Adultery view rejected
- Thread starter Steven Avery
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Steven Avery
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๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ. ๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ. ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฐโ๐ฌ ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐ฒ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ๐๐.๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ.
๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ซ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) And, โWhoever shall marry her that is divorced from another husband, commits adultery.โ And, โThere are some who have been made eunuchs of men, and some who were born eunuchs, and some who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heavenโs sake; but all cannot receive this saying.โ So that all who, by human law, are twice married, are in the eye of our Master sinners, and those who look upon a woman to lust after her.144
๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ (๐๐ฅ. ๐.๐๐๐๐๐) And I said to him, โSir, if any one has a wife who trusts in the Lord, and if he detect her in adultery, does the man sin if he continues to live with her?โ And he said to me, โAs long as he remains ignorant of her sin, the husband commits no transgression in living with her. But if the husband knows that his wife has gone astray, and if the woman does not repent, but persists in her sin, and yet the husband continues to live with her, he also is guilty of her crime, and a sharer in her adultery.โ And I said to him, โWhat then, sir, is the husband to do, if his wife continues in her vicious practices?โ And he said, โThe husband should put her away, and remain by himself. But if he put his wife away and marry another, he also commits adultery.โ145
๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐)172 If any man sends away his lawful wife and marries another, he is to be excommunicated by Christians, even if the first wife consentโฆIt is not lawful for separation to take place in the case of a lawful marriage unless there is the consent of both, so that they may remain unmarried. 173
๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ (๐๐ฅ. ๐. ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) โAnd he that marries,โ says [the Gospel], โher that is divorced from her husband, commits adultery; and whoever puts away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery.โ Because Solomon says: โCan a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goes in to a married woman shall not be innocent.โ146
๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ (๐๐ฅ. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) For we bestow our attention; not on the study of words, but on the exhibition and teaching of actions, โ that a person should either remain as he was born, or be content with one marriage; for a second marriage is only a specious adultery. โFor whoever puts away his wife,โ says He, โand marries another, commits adultery;โ not permitting a man to send her away whose virginity he has brought to an end,147 nor to marry again. 148
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ (๐. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) Now that the Scripture counsels marriage, and allows no release from the union, is expressly contained in the law, โYou shall not put away your wife, except for the cause of fornication;โ and it regards as adultery the marriage of those separated while the other is alive149โฆThe Church cannot marry another, having obtained a bridegroom; but each of us individually has the right to marry the woman he wishes according to the law; I mean here first marriage. 15
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ (๐. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) A divorced woman cannot even marry legitimately; and if she commits any such act without the name of marriage, does it not fall under the category of adultery, in that adultery is crime in the way of marriage? Such is Godโs verdict, within narrower limits than menโs, that universally, whether through marriage or promiscuously, the admission of a second man to intercourse is pronounced adultery by HimโฆSo true, moreover, is it that divorce โwas not from the beginning,โ that among the Romans it is not till after the six hundredth year from the building of the city that this kind of โhard-heartednessโ is set down as having been committed. But they indulge in promiscuous adulteries, even without divorcing their partners: to us, even if we do divorce them, even marriage will not be lawful. 151
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) Of those who discover their wives in adultery and are young Christians and are forbidden to marry, it was determined that they be most strongly advised not to take other wives while their own live, though they be adulterous. 152
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐ (๐๐๐๐๐) A Christian woman who has left an adulterous Christian husband and is marrying another is to be forbidden to marry; if, however, she has already remarried, she is not to receive communion before the death of the man whom she has left, unless mortal sickness
compels it.153
๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ณ๐ข๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ง (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) For I think that the Word here seems to deprecate second marriage. For, if there were two Christs, there may be two husbands or two wives; but if Christ is One, one Head of the Church, let there be also one flesh, and let a second be rejectedโฆNow the Law grants divorce for every cause; but Christ not for every cause; but He allows only separation from the whore; and in all other things He commands patience.154
๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง (๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Therefore, the right to marry is given to you, lest ye fall into a snare and sin with a strange woman. Ye are bound to your wife; do not seek release because you are not permitted to marry another while your wife lives. 155
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) โLet her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.โ....โWhat then if he will never be reconciled?โ one may ask. You have one more mode of release and deliverance. What is that? Await his death. For as the (consecrated) virgin may not marry because her Spouse always lives, and is immortal; so to her who has been married it is then only lawful [to remarry] when her husband is dead.156
๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐) 157 If a layman divorces his own wife, and takes another, or one divorced by another, let him be suspended.158
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐๐๐๐๐) 159 According to the evangelical and apostolic discipline it is decreed that neither a man who is put away by his wife, nor a woman put away by her husband, may marry another, but that they must either abide so, or be reconciled to each other.160
๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ (๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) It is manifest that when persons who have been divorced marry again both parties are adulterers. And moreover, although the former marriage is supposed to be broken, yet if they marry again they themselves are adulterers, but the parties whom they marry are equally with them guilty of adultery; as we read in the gospel: He who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery; and likewise, He who marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery. Therefore all such are to be repelled from communion.161
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ ๐ (๐.๐ค.๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐) 162 It was determined that, in accordance with Evangelical and Apostolic discipline, neither a man put away by his wife nor a woman put away by her husband may be united to another; but let them remain so, or be reconciled to each other.163
๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) The apostle has thus cut away every plea and has clearly declared that, if a woman marries again while her husband is living, she is an adulteress. You must not speak to me of the violence of a ravisher, a motherโs pleading, a fatherโs bidding, the influence of relatives, the insolence and the intrigues of servants, household losses. A husband may be an adulterer or a sodomite, he may be stained with every crime and may have been left by his wife because of his sins; yet he is still her husband and, so long as he lives, she may not marry another. 164
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ (๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) It cannot be correctly affirmed either that the husband who puts away his wife because of immorality and marries another does not commit adultery. For there is adultery, also, on the part of those who marry others after the repudiation of their former wives because of immoralityโฆIf everyone who marries another woman after the dismissal of his wife commits adultery, this includes the one who puts away his wife without the cause of immorality and the one who puts away his wife for this reason. 165
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) 166 They who abuse the name of marriage by taking women [as their wives] whose husbands are living shall be excommunicated.167
๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ข๐๐ง (๐.๐ค.๐. ๐๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ข๐๐ง, ๐๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ข๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฌ, ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐๐ง, ๐.๐.๐๐๐๐๐) If a manโs wife commits immorality and cohabits with another man, he ought not to take another wife while his wife is alive.168
๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Of a wife who is a harlot, thus the same man explained, โThat she will be a harlot, who has cast off the yoke of her own husband, and is joined to a second or a third husband; and her husband shall not take another [wife] while she livesโฆโ169
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) If a manโs wife has committed adulteryโฆlet him send away his wife, if he willโฆBut her husband may not on any account take another wife while she lives.170
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ (๐๐๐๐๐) Concerning Marriage: That none but lawful matrimony be allowed to any; That no man contract an incestuous marriage; That none quit his own wife, except (as the holy Gospel teaches) on account of fornication; That supposing any to have expelled his own wife united to him in lawful matrimony, if he choose to be a Christian indeed, he must connect himself with no other woman, but must so abide, or be reconciled to his own wife.171
๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ (๐.๐ค.๐. ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐, ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐, ๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐) We enjoin, and charge, and command, in Godโs name, that no Christian man do ever take a wife of his own kin within the sixth degree of relation, nor the widow of a kinsman so nearly related to him, nor of the kindred of a wife whom he formerly had, nor of his sureties at baptism, nor a consecrated nun, nor a divorced woman, nor practice any unlawful copulation. Let no man have more than one wife, and let her be a wedded wife, and let him remain with her only, so long as she lives, if he will rightly observe God's will, and secure his soul against hell flames.191
๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Therefore is there only one carnal cause, fornication: one spiritual cause, the fear of God for which a wife may be dismissed. But there is no cause prescribed by the law of God that another wife may be taken, while she is alive who has been abandoned. 174
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ (๐๐๐๐๐)175 She who has left her husband is an adulteress if she has come to another, according to the holy and divine Basil, who has gathered this most excellently from the prophet Jeremiahโฆhe who leaves the wife lawfully given him, and shall take another is guilty of adultery by the sentence of the Lord.176
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐)177 We ordain thatโฆno one take the wife of another while her husband is living, and that no woman take another husband while her own is living; because a husband ought not to send away his wife except for the cause of discovered fornication.178
๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ (๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) Concerning a layman repelling his wife from the canon of the holy apostles, chapter 48: If any layman repelling his own wife has taken another or one dismissed by another, let him be deprived of Communion179โฆConcerning those who dismiss their wives or husbands, that they remain thus: from the African Council above mentioned in chapter 69 it is thus contained: it was resolved that according to evangelical and apostolical discipline, neither a man dismissed by his wife, nor a woman dismissed by her husband, may be joined to another; but that they so remain or be mutually reconciled.180
๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐) Augustine says, โIf a woman commits immorality she is to be dismissed; but another is not to be married while she is alive.โ Wherever, then, there is immorality, and a just suspicion of immorality, the wife may be freely dismissedโฆAccording to the Evangelical discipline, neither let a wife, dismissed from her husband, take another man, the former living; nor a husband another woman; but let them so remain, or be reconciled. Augustine says: โIf a woman commits immorality she is to be relinquished, but another must not be taken so long as she lives.โ181
๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐๐) Also it was decreed in the same (African Council) that neither a wife, dismissed by a husband, may take another husband, while her own husband is alive, nor a husband take another wife, while his first wife still lives.182
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข (๐๐๐๐๐) Though the bond of marriage be broken for the cause of immorality, a man may not marry another wife as long as the adulteress lives, though she be an adulteress; and the adulteress shall never marry another husband.183
๐๐ข๐ฑ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) And those who marry other wives when their own have been sent away for the cause of immorality are to be marked as adulterers by the judgment of the Lord.184
๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐) That during the lifetime of husband or wife neither of them be united in another marriageโฆAnd if she has committed immorality, and her husband desires it, she is to be dismissed, but another wife may not be taken in marriage during her lifetime, because adulterers will not possess the kingdom of God, and her penitence is to be accepted.185
๐๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐)186 If any man dismiss his lawful wife [while she is] living and marry another, let him want Godโs mercy unless he make satisfaction for it; but let every one retain his lawful wife so long as she lives, unless they both choose to be separated by the bishopโs consent and are willing to preserve their chastity for the future.187
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง (๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) He that relinquishes his wife [for any reason] and takes another woman breaks wedlock. Let none of those rights which belong to Christians be allowed him, either during life, or at his death, nor let him be buried with Christian men: and let the same be done to a [delinquent] wife: and let the kindred that were present at the contract [of the second marriage] suffer the same doom, except they will first be converted, and earnestly make satisfaction.188
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ฆ (๐๐๐๐๐๐) And let it never be, that a Christian man marry within the relationship of 6 th persons, in his own kin, that is within the fourth degree; nor with the relict of him who was so near in worldly relationship; nor with the wifeโs relation, whom he before had had. Nor with any hallowed nun, nor with his god-mother, nor with one divorced, let any Christian man ever marry; 189 nor have more wives than one, but be with that one, as long as she may live; whoever will rightly observe Godโs law, and secure his soul from the burning of hell.190
๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ (๐.๐๐๐๐) We are consequently driven to the second [method of interpreting the exception clause]; and thus are led to conclude, that the supposed exception of cases of adultery from the prohibition of divorce, which has been inferred from St. Matthewโs gospel, is really no exception at all; that the words need not be, and ought not to be, so understood; and that there is no inconsistency between St. Matthew and the other two Evangelists, in recording our Lordโs prohibition.223
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐๐) [We decree] That no one, having left his lawful wife, may take another.192
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง (๐.๐๐๐๐) If either the husband has departed from his wife, or the wife from the husband on the ground of immorality, it is unlawful to take another.193
๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐.๐๐๐๐) The marriage bond still exists between those who, even if departing from one another, having joined themselves to others.194
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐๐) Marriage is dissolved by the adultery of the wife, but in such wise that neither party may marry again; and if the husband marry another woman, his second marriage is null, and the first marriage, with all its duties and obligations, is restored.195
๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Nothing happening after a marriage can dissolve it: wherefore adultery does not make a marriage cease to be valid. For, according to Augustine (De Nup. et Concup. i, 10), โas long as they live they are bound by the marriage tie, which neither divorce nor union with another can destroy.โ Therefore it is unlawful for one, while the other lives, to marry again.196
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) And let each man be aware that he procures no false divorce, for money, neither for friendship, neither for enemy; for Christ commands that no man separate them that God has joined; but only for adultery that party that keeps himself clean may depart from the otherโs bed and for no other cause, as Christ himself says. And in this case the clean party has [only] the option to either live chastely for as long as the other [spouse] lives, or else be reconciled again to the other party. 197
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) A triple good is found in matrimony. The first is the begetting of children and their education to the worship of God. The second is the faithfulness which each spouse owes to the other. Third is the indissolubility of marriage, inasmuch as it represents the indissoluble union of Christ and the Church. But, although it is permitted to separate on account of adultery, nevertheless it is not permitted to contract another marriage since the bond of a marriage legitimately contracted is perpetual.198
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐)199 Notwithstanding, in marriages lawfully made, and according to the ordinance of matrimony prescribed by God and the laws of every realm, the bond thereof cannot be dissolved during the lives of the parties between whom such matrimony is made.200
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐)201 Notwithstanding in marriages lawfully made, and according to the ordinance of matrimony prescribed by God and holy church, the bond thereof can by no means be dissolved during the lives of the parties between whom such matrimony is contracted. 202
๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐)203 In all Sentences for Divorce, Bond to be taken for not marrying during each otherโs Life. In all sentences pronounced only for divorce and separation a thoro et mensa,204 there shall be a caution and restraint inserted in the act of the said sentence, That the parties so separated shall live chastely and continently; neither shall they, during each other's life, contract matrimony with any other person. And, for the better observation of this last clause, the said sentence of divorce shall not be pronounced, until the party or parties requiring the same have given good and sufficient caution and security into the court, that they will not any way break or transgress the said restraint or prohibition. 205
๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) First, I take the act of adultery doth not dissolve the bond of marriage; for then it would follow, that the party offending would not, upon reconciliation, be received again by the innocent to former society of life, without a new solemnizing of marriage, insomuch as the former marriage is quite dissolved, which is never heard of, and contrary to the practice of all Churchesโฆ in my opinion, second marriages (where either party is living) are not warranted by the word of God. 206
๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ (๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)207 There be two kinds of divorces, the one that dissolveth the marriage a vinculo matrimonii; 208 as for precontract, consanguinity, &c. and the other a mensa et thoro; 209 as for adultery, because that divorce by reason of adultery, cannot dissolve the marriage a vinculo matrimonii, for that the offence is after the just and lawfull marriage.210
๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) And if we do well consider the words of our Saviour, we shall find this order of our Church211 to be grounded upon holy Scripture; for though the Jews allowed to Marry again after Divorce for Adultery, yet Jesus correcting this custom, saith, โwhosoever shall put away his Wife, saving for the cause of Fornication, causeth her to commit Adultery; and whosoever shall Marry her that is Divorced, committeth Adultery, Matth. v.32. So that he allows Divorce in no cause but that of Fornication, (which is all that Moses also permits under the name of uncleanness, Deut. Xxiv.1.) but in no case at all doth Christ allow Marriage after Divorce, calling it plainly Adulteryโฆ212
๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฒ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) ...I incline rather to take the word [porneia] in its proper sense for fornication committed before matrimony, and found after cohabitation. (1.) Because Christ, speaking of this divorce here and elsewhere, doth never use the world moicheia, which signifies adultery, but always porneia (Matt. v.32), which word, both among Jews and gentiles, doth properly import the sin of unmarried persons lying one with another, and so being made one body (1Cor. vi.16): it is not therefore likely that Christ receded from the known and common acceptation of the word.213
๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) In the clause of exception it was the undoubted purpose of our Saviour to abridge the facilities of divorce, which the Jews had derived from the word uncleanness in the law of Moses: Deut. xxiv.1. But it is obvious, that if the word porneia be of that general sense and signification in which it is interpreted by Grotius and other expositors [to include sexual immorality in general], the explicit purpose of our Lord is defeated by the ambiguity of his language. His clause of exception, thus largely expounded [to be a catch-phrase for all sexual immorality], cannot be supposed to restrict the licence, which was collected from the Mosaic law. This alone is an insuperable objection to the argument of Selden, that porneia in the use of the Pharisees is equivalent to any uncleanness.214
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) At length, that which appears to be the true doctrine was generally accepted by the Church, that if a woman is guilty of adultery the husband is justified in putting her away from him, but that the marriage nevertheless remains indissoluble. 215
๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ณ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ง ๐รถ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Those who think that, in His two statements about marriage given by Matthew, Christ meant that it was dissolved or made dissoluble by adultery on either side, are compelled (1) to maintain, that the word porneia may mean adultery, (2) to find a ground for its being used in a crucial passage instead of the ordinary word mocheia, (3) to maintain the principle that one act of adultery on either side ipso facto dissolves marriage. These three points require proof. The first assertion must be most emphatically contradicted; porneia always means incontinence in the unmarried, never in the N. T. or Septuagint or in profane authors, adultery...But, supposing porneia could be used for adulterium, that does not explain why Christ, or Matthew, should have used the word, where it was essential to define accurately the one ground for dissolution of marriage. Christ more than once uses moicheia here; why should He suddenly change the word for โfornicationโ if He only meant adultery?216
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐๐จ๐ง (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Moses had allowed a bill of divorcement; but Christ reaffirms, without exception, the original law, โWhat God hath joined together let no man put asunder.โ In other words, He proclaims the indissolubility of the marriage tie. Alluding to the Jewish law, He rules that if an unacknowledged act of fornication on the part of the woman had preceded the contract, the apparent tie may be dissolved. I say, the apparent tie; because in reality the contract was vitiated from the first; one of the contracting parties was deceived as to its real terms.217
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐), et al (1857)218 [We protest the bill] 1st, Because the Bill contains provisions authorizing in certain cases divorce a Vinculo Matrimonii of Christian marriage, and is thus in direct opposition to what our Lord has declared both in His own words and in the unvarying teaching of His Church. โSigned Henry Granville Howard, William Bernard Petre, Henry Valentine Stafford Jerningham, George Charles Mostyn, Henry Benedict Arundell, & Thomas Alexander Fraser219
๐๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐), et al (1857) [We protest the bill] 1st, Because, in opposition to the word of God, which is embodied in the law of our Church, the Bill sanctions the re-marriage of a divorced husband or wife during the lifetime of the divorced wife or husband. 2ndly, Because in direct contradiction to the plain teaching of our Saviour Christ, the divorced adulteress is permitted to re-marry during the lifetime of her husbandโฆ6thly, Because it will lead to the clergy of the Church of England being required to pronounce the blessing of Almighty God on unions condemned by their Church, and repugnant, as many of them believe, to the direct letter of Holy Writ, and to employ at the unions founded on dissolved marriages, from the Marriage Service of the Church of England, language which is in its plain sense inconsistent with the dissolubility of marriage. โSigned Samuel Wilberforce, Francis Godolphin DโArcy Osborne, Walter Kerr Hamilton, Horatio Nelson, John Thomas Freeman Mitford, Otway OโConnor Cuffe, & Arthur Hill Trevor220
๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) โWhat therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.โ Here our Lord sets aside the letter of Holy Scripture, in one case, in the passage in Deuteronomy, (which He speaks of as the command of Moses,) on account of the higher law of Christian holiness and perfectionโฆAnd therefore this passage in the book of Genesis not only is spoken, as St. Paul says it is, of the Sacramental union betwixt Christ and His Church, but does also signify that marriage is of itself of Divine sanction, and the union formed of God, and necessarily indissoluble as suchโฆfor if God hath joined, man cannot put asunder. 221
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Therefore among Christians there can be no such thing as Divorce. This argument, being purely scriptural, and its conclusion directly in unison with the Law of the Church of England, seems as if it ought to be well considered, by those especially, who think it their duty to be guided in such matters by Scripture alone, and to admit no authoritative interpretation of Scripture but that of the present English Church.222
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฒ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) And accordingly the Christian Church has ever held that the mind of Christ is that marriage is indissoluble. Life-long monogamy is the condition supposed and enjoined by Holy Scripture...So far, then, we claim that the teaching of Holy Scripture is the indissolubility of the marriage bond: the union is essential, its duration is permanent.239
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ (๐๐๐๐)224 Marriage can only be dissolved by the natural death of one of the parties; while both live, it is indissoluble.225
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฆ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) You seem not to have observed, in using Matt, v., 32, that our Lord nowhere at any time recognizes any right of a woman to divorce her husband; nor to have remembered that adultery being punished with death under the Jewish law (so that, as Beza and Wells observe, the case of divorce for actual adultery could never legally occur), the word porneia should most probably be understood restrictively of ante-nuptial unchastity discovered after marriage. 226
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Thus our Lord confirmed the permission of the Mosaic law in this particular because of the unforgiving character of the Jewish disposition,โ โthe hardness of their hearts,โโbut He did not extend the permission to any other case than that of ante-nuptial unchastity, or โfornication.โ And thus He swept away at one stroke all those pretences, falsely grounded on the Mosaic law, under which the Jews had so freely used โbills of divorcement.โ227
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐๐) Divorce does not dissolve marriage, but merely suspends the joint life of the parties.228
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ (๐๐๐๐) The divorce sanctioned by this Code consists only in personal separation of the married couple without the dissolution of the bonds of matrimony229โฆA legal marriage can only be dissolved by the death of one of the contracting parties.230
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) But we need not shrink from adducing positive ground to show that no permission of re-marriage is here givenโฆthe supposed exception of St. Matthew is no exception at all so far as concerns the case of re-marriage, but is a simple parenthesis; while the tenor of the passage is restored to perfect harmony and clearness, and St. Matthew stands in entire unison with the other Evangelists.231
๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก (๐๐๐๐) We, the undersigned, bishops and clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United Statesโbeing persuaded that any canon of our church on the question of marriage and divorce ought to be consistent with the words the priest must use when he solemnizes holy matrimony, according to the service contained in the Prayer-Bookโdo hereby declare it to be our conviction that any legislation on this subject in the way of an amendment to our present canon ought to be based on the following principles: 1. That the marriage law of the church is clearly set forth in the marriage service, namely, that Christian marriage consists in the union of one man with one woman until the union is severed by death. 2. That this law does not permit the marriage of any person separated by divorce, so long as the former partner is living, whether such person be innocent or guilty.(โSigned by 19 bishops and 1,541 priests) 232
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) โฆI hold the view that by the teaching of Holy Scripture the marriage bond is indissoluble, that separation is permitted in one case only, but that no remarriage is possible under any conditions. 233
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฑ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) If our Lord had said, โWhosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of adultery, causeth her to commit adultery,โ no question could have been raised as to His meaning; in fact, if our Lord meant moicheia, why, in a crucial passage, did He go out of His way to say porneia? This question has never been answered, and, to my mind, never can be. Those who try to build teaching upon an apparent exception, to the neglect of the plain assertions of the New Testament, are obliged to use a plain word in a sense which it does not bear, to neglect the whole bearing of the passage, and to treat our Lordโs utterances, and those of His great Apostle, as being quite inconsistent with one another. I maintain, therefore, that the teaching of the English Churchโfollowing the tradition of the Western Church, and the best traditions of the early Eastern Churchโas to the absolute indissolubility of the marriage bond except by death, is entirely consonant with the plain meaning of the words of our Lord.234
๐๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)235 I. To marry a second companion while a former lives is adultery--sin--and is forbidden (Mark 7:2,3; 10:11,12). II. To marry a person who has a living companion is adultery--sin--and is forbidden (Matt. 5:23; Luke 16:18; 1 John 3:4). 1. The above is the law of Christ, and sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4)...III. Men who have a knowledge of the teachings of Christโs law regarding marriage, and then with that knowledge marry a second living companion, or a divorced wife or husband while their former companion lives, wilfully transgress the law and are guilty before God of sin--adultery--and must forsake their sin (1 John 1:9; 3:4). If we confess our sins He will pardon us. All such unscriptural marriages must be dissolved to get clear from the sinful state of adultery (Prov. 28:13; Isa. 1:16, 17; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.) IV. If men entered the unscriptural marriages, even though ignorant of the written law, yet condemned by the law of their conscience, such are not clear before God (Rom. 2:12, 14- 16)โฆUnder the New Testament, no court on earth should dissolve the marriage relation (Mark 10:2-9; Matt. 19:5-6). 6. Under the New Testament, husband and wife are bound together for life. Death alone severs the marriage tie. 7. Under the New Testament, there is but one cause for which a man can put away his wife. 8. After a man has lawfully put away his wife, or a wife has lawfully put away her husband, they are positively forbidden to marry again until the former companion is dead (Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 16:18; Rom. 7:2, 3)236
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ When an innocent person has, by means of a court of law, divorced a spouse for adultery, and desires to enter into another contract of marriage, it is undesirable that such a contract should receive the blessing of the Church. 237
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฑ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) In the Church there have been, from of old, a stringent and a less stringent view. The stringent rule is this: that, though the married may be separated so as to live apart when they can not live together in peace, yet are they still man and wife; and no new matrimonial relation can be formed. They may come back to each other; to strange flesh they can not go. And I think that must have been what the Lord meant, and that it ought to be the rule of the Church.238
๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค๐จ๐๐ค (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) Such, then, are the circumstances under which Christ spoke on the subject of divorce, and we submit that, when carefully considered, His words leave little doubt that in what He intended to apply to the Christian Church, He gave no sanction to any divorce which was supposed to carry with it a right to marry again, before at least death had severed the bond; but maintained for all its members the absolute indissolubility of the marriage tie.240
๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ (๐๐๐๐)241 Whereas, low standards on marriage and divorce are very hurtful to individuals, to the family, and to the cause of Christ, therefore be it recommended that in the future we discourage divorce by all lawful means and teaching, and that we shall positively disapprove in the future of Christians getting divorce for any cause except for fornication or adultery (Matt. 19: 9); and that we recommend the remaining single of all divorced Christians, and that they pray God so to keep them in purity and peaceโฆAnd as a means of making the above more effective, we further advise our Pentecostal ministry not to perform a marriage ceremony between any believer and a divorced person whose former companion is still living. 242
๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) The results of the investigations contained in those chapters may be here anticipated in the brief statement that the Divine institution of marriage, as restored in the Christian Church, admits neither Polygamy nor such Divorce as concedes re-marriageโฆFrom what has already been said in previous chapters it will have appeared that the answer which as a result of this investigation we shall feel justified in giving is the answer that marriage is indissoluble in its own essential character, and that divorce from the bond of marriage is always and in every case inadmissible. 243
๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Notice the word used by Christ in the passages given by St. Matthew. It is porneia, a word certainly used of incontinence in the unmarried; but where is it ever used of incontinence with a single paramour freely consented to by the married woman?...In taking porneia, in the passages in St. Matthew, to exclude โadultery,โ we are reading it so as to make Christโs use of language consistent with itself, agreeing with the use of St. Matthew xv. 19 and St. Mark vii. 21. Here we have the two words contrasted; and the same contrast between โfornicatorsโ and โadulterersโ is found in Hebrews xiii. 5. Whenever Christ meant more than mere โfornication,โ either moicheia or achatharsia is joined to it. And the same is true of all New Testament writersโฆIf Christ meant by porneia to include adultery as well as fornication discovered after marriage, why did He not use both words conjointly as He usually did? Besides, no Greek scholar has ever yet suggested that porneia was the exact synonyme of moicheia; even our opponents hold that it includes ante-nuptial unchastity. 244
๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ซ ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ง๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) But putting these arguments aside as non-essential or inconclusive, the one supreme fact that stands out as strongly and clearly in S. Matthew as in S. Mark and S. Luke is that โwhosoever shall marry any woman that is divorcedโ (a single word in the Greek, apolelumenen), whether for fornication or any other cause, โcommitteth adultery.โ But if the bond is really broken by adultery, fornication, or any other cause, it follows logically that both parties are free. In that case however a difficulty arises as to why our Lord should forbid remarriage to the guilty party, as He does, while He allows it by His silence, as some would contend, to the innocent. The only possible explanation of this apparent inconsistency is that the inference from His silence is wrong. The bond is not broken, but only profaned; neither party is free, and the prohibition applies equally to both innocent and guilty.245
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) In dealing with it however our Lord did not range Himself with any of the disputantsโฆHe taught that divorce in itself is a breach of the marriage bond, and therefore on no account allowable, except only for the one cause specified in the Law. That cause was prenuptial unchastity. 246
๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฒ (๐. ๐๐๐๐-๐.๐ฎ๐ง๐ค.) Every honest and level-headed Bible reader will agree that Matt. 19:9 is the only passage in the whole Bible that seems to give grounds for divorce parties to remarry. Of course Matt. 5:32 gives grounds to put away the unclean party, but does not say either party can marry again. We also agree that it does not say they cannot. But the Bible says so in four or five other places which we will mention later. We often meet people who say that Mark, Luke, Romans and I Corinthians are to be read in connection with Matt. 19:9; i. e., the exception is to be recognized in reading those passages. But the safer way, to my mind, would be to accept the testimony of the three writers in preference to accepting the testimony of one against the three. Jesus says, โIn the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established.โ247
๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Divorces from the bonds of matrimony shall not be allowed in this state.248
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Now I venture to say that, when a Jew read the exceptive clause in St. Matthew, a passage in Deuteronomy would at once have come into his mind. It is there (Deut. xxii. 13-21) provided that, if a man marries and after marriage discovers that the woman is not a virgin, he may make his accusation against her known. If (according to the evidence prescribed) โthis thing be true,โ then the woman shall be stonedโฆChrist, then, if this interpretation be true, substituting nullification of the marriage for stoning, allowed that, if a woman had committed fornication before marriage, her husband might put her away. In my judgment, this is the natural and most probable interpretation.249
๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ซ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Divorce and subsequent re-marriage in pre-Reformation days were only allowed on grounds existing before the contract was entered into. (There seems good reason for the belief that our Lordโs words as recorded by St. Matthew refer to prenuptial unchastity.)250
๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)
The exceptive clauses in S. Matthew undoubtedly refer to the discovery at
marriage that the betrothed has not been faithful, and in no way refer to
adultery after marriage, nor permit divorce with remarriageโฆ(1) The
word used in both these passages is โfornicationโ and not โadultery.โ (2)
Those who first heard or read the Gospel would know quite well that the
clause referred to prenuptial sin in one who was espoused.251
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ค ๐. ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)
Porneia is simply not adultery but fornication, i.e. either โharlotryโ or pre marital sexual indulgence...it is still clearly affirmed that to put away
oneโs wife and marry another it to commit adultery; the only apparent
exception is when the charge of harlotry or fornicationโi.e. โpre-martial
sex experience,โ as we call itโhas been proved.252
๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐)
Some say that if husband or wife commits adultery, he or she is dead to
the innocent party, who then is free to marry again. NO, friend, the death
that releases those bound by the marriage relation is not a theoretical,
typical, or symbolic death; but it is a genuine physical death. And just as
we are freed from the law of sin only by the death of Christ (Rom. 7:4), so
we are freed from the law of marriage only by the death of our
companion.253
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ-๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐.๐ฎ๐ง๐ค.)
Believing the crux in the whole case of a Christian getting a divorce on
the ground of adultery is wrapped up in the misuse of one word
โfornicationโ I have gone to great lengths to show that when the term is
interpreted in the light of the statute of divorce as given by Moses and by the rule of accumulative evidence, it cannot honestly be made to mean adultery. 254
๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก (๐๐๐๐)255 A marriage that is ratified and consummated can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death.256
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐๐) Scripturally, there is nothing which breaks the marriage bond except death. The act of adultery does not dissolve the marriage bond, although it decidedly affects the quality of a marriage relationship and leaves a permanent scar on the persons involved. A legal document called divorce, from Godโs point of view, does not break the marriage bond, else remarriage would not be adultery. Even the conversion of one of two unbelieving married partners does not dissolve the marriage bond. If the unbelieving partner should leave, the marriage bond continues. 257
๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ. ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ณ,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐๐๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ซ,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ญ๐,๐๐๐ ๐. ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐. ๐๐๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ค ๐. ๐. ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ฑ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐, ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ง,๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ก,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ก๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ญ๐ญ,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐จ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ค ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ .
