What did early Christians believe about remarriage after divorce? The New Testament sends mixed messages about divorce. Jesus forbids it in Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels, but he seems to make an exception for victims of infidelity in Matthew’s Gospel. Paul permits divorce in 1 Corinthians when an unbeliever initiates it. Yet other Pauline passages imply that remarriage after divorce constitutes adultery. A. Andrew Das confronts this dissonance in Remarriage in Early Christianity. Challenging scholarly consensus, Das argues that early Christians did not approve of remarriage after divorce. His argument—covering contemporary Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts, the Gospels, Paul’s letters, and ante-Nicene interpretation—reveals greater consistency in early Christianity than is often assumed. Das pays special attention to the Greek words used in contemporary bills of divorce and in the New Testament, offering much-needed clarity on hotly contested concepts like porneia. At once sensitive and objective, Das finds an exegetically sound answer to the question of remarriage among early Christians. This bold study will challenge scholars and enlighten any Christian concerned with what Scripture has to say on this perennially relevant topic.

Despite a strong belief in the institution and sacredness of marriage, studies show that Christian spouses experience divorce at least as much as the secular population. But whatever the reasons for a divorce--beyond the divorce itself--many Christians want to know: does the Bible support remarriage? The fact is that no consensus exists among evangelicals on their views of remarriage, leaving many Christians confused. This Counterpoints volume explores the biblical and practical cases for the three main evangelical views on remarriage after divorce: Remarriage is not acceptable after divorce - defended by Gordon J. Wenham Remarriage is acceptable only after adultery or desertion - defended by William A. Heth Remarriage is acceptable for a variety of reasons - defended by Craig S. Keener Each of the three contributors offers his point of view succinctly and with biblical support, and each interacts with the others to help readers come to their own conclusions. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

Hunter's wide variety of Christian texts on marriage and sexuality span the New Testament era through the sixth century and include both Greek and Latin writers: Hermas - Shepherd, Mandate 4 Tertullian - To His Wife; An Exhortation to Chastity Clement of Alexandria - The Instructor, Book 2; Miscellanies, Books 2 & 3, Acts of Thomas Methodius - Symposium, Discourse 2 Lactantius - Divine Institutes, Book 6 John Chrysostom - Homily 20 on Ephesians Pelagius - Letter to the Matron Celantia Augustine - The Good of Marriage; Letter 6 to Atticus Paulinus of Nola - Carmen 25 Ecclesiastical legislation - Canons of the Synod of Elvira Basil of Caesarea - Canonical Letters Two Nuptial Blessings - Verona Sacramentary; Hadrianum

Many people believe that the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on marriage is clear and consistent: marriage is a sacrament, the marriage contract is indissoluble, divorce and remarriage are forbidden. In this book, theologians, historians, and sociologists overhaul the church's teaching and practice on divorce and remarriage, as well as personal testimonies from a number of persons who have gone through the annulment process.

Explores marriage, sexual relations, and family law in late antique Christianity using the writings of Ephrem the Syrian.

The Early Christian World, volumes 1 and 2, presents an exhaustive, erudite and illustrated treatment of how the small movement which formed around Jesus in Galilee became the pre-eminent religion of the ancient world.

Marriage and Sexuality in Early Christianity is part of Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources, a series designed to present ancient Christian texts essential to an understanding of Christian theology, ecclesiology, and practice. The books in the series make the wealth of early Christian thought available to new generations of students of theology and provide a valuable resource for the church. Developed in light of recent patristic scholarship, the volumes provide a representative sampling of theological contributions from both East and West. The series provides volumes that are relevant for a variety of courses: from introduction to theology to classes on doctrine and the development of Christian thought. The goal of each volume is not to be exhaustive but rather to be representative enough to denote for a nonspecialist audience the multivalent character of early Christian thought, allowing readers to see how and why early Christian doctrine and practice developed the way it did.

