Answering a Question on Biblical Patriarchy

I recently received the following question from an anonymous commenter to the previous post on my blog.

Question:

"Please explain your use of 'patriarchal father.' I know what both of those words mean, but what does the phrase mean? I notice that [Caleb] Hayden uses it, as well."

PLEASE NOTE: The answer that follows is not intended to represent the opinions of any other person or organization. This is simply my understanding of the subject based on my personal study in the Bible, philosophy, history, and law, and based upon what I have learned from sitting at the feet of men far wiser than myself.

Answer:

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your valuable question. Some misunderstandings about patriarchy have circulated over the Internet, so it is good that we seek to properly discern this biblical doctrine. When I first heard of patriarchy I also had some erroneous ideas about what it involved, as I'll address below.

Also, at first glance the phrase “patriarchal father” may seem like a superfluous redundancy. But I use this phrase deliberately. In the post that follows I will first explain some ideas relating to the etymology and meaning of the terms, and then second highlight some of the biblical principles regarding patriarchy.

Patriarchy

Patriarchy comes from two root words, the first being the Latin pater which means “father,” and the second being the Greek arche which means “to rule.” When I took Latin class in homeschool high we had to memorize the Lord’s Prayer in Latin, which began, “Pater noster qui in caelis est sanctificatur nomen tuum” for “Our Father who art in heaven hallowed by thy name.” Pater is the root from which we get words such as “paternal.” The Greek word arche is used in such words as hierarchy or monarchy as it denotes a system of authority or leadership.

Based on these root words, we see that a patriarch is a father who leads his family. Again it might sound redundant to call a man a patriarchal father. After all, aren’t all patriarchs fathers? Yes. But are all fathers patriarchs? No. Some fathers are not leaders of their families. Some fathers are feminized, molly-cottle, pusillanimous invertebrates.

Some fathers let their wives and children lead them. These kinds of fathers were decried in Isaiah 3:12. “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”

Patriarchal Women; Feministic Men

Again, we may think it redundant to call someone a “patriarchal father” because only a father can be a patriarch. But what do we call a person who is not a father and yet a believer in the biblical doctrine of patriarchy? We may call them a “patriarchist” perhaps and say that their beliefs are “patriarchal.” Thus, a son might be a patriarchal son. That is, he believes in patriarchy and lives in obedience to the proper authority of his father. Likewise, a mother may be a patriarchal mother if she believes in patriarchy and respects her husband and properly follows him.

On the flipside, a man who rejects God’s revealed role distinctives for genders and embraces an egalitarian view of the role of women may be a feminist. Yes, some men—not just women—may be counted feminists. A man who believes in feminism is a feminist just as a woman who believes in feminism is a feminist.

So there is no redundancy in using the phrase “patriarchal father.” That designation clarifies that a man is not merely a father, but a father who believes in the biblical doctrine of patriarchy and actively seeks to live by that doctrine.

What exactly does the doctrine of patriarchy entail? When I first heard of patriarchy I assumed it involved men having multiple wives, or having children through women not their wives, or living in nomadic groups as the early patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet when we think of the failures of these men, we must remember that those failures arose where they failed to be leaders in their homes. Abraham, for example, failed to trust God’s promise for a son and followed his wife Sarah when she urged him to have a child through another woman. Abraham failed to lead in that instance. His failure was a failure in patriarchy not a characterization of patriarchy.

What is the basis for patriarchy in the Holy Scriptures? Below, I have highlighted some of the primary principles of patriarchy. For a more thorough discussion, please see the article The Tenants of Biblical Patriarchy on the Vision Forum Ministries web site.

Highlights of Biblical Patriarchy

1. God is Masculine

The Word of God consistently refers to God as masculine—modern translations notwithstanding. The nouns used in the Hebrew and Greek texts are masculine words or they are in the masculine tense. When Jesus Christ became incarnate He revealed Himself as a male. (See Matthew 1:25.) The Apostle Paul called Jesus a second Adam in terms of his masculine representative headship of the human race when he spoke of Him in Romans 5:14-21.

In the trinity God reveals Himself as the Father—a masculine role—and the Son—another masculine role. (See Matthew 28:19.) Even in the trinity, God illustrates the hierarchy of a father to a son when God the Son says that He must do the will of God the Father, as we see for example in John 5:19. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Even the Holy Spirit is referenced as masculine. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” John 16:13.

2. Man and woman are both created in the image of God.

The Bible reveals to us from its first pages that God made both “male and female” in His image. (See Genesis 1:27-28.) By this we mean that both of them have human characteristics that enable them to reflect God’s character and they are both called to exercise dominion over the earth. They both have God’s Law written on their hearts. They share equal worth as persons before God in creation and redemption.