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ, ๐ฒ๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ. ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐, ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ. ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ (๐๐ค ๐:๐๐).
shared from Kip Williams, source Dan Jennings
๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ซ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) And, โWhoever shall marry her that is divorced from another husband, commits adultery.โ And, โThere are some who have been made eunuchs of men, and some who were born eunuchs, and some who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heavenโs sake; but all cannot receive this saying.โ So that all who, by human law, are twice married, are in the eye of our Master sinners, and those who look upon a woman to lust after her.144
๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ (๐๐ฅ. ๐.๐๐๐๐๐) And I said to him, โSir, if any one has a wife who trusts in the Lord, and if he detect her in adultery, does the man sin if he continues to live with her?โ And he said to me, โAs long as he remains ignorant of her sin, the husband commits no transgression in living with her. But if the husband knows that his wife has gone astray, and if the woman does not repent, but persists in her sin, and yet the husband continues to live with her, he also is guilty of her crime, and a sharer in her adultery.โ And I said to him, โWhat then, sir, is the husband to do, if his wife continues in her vicious practices?โ And he said, โThe husband should put her away, and remain by himself. But if he put his wife away and marry another, he also commits adultery.โ145
๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐)172 If any man sends away his lawful wife and marries another, he is to be excommunicated by Christians, even if the first wife consentโฆIt is not lawful for separation to take place in the case of a lawful marriage unless there is the consent of both, so that they may remain unmarried. 173
๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ (๐๐ฅ. ๐. ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) โAnd he that marries,โ says [the Gospel], โher that is divorced from her husband, commits adultery; and whoever puts away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery.โ Because Solomon says: โCan a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goes in to a married woman shall not be innocent.โ146
๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ (๐๐ฅ. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) For we bestow our attention; not on the study of words, but on the exhibition and teaching of actions, โ that a person should either remain as he was born, or be content with one marriage; for a second marriage is only a specious adultery. โFor whoever puts away his wife,โ says He, โand marries another, commits adultery;โ not permitting a man to send her away whose virginity he has brought to an end,147 nor to marry again. 148
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ (๐. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) Now that the Scripture counsels marriage, and allows no release from the union, is expressly contained in the law, โYou shall not put away your wife, except for the cause of fornication;โ and it regards as adultery the marriage of those separated while the other is alive149โฆThe Church cannot marry another, having obtained a bridegroom; but each of us individually has the right to marry the woman he wishes according to the law; I mean here first marriage. 15
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ (๐. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) A divorced woman cannot even marry legitimately; and if she commits any such act without the name of marriage, does it not fall under the category of adultery, in that adultery is crime in the way of marriage? Such is Godโs verdict, within narrower limits than menโs, that universally, whether through marriage or promiscuously, the admission of a second man to intercourse is pronounced adultery by HimโฆSo true, moreover, is it that divorce โwas not from the beginning,โ that among the Romans it is not till after the six hundredth year from the building of the city that this kind of โhard-heartednessโ is set down as having been committed. But they indulge in promiscuous adulteries, even without divorcing their partners: to us, even if we do divorce them, even marriage will not be lawful. 151
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) Of those who discover their wives in adultery and are young Christians and are forbidden to marry, it was determined that they be most strongly advised not to take other wives while their own live, though they be adulterous. 152
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐ (๐๐๐๐๐) A Christian woman who has left an adulterous Christian husband and is marrying another is to be forbidden to marry; if, however, she has already remarried, she is not to receive communion before the death of the man whom she has left, unless mortal sickness
compels it.153
๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ณ๐ข๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ง (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) For I think that the Word here seems to deprecate second marriage. For, if there were two Christs, there may be two husbands or two wives; but if Christ is One, one Head of the Church, let there be also one flesh, and let a second be rejectedโฆNow the Law grants divorce for every cause; but Christ not for every cause; but He allows only separation from the whore; and in all other things He commands patience.154
๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง (๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Therefore, the right to marry is given to you, lest ye fall into a snare and sin with a strange woman. Ye are bound to your wife; do not seek release because you are not permitted to marry another while your wife lives. 155
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) โLet her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.โ....โWhat then if he will never be reconciled?โ one may ask. You have one more mode of release and deliverance. What is that? Await his death. For as the (consecrated) virgin may not marry because her Spouse always lives, and is immortal; so to her who has been married it is then only lawful [to remarry] when her husband is dead.156
๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐) 157 If a layman divorces his own wife, and takes another, or one divorced by another, let him be suspended.158
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐๐๐๐๐) 159 According to the evangelical and apostolic discipline it is decreed that neither a man who is put away by his wife, nor a woman put away by her husband, may marry another, but that they must either abide so, or be reconciled to each other.160
๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ (๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) It is manifest that when persons who have been divorced marry again both parties are adulterers. And moreover, although the former marriage is supposed to be broken, yet if they marry again they themselves are adulterers, but the parties whom they marry are equally with them guilty of adultery; as we read in the gospel: He who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery; and likewise, He who marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery. Therefore all such are to be repelled from communion.161
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ ๐ (๐.๐ค.๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐) 162 It was determined that, in accordance with Evangelical and Apostolic discipline, neither a man put away by his wife nor a woman put away by her husband may be united to another; but let them remain so, or be reconciled to each other.163
๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) The apostle has thus cut away every plea and has clearly declared that, if a woman marries again while her husband is living, she is an adulteress. You must not speak to me of the violence of a ravisher, a motherโs pleading, a fatherโs bidding, the influence of relatives, the insolence and the intrigues of servants, household losses. A husband may be an adulterer or a sodomite, he may be stained with every crime and may have been left by his wife because of his sins; yet he is still her husband and, so long as he lives, she may not marry another. 164
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ (๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) It cannot be correctly affirmed either that the husband who puts away his wife because of immorality and marries another does not commit adultery. For there is adultery, also, on the part of those who marry others after the repudiation of their former wives because of immoralityโฆIf everyone who marries another woman after the dismissal of his wife commits adultery, this includes the one who puts away his wife without the cause of immorality and the one who puts away his wife for this reason. 165
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) 166 They who abuse the name of marriage by taking women [as their wives] whose husbands are living shall be excommunicated.167
๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ข๐๐ง (๐.๐ค.๐. ๐๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ข๐๐ง, ๐๐ข๐ง๐ง๐ข๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฌ, ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐๐ง, ๐.๐.๐๐๐๐๐) If a manโs wife commits immorality and cohabits with another man, he ought not to take another wife while his wife is alive.168
๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Of a wife who is a harlot, thus the same man explained, โThat she will be a harlot, who has cast off the yoke of her own husband, and is joined to a second or a third husband; and her husband shall not take another [wife] while she livesโฆโ169
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) If a manโs wife has committed adulteryโฆlet him send away his wife, if he willโฆBut her husband may not on any account take another wife while she lives.170
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ (๐๐๐๐๐) Concerning Marriage: That none but lawful matrimony be allowed to any; That no man contract an incestuous marriage; That none quit his own wife, except (as the holy Gospel teaches) on account of fornication; That supposing any to have expelled his own wife united to him in lawful matrimony, if he choose to be a Christian indeed, he must connect himself with no other woman, but must so abide, or be reconciled to his own wife.171
๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ (๐.๐ค.๐. ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐, ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐, ๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐) We enjoin, and charge, and command, in Godโs name, that no Christian man do ever take a wife of his own kin within the sixth degree of relation, nor the widow of a kinsman so nearly related to him, nor of the kindred of a wife whom he formerly had, nor of his sureties at baptism, nor a consecrated nun, nor a divorced woman, nor practice any unlawful copulation. Let no man have more than one wife, and let her be a wedded wife, and let him remain with her only, so long as she lives, if he will rightly observe God's will, and secure his soul against hell flames.191
๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Therefore is there only one carnal cause, fornication: one spiritual cause, the fear of God for which a wife may be dismissed. But there is no cause prescribed by the law of God that another wife may be taken, while she is alive who has been abandoned. 174
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ (๐๐๐๐๐)175 She who has left her husband is an adulteress if she has come to another, according to the holy and divine Basil, who has gathered this most excellently from the prophet Jeremiahโฆhe who leaves the wife lawfully given him, and shall take another is guilty of adultery by the sentence of the Lord.176