Apostasy is defined as a falling away from, or a deliberate abandonment of, what had been established scriptural principles and doctrine. This is exactly where the broader Church is today on the doctrine of divorce and remarriage. Written from an Evangelical Protestant perspective we examine this apostasy and its ramifications to the broader Church, society and individuals. The authors' own 40 year journey vividly underscore the theme. Christians from the first 1900 years of the Church would not recognize today's doctrine as Christian. Jesus' exact teachings are examined in depth as are those of Paul. Jesus' definition of the divorced and remarried as adulterers is paramount to the entire discussion. Adultery is one listed reason for exclusion from the kingdom. The differences between legalism and grace are examined and explained. The outcomes to individuals, and society, are listed and backed with scripture, history, and facts; demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt.

In this volume, Elif Hilal Karaman examines the lives of Ephesian women in their historical and social contexts, considering in particular their roles as mothers, wives, teachers, and individuals in the private and public spheres. She presents Greco-Roman and early Christian sources relevant to Ephesus and relating to women, including more than 300 Ephesian inscriptions, and analyses them comparatively. By doing this she illuminates the impact of early Christianity upon the roles of women. The evidence presented demonstrates the extent to which early Christian authors utilized Greco-Roman cultural elements to construct a social background for the nascent Christian communities for whom they wrote. Elif Hilal Karaman's work thus advocates for the interpretation of early Christian texts in conversation with local archaeological and literary evidence in order to develop more nuanced understandings of the social and historical contexts of these important works.

Introduction David Cloutier and Robert Koerpel “But from the begining it was not so”: The Jewish Apocalyptic Context of Jesus’s Teaching on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage John W. Martens Historical Theology and the Problem of Divorce and Remarriage Today David G. Hunter Saint John Henry Newman, Development of Doctrine, and Sensus Fidelium: His Enduring Legacy in Roman Catholic Theological Discourse Kenneth Parker The Risk of Tradition: With de Certeau toward a Postmodern Catholic Theory Philipp W. Rosemann Tradition as Given: Eucharist, Theological Pugilism, and Eschatological Patience Jonathan Martin Ciraulo Interpreting Chapter Eight of Amoris Laetitia in Light of the Incarnation Nicholas J. Healy, Jr. Beyond the Law-Conscience Binary in Catholic Moral Thought David Cloutier and Robert Koerpel Inculturating through the Lens of Liberation: John Mary Waliggo and the Renewal of Catholic Tradition in Africa J.J. Carney Gnoseological Concupiscence, Intersectionality, and Living Truthfully: Insights into How and Why Moral Theology Develops Kathryn Lilla Cox The Challenge of Technology to Moral Theology Paul Scherz Book Reviews Thomas Crean and Alan Fimister, Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy Kent J. Lasnoski Marie Dennis, ed., Choosing Peace. The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel Nonviolence Margaret R. Pfeil Kevin Flannery, Action and Character According to Aristotle: The Logic of the Moral Life Michael Bolin Richard Grigg, Science Fiction and the Imitation of the Sacred Kim Paffenroth Elizabeth T. Groppe, ed., Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart: Cultivating a Sacramental Imagination in an Age of Pornography Matthew Sherman Matthew Hanley, Determining Death by Neurological Criteria: Current Practices and Ethics Gina Maria Noia Theodora Hawksley, Peacebuilding and Catholic Social Teaching Caesar A. Montevecchio Albert de Mingo Kaminouchi, Brother John of Taizé, trans., An Introduction to Christian Ethics: A New Testament Perspective Thomas P. Scheck Han-Luen Kantzer Komline, Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account J. M. Stewart Matthew Levering, Aquinas’s Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance Steven J. Jensen Matthew Levering, Engaging the Doctrine of Marriage: Human Marriage as the Image and Sacrament of the Marriage of God and Creation Timothy P. O’Malley Marcus Mescher, The Ethics of Encounter: Christian Neighbor Love as a Practice of Solidarity Jessica Wrobleski Kelley Nikondeha, Defiant: What the Women of Exodus Teach us About Freedom Patricia Sharbaugh Michael S. Sherwin, OP, On Love and Virtue: Theological Essays James W. Stroud Janet E. Smith, Self-Gift: Essays on Humanae Vitae and the Thought of John Paul II John Sikorski