Topic I
Special Launch pricing ends on September 30. Last chance to save $7.49.
A New On-Demand Class
The phrase is everywhere. The Bible never uses it.
The Phrase Itself
A common refrain in many Christian spaces today is the call to pursue a “biblical marriage.” But what if that phrase tells us more about modern culture wars than it does about the ancient world? After all, the writers of the Hebrew Bible didn’t even have a specific word for “marriage” as we use it today. So what exactly are we appealing to when we insist on a “biblical” model?
In this class, Dr. Jennifer Bird draws on her extensive research to take a careful look at four passages most often used to define “biblical marriage”—Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4–6, and Ephesians 5:31–32. These texts are frequently treated as timeless blueprints for modern relationships. But are they meant to function that way?
Together, we’ll reframe these passages, revisit a few infamous texts from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and uncover how ancient people actually understood marriage—often in ways that look nothing like 21st-century partnerships. Instead of defending an idealized model, this class invites a more historically grounded, theologically responsible conversation about marriage and human flourishing—helping us reframe how we approach the Bible for guidance today.
Format
On-demand video
Length
One class · 90 min
Included
Recording, Q&A & slides
Access
Lifetime, watch anytime
Instructor
Dr. Jennifer Bird
Dr. Jennifer Bird PhD, New Testament and Early Christianity · Vanderbilt University
Dr. Jennifer Bird (PhD, New Testament and Early Christianity, Vanderbilt University) has taught in college, seminary, and church classrooms across the country for more than 25 years, striving to invite conversation and encourage the idea, “critical thinking meets reading the Bible.”
An educator at heart, Dr. Bird is committed to helping people better understand what is contained in the biblical texts, first, and then to figure out how to handle them carefully and in ways that lead to the love and empowerment of others.
What This Class Offers
Ninety minutes with a scholar who has spent her career on exactly this question, working from the texts themselves rather than from the argument they have been drafted into.
Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, and Ephesians 5:31-32, read in their own settings rather than as proof texts. These are the verses the whole argument rests on.
Dr. Bird draws on her extensive research into how the Bible’s texts about sex, gender, and marriage have been read, and misread. This is her subject, not a survey topic.
A historically grounded conversation about marriage and human flourishing, rather than a defense of an idealized model.
One focused class of about ninety minutes, including the live Q&A. Watch it tonight, or come back to it whenever you like, with lifetime access.
Infamous passages from both testaments that almost never appear in the “biblical marriage” conversation, and what their absence has been doing to it.
Whether you are a believer, a skeptic, or simply curious, the argument is built from the ground up. No prior study of the Bible or the ancient world is assumed.
Common Assumption
“The Bible lays out one model for marriage.”
In fact
Lay the passages side by side and the model refuses to hold still. What the texts are actually describing turns out to depend entirely on which text, and when.
Common Assumption
“These verses were written as timeless blueprints.”
In fact
Put them back into the situations they were written into, and they start to look like answers to very particular questions. Whether they were ever meant to function as blueprints is the question this class opens.
Common Assumption
“Ancient marriage was basically our marriage, with worse clothes.”
In fact
Ancient marriage was doing a job that has almost nothing to do with what most people now want from a partner. Once you see what the job was, the familiar verses read differently.
Common Assumption
“Jesus and the prophets settle the matter.”
In fact
Both have far more to say about marriage than the argument usually admits, and where they actually land is not where their names are most often planted.
The complete ninety-minute class, yours on demand with lifetime access. Watch it in one sitting or return to it whenever you like.
The live question-and-answer session that followed the class, where Dr. Bird takes the questions the audience actually brought.
Dr. Bird’s full slide deck to download and keep, with the passages, references, and citations laid out for review.
$1 from every registration is donated to charity: water, bringing clean water to people in need.
Enjoy the course at a fraction of the cost
Special Launch Price: 30% Off Through 9/30
Regular Price $24.95 Special Launch $17.46 Ends September 30
$24.95
The standard price for a single-class course.
Included in Your Purchase: Lifetime access to this class, with:
Access this Course PLUS Every Course in Our Vault
(250+ Hours of Biblical Learning!)
then special rate $49.95/month
The full ninety-minute class with Dr. Jennifer Bird, the recorded live Q&A session that followed it, and her downloadable class slides. Everything is on demand, with lifetime access.
No. It was taught live and recorded, and that recording is now available on demand. You can start watching immediately and return to it as often as you like.
About ninety minutes, including the audience Q&A. It is designed to be watched in a single sitting.
The four most often used to define “biblical marriage”: Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, and Ephesians 5:31-32. Dr. Bird also revisits several less-quoted texts from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and looks at what the prophets and the Gospels say about marriage.
Not at all. This is a historical and interpretive class, not a devotional one. Whether you are a believer, a skeptic, or simply curious about where the phrase “biblical marriage” came from, you will find it genuinely rewarding.
No prior knowledge is required. Dr. Bird introduces each passage and its setting as the class goes, and builds the argument from the ground up.
Once you have purchased, you will receive instructions by email to log in to our online course platform, ThriveCart Learn. The class, the Q&A, and the slides are all waiting there. If you are a member of Biblical Studies Academy (BSA), your access will also be available inside the community.
Yes. The class is yours with lifetime access. Watch it on any device, on your own schedule, and come back to it as often as you like.
Yes. The class includes closed captions.
We accept PayPal and all major credit cards.
Absolutely. If you don’t love the class, send us an email at support@bartehrman.com within 30 days of purchase and we will refund every penny.