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐)177 We ordain thatโฆno one take the wife of another while her husband is living, and that no woman take another husband while her own is living; because a husband ought not to send away his wife except for the cause of discovered fornication.178
๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ (๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) Concerning a layman repelling his wife from the canon of the holy apostles, chapter 48: If any layman repelling his own wife has taken another or one dismissed by another, let him be deprived of Communion179โฆConcerning those who dismiss their wives or husbands, that they remain thus: from the African Council above mentioned in chapter 69 it is thus contained: it was resolved that according to evangelical and apostolical discipline, neither a man dismissed by his wife, nor a woman dismissed by her husband, may be joined to another; but that they so remain or be mutually reconciled.180
๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐) Augustine says, โIf a woman commits immorality she is to be dismissed; but another is not to be married while she is alive.โ Wherever, then, there is immorality, and a just suspicion of immorality, the wife may be freely dismissedโฆAccording to the Evangelical discipline, neither let a wife, dismissed from her husband, take another man, the former living; nor a husband another woman; but let them so remain, or be reconciled. Augustine says: โIf a woman commits immorality she is to be relinquished, but another must not be taken so long as she lives.โ181
๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐๐) Also it was decreed in the same (African Council) that neither a wife, dismissed by a husband, may take another husband, while her own husband is alive, nor a husband take another wife, while his first wife still lives.182
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข (๐๐๐๐๐) Though the bond of marriage be broken for the cause of immorality, a man may not marry another wife as long as the adulteress lives, though she be an adulteress; and the adulteress shall never marry another husband.183
๐๐ข๐ฑ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐) And those who marry other wives when their own have been sent away for the cause of immorality are to be marked as adulterers by the judgment of the Lord.184
๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐) That during the lifetime of husband or wife neither of them be united in another marriageโฆAnd if she has committed immorality, and her husband desires it, she is to be dismissed, but another wife may not be taken in marriage during her lifetime, because adulterers will not possess the kingdom of God, and her penitence is to be accepted.185
๐๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐)186 If any man dismiss his lawful wife [while she is] living and marry another, let him want Godโs mercy unless he make satisfaction for it; but let every one retain his lawful wife so long as she lives, unless they both choose to be separated by the bishopโs consent and are willing to preserve their chastity for the future.187
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง (๐. ๐๐๐๐๐) He that relinquishes his wife [for any reason] and takes another woman breaks wedlock. Let none of those rights which belong to Christians be allowed him, either during life, or at his death, nor let him be buried with Christian men: and let the same be done to a [delinquent] wife: and let the kindred that were present at the contract [of the second marriage] suffer the same doom, except they will first be converted, and earnestly make satisfaction.188
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ฆ (๐๐๐๐๐๐) And let it never be, that a Christian man marry within the relationship of 6 th persons, in his own kin, that is within the fourth degree; nor with the relict of him who was so near in worldly relationship; nor with the wifeโs relation, whom he before had had. Nor with any hallowed nun, nor with his god-mother, nor with one divorced, let any Christian man ever marry; 189 nor have more wives than one, but be with that one, as long as she may live; whoever will rightly observe Godโs law, and secure his soul from the burning of hell.190
๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ (๐.๐๐๐๐) We are consequently driven to the second [method of interpreting the exception clause]; and thus are led to conclude, that the supposed exception of cases of adultery from the prohibition of divorce, which has been inferred from St. Matthewโs gospel, is really no exception at all; that the words need not be, and ought not to be, so understood; and that there is no inconsistency between St. Matthew and the other two Evangelists, in recording our Lordโs prohibition.223
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐๐๐) [We decree] That no one, having left his lawful wife, may take another.192
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง (๐.๐๐๐๐) If either the husband has departed from his wife, or the wife from the husband on the ground of immorality, it is unlawful to take another.193
๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐.๐๐๐๐) The marriage bond still exists between those who, even if departing from one another, having joined themselves to others.194
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐๐) Marriage is dissolved by the adultery of the wife, but in such wise that neither party may marry again; and if the husband marry another woman, his second marriage is null, and the first marriage, with all its duties and obligations, is restored.195
๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Nothing happening after a marriage can dissolve it: wherefore adultery does not make a marriage cease to be valid. For, according to Augustine (De Nup. et Concup. i, 10), โas long as they live they are bound by the marriage tie, which neither divorce nor union with another can destroy.โ Therefore it is unlawful for one, while the other lives, to marry again.196
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) And let each man be aware that he procures no false divorce, for money, neither for friendship, neither for enemy; for Christ commands that no man separate them that God has joined; but only for adultery that party that keeps himself clean may depart from the otherโs bed and for no other cause, as Christ himself says. And in this case the clean party has [only] the option to either live chastely for as long as the other [spouse] lives, or else be reconciled again to the other party. 197
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) A triple good is found in matrimony. The first is the begetting of children and their education to the worship of God. The second is the faithfulness which each spouse owes to the other. Third is the indissolubility of marriage, inasmuch as it represents the indissoluble union of Christ and the Church. But, although it is permitted to separate on account of adultery, nevertheless it is not permitted to contract another marriage since the bond of a marriage legitimately contracted is perpetual.198
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐)199 Notwithstanding, in marriages lawfully made, and according to the ordinance of matrimony prescribed by God and the laws of every realm, the bond thereof cannot be dissolved during the lives of the parties between whom such matrimony is made.200
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐)201 Notwithstanding in marriages lawfully made, and according to the ordinance of matrimony prescribed by God and holy church, the bond thereof can by no means be dissolved during the lives of the parties between whom such matrimony is contracted. 202
๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐)203 In all Sentences for Divorce, Bond to be taken for not marrying during each otherโs Life. In all sentences pronounced only for divorce and separation a thoro et mensa,204 there shall be a caution and restraint inserted in the act of the said sentence, That the parties so separated shall live chastely and continently; neither shall they, during each other's life, contract matrimony with any other person. And, for the better observation of this last clause, the said sentence of divorce shall not be pronounced, until the party or parties requiring the same have given good and sufficient caution and security into the court, that they will not any way break or transgress the said restraint or prohibition. 205
๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) First, I take the act of adultery doth not dissolve the bond of marriage; for then it would follow, that the party offending would not, upon reconciliation, be received again by the innocent to former society of life, without a new solemnizing of marriage, insomuch as the former marriage is quite dissolved, which is never heard of, and contrary to the practice of all Churchesโฆ in my opinion, second marriages (where either party is living) are not warranted by the word of God. 206
๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ (๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)207 There be two kinds of divorces, the one that dissolveth the marriage a vinculo matrimonii; 208 as for precontract, consanguinity, &c. and the other a mensa et thoro; 209 as for adultery, because that divorce by reason of adultery, cannot dissolve the marriage a vinculo matrimonii, for that the offence is after the just and lawfull marriage.210
๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) And if we do well consider the words of our Saviour, we shall find this order of our Church211 to be grounded upon holy Scripture; for though the Jews allowed to Marry again after Divorce for Adultery, yet Jesus correcting this custom, saith, โwhosoever shall put away his Wife, saving for the cause of Fornication, causeth her to commit Adultery; and whosoever shall Marry her that is Divorced, committeth Adultery, Matth. v.32. So that he allows Divorce in no cause but that of Fornication, (which is all that Moses also permits under the name of uncleanness, Deut. Xxiv.1.) but in no case at all doth Christ allow Marriage after Divorce, calling it plainly Adulteryโฆ212
๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฒ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) ...I incline rather to take the word [porneia] in its proper sense for fornication committed before matrimony, and found after cohabitation. (1.) Because Christ, speaking of this divorce here and elsewhere, doth never use the world moicheia, which signifies adultery, but always porneia (Matt. v.32), which word, both among Jews and gentiles, doth properly import the sin of unmarried persons lying one with another, and so being made one body (1Cor. vi.16): it is not therefore likely that Christ receded from the known and common acceptation of the word.213
๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) In the clause of exception it was the undoubted purpose of our Saviour to abridge the facilities of divorce, which the Jews had derived from the word uncleanness in the law of Moses: Deut. xxiv.1. But it is obvious, that if the word porneia be of that general sense and signification in which it is interpreted by Grotius and other expositors [to include sexual immorality in general], the explicit purpose of our Lord is defeated by the ambiguity of his language. His clause of exception, thus largely expounded [to be a catch-phrase for all sexual immorality], cannot be supposed to restrict the licence, which was collected from the Mosaic law. This alone is an insuperable objection to the argument of Selden, that porneia in the use of the Pharisees is equivalent to any uncleanness.214
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) At length, that which appears to be the true doctrine was generally accepted by the Church, that if a woman is guilty of adultery the husband is justified in putting her away from him, but that the marriage nevertheless remains indissoluble. 215
๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ณ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ง ๐รถ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Those who think that, in His two statements about marriage given by Matthew, Christ meant that it was dissolved or made dissoluble by adultery on either side, are compelled (1) to maintain, that the word porneia may mean adultery, (2) to find a ground for its being used in a crucial passage instead of the ordinary word mocheia, (3) to maintain the principle that one act of adultery on either side ipso facto dissolves marriage. These three points require proof. The first assertion must be most emphatically contradicted; porneia always means incontinence in the unmarried, never in the N. T. or Septuagint or in profane authors, adultery...But, supposing porneia could be used for adulterium, that does not explain why Christ, or Matthew, should have used the word, where it was essential to define accurately the one ground for dissolution of marriage. Christ more than once uses moicheia here; why should He suddenly change the word for โfornicationโ if He only meant adultery?216
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐๐จ๐ง (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Moses had allowed a bill of divorcement; but Christ reaffirms, without exception, the original law, โWhat God hath joined together let no man put asunder.โ In other words, He proclaims the indissolubility of the marriage tie. Alluding to the Jewish law, He rules that if an unacknowledged act of fornication on the part of the woman had preceded the contract, the apparent tie may be dissolved. I say, the apparent tie; because in reality the contract was vitiated from the first; one of the contracting parties was deceived as to its real terms.217
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐), et al (1857)218 [We protest the bill] 1st, Because the Bill contains provisions authorizing in certain cases divorce a Vinculo Matrimonii of Christian marriage, and is thus in direct opposition to what our Lord has declared both in His own words and in the unvarying teaching of His Church. โSigned Henry Granville Howard, William Bernard Petre, Henry Valentine Stafford Jerningham, George Charles Mostyn, Henry Benedict Arundell, & Thomas Alexander Fraser219
๐๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐), et al (1857) [We protest the bill] 1st, Because, in opposition to the word of God, which is embodied in the law of our Church, the Bill sanctions the re-marriage of a divorced husband or wife during the lifetime of the divorced wife or husband. 2ndly, Because in direct contradiction to the plain teaching of our Saviour Christ, the divorced adulteress is permitted to re-marry during the lifetime of her husbandโฆ6thly, Because it will lead to the clergy of the Church of England being required to pronounce the blessing of Almighty God on unions condemned by their Church, and repugnant, as many of them believe, to the direct letter of Holy Writ, and to employ at the unions founded on dissolved marriages, from the Marriage Service of the Church of England, language which is in its plain sense inconsistent with the dissolubility of marriage. โSigned Samuel Wilberforce, Francis Godolphin DโArcy Osborne, Walter Kerr Hamilton, Horatio Nelson, John Thomas Freeman Mitford, Otway OโConnor Cuffe, & Arthur Hill Trevor220
๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) โWhat therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.โ Here our Lord sets aside the letter of Holy Scripture, in one case, in the passage in Deuteronomy, (which He speaks of as the command of Moses,) on account of the higher law of Christian holiness and perfectionโฆAnd therefore this passage in the book of Genesis not only is spoken, as St. Paul says it is, of the Sacramental union betwixt Christ and His Church, but does also signify that marriage is of itself of Divine sanction, and the union formed of God, and necessarily indissoluble as suchโฆfor if God hath joined, man cannot put asunder. 221
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Therefore among Christians there can be no such thing as Divorce. This argument, being purely scriptural, and its conclusion directly in unison with the Law of the Church of England, seems as if it ought to be well considered, by those especially, who think it their duty to be guided in such matters by Scripture alone, and to admit no authoritative interpretation of Scripture but that of the present English Church.222
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฒ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) And accordingly the Christian Church has ever held that the mind of Christ is that marriage is indissoluble. Life-long monogamy is the condition supposed and enjoined by Holy Scripture...So far, then, we claim that the teaching of Holy Scripture is the indissolubility of the marriage bond: the union is essential, its duration is permanent.239
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ (๐๐๐๐)224 Marriage can only be dissolved by the natural death of one of the parties; while both live, it is indissoluble.225
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ฆ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) You seem not to have observed, in using Matt, v., 32, that our Lord nowhere at any time recognizes any right of a woman to divorce her husband; nor to have remembered that adultery being punished with death under the Jewish law (so that, as Beza and Wells observe, the case of divorce for actual adultery could never legally occur), the word porneia should most probably be understood restrictively of ante-nuptial unchastity discovered after marriage. 226
๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Thus our Lord confirmed the permission of the Mosaic law in this particular because of the unforgiving character of the Jewish disposition,โ โthe hardness of their hearts,โโbut He did not extend the permission to any other case than that of ante-nuptial unchastity, or โfornication.โ And thus He swept away at one stroke all those pretences, falsely grounded on the Mosaic law, under which the Jews had so freely used โbills of divorcement.โ227
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ (๐๐๐๐) Divorce does not dissolve marriage, but merely suspends the joint life of the parties.228
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ (๐๐๐๐) The divorce sanctioned by this Code consists only in personal separation of the married couple without the dissolution of the bonds of matrimony229โฆA legal marriage can only be dissolved by the death of one of the contracting parties.230
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) But we need not shrink from adducing positive ground to show that no permission of re-marriage is here givenโฆthe supposed exception of St. Matthew is no exception at all so far as concerns the case of re-marriage, but is a simple parenthesis; while the tenor of the passage is restored to perfect harmony and clearness, and St. Matthew stands in entire unison with the other Evangelists.231
๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก (๐๐๐๐) We, the undersigned, bishops and clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United Statesโbeing persuaded that any canon of our church on the question of marriage and divorce ought to be consistent with the words the priest must use when he solemnizes holy matrimony, according to the service contained in the Prayer-Bookโdo hereby declare it to be our conviction that any legislation on this subject in the way of an amendment to our present canon ought to be based on the following principles: 1. That the marriage law of the church is clearly set forth in the marriage service, namely, that Christian marriage consists in the union of one man with one woman until the union is severed by death. 2. That this law does not permit the marriage of any person separated by divorce, so long as the former partner is living, whether such person be innocent or guilty.(โSigned by 19 bishops and 1,541 priests) 232
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) โฆI hold the view that by the teaching of Holy Scripture the marriage bond is indissoluble, that separation is permitted in one case only, but that no remarriage is possible under any conditions. 233
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฑ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) If our Lord had said, โWhosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of adultery, causeth her to commit adultery,โ no question could have been raised as to His meaning; in fact, if our Lord meant moicheia, why, in a crucial passage, did He go out of His way to say porneia? This question has never been answered, and, to my mind, never can be. Those who try to build teaching upon an apparent exception, to the neglect of the plain assertions of the New Testament, are obliged to use a plain word in a sense which it does not bear, to neglect the whole bearing of the passage, and to treat our Lordโs utterances, and those of His great Apostle, as being quite inconsistent with one another. I maintain, therefore, that the teaching of the English Churchโfollowing the tradition of the Western Church, and the best traditions of the early Eastern Churchโas to the absolute indissolubility of the marriage bond except by death, is entirely consonant with the plain meaning of the words of our Lord.234
๐๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)235 I. To marry a second companion while a former lives is adultery--sin--and is forbidden (Mark 7:2,3; 10:11,12). II. To marry a person who has a living companion is adultery--sin--and is forbidden (Matt. 5:23; Luke 16:18; 1 John 3:4). 1. The above is the law of Christ, and sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4)...III. Men who have a knowledge of the teachings of Christโs law regarding marriage, and then with that knowledge marry a second living companion, or a divorced wife or husband while their former companion lives, wilfully transgress the law and are guilty before God of sin--adultery--and must forsake their sin (1 John 1:9; 3:4). If we confess our sins He will pardon us. All such unscriptural marriages must be dissolved to get clear from the sinful state of adultery (Prov. 28:13; Isa. 1:16, 17; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.) IV. If men entered the unscriptural marriages, even though ignorant of the written law, yet condemned by the law of their conscience, such are not clear before God (Rom. 2:12, 14- 16)โฆUnder the New Testament, no court on earth should dissolve the marriage relation (Mark 10:2-9; Matt. 19:5-6). 6. Under the New Testament, husband and wife are bound together for life. Death alone severs the marriage tie. 7. Under the New Testament, there is but one cause for which a man can put away his wife. 8. After a man has lawfully put away his wife, or a wife has lawfully put away her husband, they are positively forbidden to marry again until the former companion is dead (Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 16:18; Rom. 7:2, 3)236
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ When an innocent person has, by means of a court of law, divorced a spouse for adultery, and desires to enter into another contract of marriage, it is undesirable that such a contract should receive the blessing of the Church. 237
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฑ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) In the Church there have been, from of old, a stringent and a less stringent view. The stringent rule is this: that, though the married may be separated so as to live apart when they can not live together in peace, yet are they still man and wife; and no new matrimonial relation can be formed. They may come back to each other; to strange flesh they can not go. And I think that must have been what the Lord meant, and that it ought to be the rule of the Church.238
๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค๐จ๐๐ค (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐) Such, then, are the circumstances under which Christ spoke on the subject of divorce, and we submit that, when carefully considered, His words leave little doubt that in what He intended to apply to the Christian Church, He gave no sanction to any divorce which was supposed to carry with it a right to marry again, before at least death had severed the bond; but maintained for all its members the absolute indissolubility of the marriage tie.240
๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ (๐๐๐๐)241 Whereas, low standards on marriage and divorce are very hurtful to individuals, to the family, and to the cause of Christ, therefore be it recommended that in the future we discourage divorce by all lawful means and teaching, and that we shall positively disapprove in the future of Christians getting divorce for any cause except for fornication or adultery (Matt. 19: 9); and that we recommend the remaining single of all divorced Christians, and that they pray God so to keep them in purity and peaceโฆAnd as a means of making the above more effective, we further advise our Pentecostal ministry not to perform a marriage ceremony between any believer and a divorced person whose former companion is still living. 242
๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) The results of the investigations contained in those chapters may be here anticipated in the brief statement that the Divine institution of marriage, as restored in the Christian Church, admits neither Polygamy nor such Divorce as concedes re-marriageโฆFrom what has already been said in previous chapters it will have appeared that the answer which as a result of this investigation we shall feel justified in giving is the answer that marriage is indissoluble in its own essential character, and that divorce from the bond of marriage is always and in every case inadmissible. 243
๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Notice the word used by Christ in the passages given by St. Matthew. It is porneia, a word certainly used of incontinence in the unmarried; but where is it ever used of incontinence with a single paramour freely consented to by the married woman?...In taking porneia, in the passages in St. Matthew, to exclude โadultery,โ we are reading it so as to make Christโs use of language consistent with itself, agreeing with the use of St. Matthew xv. 19 and St. Mark vii. 21. Here we have the two words contrasted; and the same contrast between โfornicatorsโ and โadulterersโ is found in Hebrews xiii. 5. Whenever Christ meant more than mere โfornication,โ either moicheia or achatharsia is joined to it. And the same is true of all New Testament writersโฆIf Christ meant by porneia to include adultery as well as fornication discovered after marriage, why did He not use both words conjointly as He usually did? Besides, no Greek scholar has ever yet suggested that porneia was the exact synonyme of moicheia; even our opponents hold that it includes ante-nuptial unchastity. 244
๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ซ ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ง๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) But putting these arguments aside as non-essential or inconclusive, the one supreme fact that stands out as strongly and clearly in S. Matthew as in S. Mark and S. Luke is that โwhosoever shall marry any woman that is divorcedโ (a single word in the Greek, apolelumenen), whether for fornication or any other cause, โcommitteth adultery.โ But if the bond is really broken by adultery, fornication, or any other cause, it follows logically that both parties are free. In that case however a difficulty arises as to why our Lord should forbid remarriage to the guilty party, as He does, while He allows it by His silence, as some would contend, to the innocent. The only possible explanation of this apparent inconsistency is that the inference from His silence is wrong. The bond is not broken, but only profaned; neither party is free, and the prohibition applies equally to both innocent and guilty.245
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) In dealing with it however our Lord did not range Himself with any of the disputantsโฆHe taught that divorce in itself is a breach of the marriage bond, and therefore on no account allowable, except only for the one cause specified in the Law. That cause was prenuptial unchastity. 246
๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฒ (๐. ๐๐๐๐-๐.๐ฎ๐ง๐ค.) Every honest and level-headed Bible reader will agree that Matt. 19:9 is the only passage in the whole Bible that seems to give grounds for divorce parties to remarry. Of course Matt. 5:32 gives grounds to put away the unclean party, but does not say either party can marry again. We also agree that it does not say they cannot. But the Bible says so in four or five other places which we will mention later. We often meet people who say that Mark, Luke, Romans and I Corinthians are to be read in connection with Matt. 19:9; i. e., the exception is to be recognized in reading those passages. But the safer way, to my mind, would be to accept the testimony of the three writers in preference to accepting the testimony of one against the three. Jesus says, โIn the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established.โ247
๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Divorces from the bonds of matrimony shall not be allowed in this state.248
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Now I venture to say that, when a Jew read the exceptive clause in St. Matthew, a passage in Deuteronomy would at once have come into his mind. It is there (Deut. xxii. 13-21) provided that, if a man marries and after marriage discovers that the woman is not a virgin, he may make his accusation against her known. If (according to the evidence prescribed) โthis thing be true,โ then the woman shall be stonedโฆChrist, then, if this interpretation be true, substituting nullification of the marriage for stoning, allowed that, if a woman had committed fornication before marriage, her husband might put her away. In my judgment, this is the natural and most probable interpretation.249
๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ซ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐) Divorce and subsequent re-marriage in pre-Reformation days were only allowed on grounds existing before the contract was entered into. (There seems good reason for the belief that our Lordโs words as recorded by St. Matthew refer to prenuptial unchastity.)250
๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)
The exceptive clauses in S. Matthew undoubtedly refer to the discovery at
marriage that the betrothed has not been faithful, and in no way refer to
adultery after marriage, nor permit divorce with remarriageโฆ(1) The
word used in both these passages is โfornicationโ and not โadultery.โ (2)
Those who first heard or read the Gospel would know quite well that the
clause referred to prenuptial sin in one who was espoused.251
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ค ๐. ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ (๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐)
Porneia is simply not adultery but fornication, i.e. either โharlotryโ or pre marital sexual indulgence...it is still clearly affirmed that to put away
oneโs wife and marry another it to commit adultery; the only apparent
exception is when the charge of harlotry or fornicationโi.e. โpre-martial
sex experience,โ as we call itโhas been proved.252
๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐)
Some say that if husband or wife commits adultery, he or she is dead to
the innocent party, who then is free to marry again. NO, friend, the death
that releases those bound by the marriage relation is not a theoretical,
typical, or symbolic death; but it is a genuine physical death. And just as
we are freed from the law of sin only by the death of Christ (Rom. 7:4), so
we are freed from the law of marriage only by the death of our
companion.253
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ-๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ (๐.๐๐๐๐-๐.๐ฎ๐ง๐ค.)
Believing the crux in the whole case of a Christian getting a divorce on
the ground of adultery is wrapped up in the misuse of one word
โfornicationโ I have gone to great lengths to show that when the term is
interpreted in the light of the statute of divorce as given by Moses and by the rule of accumulative evidence, it cannot honestly be made to mean adultery. 254
๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก (๐๐๐๐)255 A marriage that is ratified and consummated can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death.256
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐๐) Scripturally, there is nothing which breaks the marriage bond except death. The act of adultery does not dissolve the marriage bond, although it decidedly affects the quality of a marriage relationship and leaves a permanent scar on the persons involved. A legal document called divorce, from Godโs point of view, does not break the marriage bond, else remarriage would not be adultery. Even the conversion of one of two unbelieving married partners does not dissolve the marriage bond. If the unbelieving partner should leave, the marriage bond continues. 257
๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ. ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ณ,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐๐๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ซ,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ญ๐,๐๐๐ ๐. ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐. ๐๐๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ค ๐. ๐. ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ฑ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐, ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ง,๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ก,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ,๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ก๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ญ๐ญ,๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐จ,๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ค ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐ .
๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ, ๐ฒ๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ. ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฐ, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐, ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ. ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ (๐๐ค ๐:๐๐).
shared from Kip Williams, source Dan Jennings
Steven Avery
Administrator
Sharon FitzHenry These are the ones I picked out with a disclaimer in the beginning, to show remarriage was not even allowed by those who believed porneia was adultery.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข (๐๐๐๐๐) Though the bond of marriage be broken for the cause of immorality, a man may not marry another wife as long as the adulteress lives, though she be an adulteress; and the adulteress shall never marry another husband.183
๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Therefore is there only one carnal cause, fornication: one spiritual cause, the fear of God for which a wife may be dismissed. But there is no cause prescribed by the law of God that another wife may be taken, while she is alive who has been abandoned. 174
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐๐) Marriage is dissolved by the adultery of the wife, but in such wise that neither party may marry again; and if the husband marry another woman, his second marriage is null, and the first marriage, with all its duties and obligations, is restored.195
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข (๐๐๐๐๐) Though the bond of marriage be broken for the cause of immorality, a man may not marry another wife as long as the adulteress lives, though she be an adulteress; and the adulteress shall never marry another husband.183
๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐) Therefore is there only one carnal cause, fornication: one spiritual cause, the fear of God for which a wife may be dismissed. But there is no cause prescribed by the law of God that another wife may be taken, while she is alive who has been abandoned. 174
๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ (๐.๐๐๐๐๐๐) Marriage is dissolved by the adultery of the wife, but in such wise that neither party may marry again; and if the husband marry another woman, his second marriage is null, and the first marriage, with all its duties and obligations, is restored.195