Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, December 21st, 2024
the Third Week of Advent
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Bible Encyclopedias
Matriarchy

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

Search for…
or
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Prev Entry
Mathias of Cracow
Next Entry
Mattaniah
Resource Toolbox

A system of society in which descent and property are traced solely through females. It has been suggested that the prominence given to the mothers of kings in the Books of Kings and to the wives of the Patriarchs are survivals of this system. The fact that the tribes can be divided into tribes descended from Rachel and tribes descended from Leah has also been urged in favor of this view, especially as the name "Rachel" means "ewe," and the name "Leah" has been traced by Robertson Smith to a Semitic root meaning "antelope." The view is thus dependent upon the theory that the early Israelites had a totemistic tribal system (see TOTEMISM).

Bibliography:
  • W. Robertson Smith, Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia, especially p. 219, Cambridge, 1885;
  • Jacobs, Studies in Biblical ArchÅ“ology, London, 1891.
A.
J.
Bibliography Information
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Matriarchy'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/​encyclopedias/​eng/​tje/​m/matriarchy.html. 1901.
 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile