A Theology Of Marriage

Marriage in Western culture is viewed as a loving partnership for the whole of life, intended both for the welfare of the partners and the procreation and nurture of children. Christian marriage adds to this a perspective on marriage as an image of God's covenant relationship with the church. Western European Marriage This first section is about the theology of marriage and asks three questions: What is marriage, what is marriage for, and how does marriage come to be? The answer to the first question has been dominated by a Roman definition found in the Digesta of the Emperor Justinian (sixth century). "Marriage is a union of a man and a woman and a communion of the whole of life" (23, 2, 1). The definition would be clear if the phrase,"whole of life," were not ambiguous. This phrase can mean everything that the spouses have, and then it implies that nothing is left unshared between them. It can mean as long as life lasts, and then it can imply that marriage is a lifelong commitmen…