Part of a five week Scripture Study led by Alan Mitchell.
 
This Scripture study begins with an examination of texts from Deuteronomy dealing with care of the "widow, the orphan, and the stranger in your midst." The deuteronomic ideal in Israel was a basic social welfare program to aid those who had no standing in Israelite society, i.e. widows, orphans and resident aliens who lived within the geographical bounds of Israel but had no legal standing. The continuation of this ideal by Israel’s eighth century prophets provided an important corrective to the abuses of the monarchy. The importance of caring for the marginalized society was not neglected by New Testament communities, and so NT authors who promote the appropriation of the deuteronomic ideal will also be studied.