Did the Early Church absolutely forbid remarriage after divorce?
Keywords:
divorce, remarriage, indissolubility of marriage, Ambrosiaster, AugustineAbstract
The possibility to remarry in the Catholic Church is still a matter of intense debate, also in the Latin Church. The historical-juridical research about the discipline of remarriage in the pre-Augustine writings and tradition demonstrates that the teaching of the complete indissolubility of marriage wasn't accepted by everyone, not even in the Western Church. The comment of Ambrosiaster to the Pauline teaching, in fact, demonstrates that the possibility to remarry wasn’t always excluded, at least not until Augustin’s teaching became the dominant tradition in the West.
Keywords: divorce; remarriage; indissolubility of marriage; Ambrosiaster; Augustine.
References
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<p>Bof, Riccardo, and Leyser, Conrad. “Divorce and Remarriage between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Canon Law and Conflict Resolution.” <em>Making Early Medieval Societies: Conflict and Belonging in the Latin West, 300-1200</em>. Cooper, K. & Leyser, C. Eds. Cambridge (2016): 155.</p>
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<p>Dodaro, Rosa. <em>Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church</em>. San Francisco, 2014.</p>
<p>Geerlings, Wilhelm. “Das Verständnis von Gesetz im Galaterbriefkommentar des Ambrosiaster.” <em>Die Weltlichkeit des Glaubens in der Alten Kirche: Festschrift für Ulrich Wickert zum siebsigsten Geburtstag</em>. Aland, B. et al. Eds. Berlin, 1997.</p>
<p>Grubbs, Judith Evans. <em>Women and the Law in the Roman Empire: A Sourcebook on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood. </em>London, 2002.</p>
<p>Heggelbacher, Othmar. <em>Vom römischen zum christlichen Recht: Iuristische Elemente in den Schriften des sog. Ambrosiaster</em>. Freiburg, 1959.</p>
<p>Hunter, David G. “Augustine’s Doubts on Divorce: Reconsiderations on Remarriage.” <em>Augustinian Studies</em> 48 (2017): 161-182.</p>
<p>Hunter, David G. “The Paradise of Patriarchy: Ambrosiaster on Women as (Not) God’s Image.” <em>Journal of Theological Studies</em> 43 (1992): 447-469.</p>
<p>Hunter, David G. “The Significance of Ambrosiaster.” <em>Journal of Early Christian Studies</em> 17 (2009): 1-26.</p>
<p>Krans, Jan. “Who Coined the Name ‘Ambrosiaster’?.”<em> Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology: Studies in Honour of Martinus C. de Boer</em>. Leiden (2013): 274-281.</p>
<p>L’Huillier, Archbishop Peter. “The Indissolubility of Marriage in Orthodox Law and Practice.” <em>St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly</em>, 3 (1988): 199-221.</p>
<p>Lunn-Rockliffe, Sophie. <em>Ambrosiaster's political theology</em>. Oxford University Press on Demand, 2007.</p>
<p>Madec, Goulden. "Introduction aux «Révisions» et à la lecture des œuvres de saint Augustin." (1996).</p>
<p>Munier, Charles. “L’échec du mariage dans l’église ancienne.” <em>Revue de droit canonique</em> 38 (1988): 26-40.</p>
<p>Nautin, Pierre. “Divorce et remariage dans la tradition de l’Église latine.” <em>Recherches de science religieuse</em> 62 (1974): 157-173.</p>
<p>Reynolds, Philip Lyndon. <em>How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments</em>. Cambridge, 2016.</p>
<p>Reynolds, Philip Lyndon. <em>Marriage in the Western Church: The Christianization of Marriage during the Patristic and Early Medieval Periods</em>. Leiden, 1994.</p>
<p>Rist, John Michael. “Divorce and Remarriage in the Early Church: Some Historical and Cultural Reflections.”<em> Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church</em>. Ignatius Press, 2014. </p>
<p>Souter, Alexander. <em>Study of Ambrosiaster</em>. Cambridge, 1905.</p>