3. Man is the image and glory of God, while woman is the glory of man.

In I Corinthians 11:3 the Bible says, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” It adds in verse seven, “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” This distinction between the genders, again, is not one of worth but one of structure.

4. God has ordained distinct gender roles for man and woman as part of the created order.

Adam’s headship over Eve was established at the beginning, even before sin entered the world. (See Gen. 2:18; 3:9; 1 Cor. 11:3,7; 1 Tim. 2:12-13.) The hierarchy of men in authority over women is a part of God’s design. It was an aspect of creation that he called “very good” in Genesis 1:31 well before the fall into sin.

4. The husband’s authority perseveres.

Although sin has distorted their relationship, God’s order of authority for husbands and wives has not changed, and redemption enables them to make substantial progress in achieving God’s ideal for their relationship. (See Gen. 3:16; Eph. 5:22.)

5. The man’s distinct role in dominion begins in the home and extends beyond.

While men are called to public spheres of dominion beyond the home, their dominion begins within the home, and a man’s qualification to lead and ability to lead well in the public square is based upon his prior success in ruling his household. (See Mal. 4:6; Eph. 6:4; 1 Tim. 3:5.)

6. The woman’s distinct role in dominion is as a helpmeet to her husband.

Since the woman was created as a helper to her husband, the bearer of children, and a “keeper at home,” the God-ordained and proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is connected with the home, although her domestic calling, as a representative of and helper to her husband, may well involve activity in the marketplace and larger community. (See Gen. 2:18; Prov. 31:10-31; Tit. 2:4-5.)

7. Normative functions do not change due to strange exceptions.

While unmarried women may have more flexibility in applying the principle that women were created for a domestic calling, it is not the ordinary and fitting role of women to work alongside men as their functional equals in public spheres of dominion (industry, commerce, civil government, the military, etc.). The exceptional circumstance (singleness) ought not redefine the ordinary, God-ordained social roles of men and women as created. (See Gen. 2:18; Josh. 1:14; Judges 4; Acts 16:14.)

8. The function of a father and husband is distinct in the family.

A husband and father is the head of his household, a family leader, provider, and protector, with the authority and mandate to direct his household in paths of obedience to God. (See Gen. 18:19; Eph. 6:4.)

9. The servant leadership of Jesus Christ is the pattern for men.

A man’s authority in the home should be exercised with gentleness, grace, and love as a servant-leader, following the example of Jesus Christ because leadership is a stewardship from God. (See Ps. 103:13; Mal. 3:17; Matt. 11:29-30; Col. 3:21; 1 Pet. 3:7.)

7. A father and husband’s jurisdiction of authority has limits.

The authority of fathers is limited by the Law of God and the lawful jurisdictional authority of the church and the state. Christian fathers cannot escape the jurisdiction of church and state and must be subject to both. (See Rom. 13:1; Eph. 5:21; 6:4; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13.)

8. A father and husband should endeavor to be fruitful and multiply.

God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply” still applies to married couples, and He “seeks godly offspring.” God sovereignly controls the opening and closing of the womb. Children are a gift of God and it is a blessing to have many of them, if He so ordains. Christian parents are bound to look to Scripture as their authoritative guide concerning issues of procreation. They should welcome with thanksgiving the children God gives them. The failure of believers to reject the anti-life mindset of the age has resulted in the murder of possibly millions of unborn babies through the use of abortifacient birth control. (See Gen. 1:28; 9:1; 29:31; 30:22; Ex. 20:13: 21:22-25; Ps. 127:3; 128:3-4; Is. 8:18; Mal. 2:15.)

9. Fathers should personally disciple their children.

The Bible calls fathers to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, teaching them the Scriptures of God anywhere and everywhere throughout the day. Fathers are called upon to warn their children of evil and to instill a vision of hope in God. (See Ephesians 6;4; Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Proverbs 1:8-19.)

The Bible presents a long-term, multi-generational vision of the progress of God’s kingdom in the world. Christians parents need to adopt this perspective and be motivated by the generational promises of Scripture, and church shepherds need to promote this outlook within their flocks. By the grace of God, as fathers faithfully turn their hearts toward their sons and daughters and the youths respond in kind, the next generation will build upon the faith and improve upon the faithfulness of their parents. (See Psalm 78:1-8; Isaiah 59:21; Malachi 4:6; Luke 1:17; Galatians 6:9.)

These are just a few prominent highlights among the principles of biblical patriarchy, and they are principles I am seeking to live by as an aspiring husband and father. For a more thorough list, again please see The Tenants of Biblical Patriarchy.

When men begin obeying God by properly leading their families, we will see the Lord turn the world up side down. Indeed, it will redefine culture around the world from the bottom to the top. May God bring it to pass.