论希伯来婚姻制度

在希伯来社会,结婚必须具备两个基本条件,一是达到婚龄,男子大体为16—18岁,女子为12岁以后,一是父母之命。同时结婚也有某些法定或习定的障碍,主要包括一定范围的亲属关系和外邦异族。缔结婚姻需要一定程序,这些程序包括订婚和举行婚礼。订婚需要有口头或书面的契约,同时还往往伴有男方赠送的聘礼。婚礼一般在男家举行,但也可在女家举行,而且比较多见。在希伯来社会的早期,婚礼比较简朴,后来则渐趋热闹铺张。希伯来人的婚姻形态是一夫多妻制,一个成年男子允许同时拥有多位妻妾。离婚不需要特别的理由,只要丈夫不喜欢妻子,就可以出具休书将其休弃。再嫁是允许的、不受非议的,一般也不要求特殊的程序或形式,只是如果丈夫无后的话,该丈夫的寡妻有权利嫁给他的最亲近的族人,以便为亡夫延续香火。

Hebrew Marriage System

In ancient Hebrew society,marriage must to have two necessary conditions,namely reaching marriage age and assent of the parent.Marriage also had some prohibitions from social customs.Marriage needed certain procedures including promise of marriage and wedding.The promise of marriage needed to be oral or written contract.In the early days of Hebrew,wedding was simple,but it became more jolly and luxurious subsequently.In Hebrew society,the state of marriage is polygyny which allows an adult man to own several wives and concubines in the meantime.Divorce would not need special causes.If a man doesn't please his wife,he can put a certificate of divorce in her hand and send her out of his house.Remarriage of woman would be allowed and not been discriminated.But if a woman whose husband died doesn't have one son of her husband,she would have right to remarry with her husband's kinsman in order to have one son for her former husband.