<p>Vilella, Josep. “The Pseudo-Iliberritan Canon Texts.” <em>Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum </em>18 (2014): 210-259.</p>
<p>Bévenot, Maurice. “Ambrosiaster’s Thoughts on Christian Priesthood.” <em>Heythrop Journal</em> 18 (1977): 152-164.</p>
<p>Bof, Riccardo, and Leyser, Conrad. “Divorce and Remarriage between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Canon Law and Conflict Resolution.” <em>Making Early Medieval Societies: Conflict and Belonging in the Latin West, 300-1200</em>. Cooper, K. & Leyser, C. Eds. Cambridge (2016): 155.</p>
<p>Crouzel, Henri. <em>L’église primitive face au divorce: Du premier au cinquième siècle</em>. Paris, 1970.</p>
<p>Dodaro, Rosa. <em>Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church</em>. San Francisco, 2014.</p>
<p>Geerlings, Wilhelm. “Das Verständnis von Gesetz im Galaterbriefkommentar des Ambrosiaster.” <em>Die Weltlichkeit des Glaubens in der Alten Kirche: Festschrift für Ulrich Wickert zum siebsigsten Geburtstag</em>. Aland, B. et al. Eds. Berlin, 1997.</p>
<p>Grubbs, Judith Evans. <em>Women and the Law in the Roman Empire: A Sourcebook on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood. </em>London, 2002.</p>
<p>Heggelbacher, Othmar. <em>Vom römischen zum christlichen Recht: Iuristische Elemente in den Schriften des sog. Ambrosiaster</em>. Freiburg, 1959.</p>
<p>Hunter, David G. “Augustine’s Doubts on Divorce: Reconsiderations on Remarriage.” <em>Augustinian Studies</em> 48 (2017): 161-182.</p>
<p>Hunter, David G. “The Paradise of Patriarchy: Ambrosiaster on Women as (Not) God’s Image.” <em>Journal of Theological Studies</em> 43 (1992): 447-469.</p>
<p>Hunter, David G. “The Significance of Ambrosiaster.” <em>Journal of Early Christian Studies</em> 17 (2009): 1-26.</p>
<p>Krans, Jan. “Who Coined the Name ‘Ambrosiaster’?.”<em> Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology: Studies in Honour of Martinus C. de Boer</em>. Leiden (2013): 274-281.</p>
<p>L’Huillier, Archbishop Peter. “The Indissolubility of Marriage in Orthodox Law and Practice.” <em>St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly</em>, 3 (1988): 199-221.</p>
<p>Lunn-Rockliffe, Sophie. <em>Ambrosiaster's political theology</em>. Oxford University Press on Demand, 2007.</p>
<p>Madec, Goulden. "Introduction aux «Révisions» et à la lecture des œuvres de saint Augustin." (1996).</p>
<p>Munier, Charles. “L’échec du mariage dans l’église ancienne.” <em>Revue de droit canonique</em> 38 (1988): 26-40.</p>
<p>Nautin, Pierre. “Divorce et remariage dans la tradition de l’Église latine.” <em>Recherches de science religieuse</em> 62 (1974): 157-173.</p>
<p>Reynolds, Philip Lyndon. <em>How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments</em>. Cambridge, 2016.</p>
<p>Reynolds, Philip Lyndon. <em>Marriage in the Western Church: The Christianization of Marriage during the Patristic and Early Medieval Periods</em>. Leiden, 1994.</p>
<p>Rist, John Michael. “Divorce and Remarriage in the Early Church: Some Historical and Cultural Reflections.”<em> Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church</em>. Ignatius Press, 2014. </p>
<p>Souter, Alexander. <em>Study of Ambrosiaster</em>. Cambridge, 1905.</p>
<p>Vilella, Josep. “The Pseudo-Iliberritan Canon Texts.” <em>Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum </em>18 (2014): 210-259.</p>
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Published
2018-06-06
How to Cite
Hunter, D. (2018). Did the Early Church absolutely forbid remarriage after divorce?. Vergentis. Revista De Investigación De La Cátedra Internacional Conjunta Inocencio III, 1(6), 45–64. Retrieved from https://vergentis.ucam.edu/index.php/vergentis/article/view/65
