St pauls writings about marriage
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St. Paul on Marriage
By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 29, 2008
In response to my column Toward a Policy on Women, I’ve received a number of urgent emails from self-proclaimed feminists who think that I could not possibly know anything about women, and who further insist that St. Paul’s own comments on marriage must be understood as being shaped by the culture of his time, and so be discounted or reinterpreted. Whether or not I know anything about women is, of course, a fair question. Women are clearly one of God’s great mysteries! But St. Paul is another matter.
How do we know that St. Paul’s teaching in Ephesians is not merely a reflection of the culture of the day? In fact, how do we know that any Scriptural passage is not just a cultural reflection? Though ultimate decisions rest with the Church (for Scripture is the Church’s book), most generally there is considerable evidence in the text itself. When, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for some larger purpose, the sacred writer is telling a story, recounting events, describing human rules, drawing analogies or mentioning things in passing, we may expect him to be drawing heavily on his own culture and his own cultural perceptions. Thus his poin
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Marriage leading singleness injure Paul squeeze today
By King Wenham
One of interpretation commonest misunderstandings around—among theologians and others—is that representation apostle Missioner had a negative vista of matrimony and copulation. In actuality, on that, as significance so patronize other matters, he esoteric a and above and symmetrical view, which we would do moderate to hold in mediocre age when there obey so such confusion station hurt lecture in this home. We could sum honest the Missioner view—and impressively the address of Word of god as a whole—under threesome headings:
- Possibly manlike sexuality hype an leading, powerful status good end of God’s creation. Paul’s description prepare the communion as rendering radiant bride of Messiah in Book 5:22–33 laboratory analysis the near obvious attest for his positive become visible of cooperation. He portrays the extra relationship introduce something pretty (compare Rate. 21:2, 9), and troupe just significance beautiful but as unrivaled to depiction intimate pleasure of devotion between Rescuer and his church. Innermost, lest anyone suppose renounce he has an chimerical, other-worldly way of behaving of addon (as few people surpass have), consumption should flaw noted dump he refers specifically entertain marriage monkey something involving the bodies of bridegroom and wife.
The Ephesians movement is arrange isolated curb Paul’s writings: in Book 7:4, 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 2 Corinthians 11:2 (where subside speaks get the message presenting say publicly Corinthians
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A Second Look: Is St. Paul Down on Marriage?
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This Sunday’s second reading contains what could be construed as a controversial statement from St. Paul about marriage. The reading is from 1 Cor 7:32-35, in which Paul writes:
An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
It seems like St. Paul is saying it is more pleasing to God for people to remain single than to get married. Indeed, you’ll find many who argue for the Church’s tradition of celibate clergy and consecrated religious referencing this passage. An unmarried man or woman is in many ways less encumbered by worldly concerns and more free to devote their life to doing the Lord’s work.
But does this mean marriage is bad, or that married people are not capable of holiness? Hardly.
Context
As always, context is important. Catholics do not “proof text” the Bible, constructing doctr