Law and in the wisdom literature and in the Prophets. Eryl Davies says it is easy to overemphasize
obedience as a paradigm since there is also a strong goal—oriented character to the moral teaching in the
Bible. Asking where a course of action would lead was normal for the culture portrayed in biblical texts,
and even laws have "motive clauses" oriented toward the future prosperity of the person being asked to
obey
"Natural law" as Barton uses it is "a vague phrase meant to be suggestive rather than defining."
Eryl Davies says it is a term that should be used with some reservation since this is not the highly
developed "natural law" found in Western thought. Nevertheless, the loosely defined paradigm is
suggested by the ordering of the book of Genesis, where the creation story and the natural order were
made a focal point as the book was assembled and edited. It is in the Wisdom literature, the Prophets,
Romans 1, and Acts 17. It can be found in the book of Amos, where nations other than Israel are held
accountable for their ethical decisions (Amos 1:3—2:5).
Davies says the clearest expression of the imitation of God as a basis for ethics is in Leviticus 19:2
where Yahweh instructs Moses to tell the people to be holy because Yahweh is holy. This idea is also in
Leviticus 11:44; 20:7,26; 21:8. The prophets also asserted that God had moral qualities the Israelites
should emulate. The Psalmists also frequently reflect on God's character forming the basis of the ethical
life of those who worship Yahweh. Psalm 111, and 112 set out the attributes of God that must be reflected
in the life of a 'true follower. The ethic has limits; Barton points out that in 1 Samuel 26:19 David argues
that if his own persecution is ordered by God that is one thing, but if it is the work of people, those people
should be cursed.

The Code of Hammurabi includes many harsh punishments, sometimes demanding the removal
of the guilty party's tongue, hands, breasts, eye or ear. But the code is also one of the earliest examples of
an accused person being considered innocent until proven guilty. The 282 edicts are all written in if-then
form.

Family Types

The Family is the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children also:
any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family a single-
parent family.

1. Nuclear family: This is also known as the conjugal family or family of procreation. Nuclear
families are comprised of married partners and their offspring. This is common in industrial
societies, but it is not the most common type of family in the world, although the practice is
spreading through modern development. Some anthropologists identify a second type of nuclear
family, the non-conjugal family. In this type of nuclear family, there is one parent with dependent
children. Additionally, there is the polygymous family, which is comprised of multiple spouses and
dependent children (Lavenda and Schultz 2010; note that Lavenda and Schultz refer to a
polygynous family, not a polygymous family, but that term does not encompass a married woman
living with multiple husbands and dependent children).
2. Extended family: The extended family is the most common type of family in the world. Extended
families include at least three generations: grandparents, married offspring, and grandchildren.
3. Joint family: Joint families are composed of sets of siblings, their spouses, and their dependent
children.
4. Blended family: Blended families are becoming more common, especially in industrial societies
like the United States. A blended family is formed when divorced or widowed parents who have
children marry.
5. Family by Choice: A relatively newly recognized type of family, again especially in industrial
countries like the United States, is the family by choice. The term was popularized by the LGBTQ
(Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community to describe a family not recognized by
the legal system. Family by choice can include adopted children, live-in partners, kin of each
member of the household, and close friends. Increasingly family by choice is being practiced by
unmarried people and families who move away from the consanguine family.