Historical Origins And Development Of Christian Marriage

Despite challenges from some quarters, Judaism and the early Christians considered marriage a good gift from God, part of God's good creation. Marriage is considered a sacrament by both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians. The Orthodox permit divorce under certain conditions; most Protestant denominations, for whom marriage is a covenant rather than a sacrament, permit divorce under a broader range of circumstances. Marriage in the Bible The Old Testament portrays the God Yahweh as the creator of 'adam, man and woman (Gen. 1:27; 5:2). The fact that Yahweh names male and female together 'adam, humankind, founds their equality as human beings. They are equally "bone of bone, flesh of flesh" (Gen. 2:23). It is only because they are equal that they can marry and become one person, in Hebrew "one body" (Gen. 2:24). As a gift of the Creator, marriage is good (Gen. 1:31) and has a religious significance in Israel. Since it is from God, it relates man and woman to God. God not o…