Haustafeln: A Deconstruction Reading of the Household Codes in Ephesians 5: 22-25 for Sustainable Development in Nigerian Context

Abstract

The quest for sustainable development has remained a recurring decimal in the history of man. Hence it becomes enigmatic for scholars and the society to admit the Pauline household codes on the verge of global challenges for advancement and technological breakthrough in the society as well. The paper adopts o multidimensional approach in order to heuristically examine the phenomenon. It discovers among other things that the restriction on the family was borne out of fear for the Greco-Roman government since the Jews were under Roman rule. Also, discovers that it is anti-society in outlook as women were meant to be seen and not heard their potentials denied while children and slaves the future leaders in our contemporary context were disenfranchised. Beside the men, every other person are denied of their rights, subjected and couched under the guise of patriarchal authority and harmonious living. The paper concludes by recommending a deconstruction reading that will empower women and youths to achieve speedy development. It recommends that the idea of patriarchy should be re-reinterpreted with love-submission in focus, where input from other members of the family counts and not blind submission to mediocrity and underdevelopment because of masculinity Keywords: sustainable development, patriarchal, submission, haustafeln, society, family and deconstruction