Matt 19:9

dixonps at juno.com dixonps at juno.com
Sun Oct 3 19:51:41 EDT 1999



The question is, did the early church fathers understand the
MH EPI PORNEIA of Mt 19:9 as denoting preterition (as excluding
from consideration the case of PORNEIA) or as denoting the
negation, that is, if a man divorced his wife because of PORNEIA,
and remarried, then he did not commit adultery in so doing?

I don't see anything in the translations cited below that suggests
anything other than the preterition view.

Paul Dixon

<snip>

> The referances are listed in Chronological order.
> 
> Shepard of Hermas Book Two Commandment Four
> "And I said to him "What then sir is the husband to do, if his wife 
> continues the vicious practices?"  And he said, the husband should 
> put her 
> away and remain by himself.  but if he put his wife away and marry 
> another 
> he commits adultery."
> 
> Athenagoras of Alexandria A Plea for Christians Chapter 33
> "be content with one marriage;  for a second marriage is only 
> specious 
> adultery.  'For whosoever puts away his wife,' says he, 'and marries 
> another 
> commits adultery.'  Not permitting a man to send her away whose 
> virginity he 
> has brought to an end, nor marry again."
> 
> Clement of Alexandria Stormanta Chapter 23
> "'He that takes a woman that has been put away' it is said, 'commits 
> 
> adultery; and if one puts his wife away he makes her an adultress.'  
> That 
> is, compels her to commit adultery."
> 
> Tertullian, Of Patience Chapter 12
> (Patience is personified as a woman)
> "When on a disjunction of wedlock (for that cause, I mean, which 
> makes it 
> lawful, whether for husband or wife, to persist in the observance of 
> 
> widowhood), she (patience) waits for, she yearns for, she persuades 
> by her 
> entreaties, repentance in all who are one day to enter salvation?  
> How great 
> a blessing she confers on such!  The one she prevents from becoming 
> an 
> adulterer; the other she amends."
> 
> Augustine, The Good of Marriage, Paragraph 3
> "Therfore, concerning the good of marriage, which the Lord also 
> confirmed in 
> the Gospel, not only in that He forbade to put away a wife, save 
> because of 
> fornication, ubt also in that He came by invitation to a marriage, 
> there is 
> good ground to inquire for what reason it be a good."
> 
> Augustine, Of Holy Virginity, Paragraph 15
> "For it is not lawful to put away a wife, save because of 
> fornication, as 
> the Lord Himself saith in the Gospel.  But that, which he added, 
> 'Thou art 
> loosed from a wife, seek not a wife,' is a sentence of counsel, not 
> of 
> command; therfore it is lawful to do, but it is better not to do."
> 
> Augustine, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book 19 Paragraph 29
> "For when the Jews relplied, 'Why did Moses then command to give a 
> writing 
> of divorcement, and to put her away?'  Christ said unto them, 
> 'Mosese, 
> because of your heart, suffered you to put away your wives.'  The 
> hardness 
> must have been great indeed which could not be induced to admit the 
> restoration of wedded love, even though by means of writing an 
> opportunity 
> was afforded for advice to be given to this effect by wise and 
> upright men."
> 
> Augustine, Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 14
> "'But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving 
> for the 
> cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery:  and whosoever 
> shall 
> marry her that is loosed from her husband committeth adultery.'"
> 
> Augustine, On the Gospel of John, Tractate IX Chapter 2
> "And they that are well instructed in the catholic faith know that 
> God 
> instituted marriage; and as the union of man and wife is from God, 
> so 
> divorce is from the devil.  But in the case of fornication it is 
> lawful for 
> a man to put away his wife, because she first chose to be no longer 
> wife in 
> not preserving conjugal fidelity to her husband."
> 
> Chrysostom, The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 17, section 4
> "And not thus only, but in another way also He hath lightened the 
> senactment: forasmuch as even for himHe leaves on manner of 
> dismissal, when 
> He saith, 'Except for the cause of fornication;' since the matter 
> had else 
> come round again to the same issue.  For if He had commanded to keep 
> her in 
> the house, thogh defiling herself with many, He would have made the 
> matter 
> end again in adultery."
> 
> Chrysostom, Homilies on First Corinthians, Homily 19
> "Because it is a law expressly appointed by Christ which he is about 
> to read 
> to them about the 'not putting away a wife without fornication;'  
> therefore 
> he says, 'not I.' True it is what was before spoken though it were 
> not 
> expressly stated, yet it also is his decree."
> 
> Jerome, Letter 77 to Oceanus, Paragraph 3
> "So terrible then were the faults imputed to her former husband that 
> not 
> even a prostitute or a common slave could have put up with them.  If 
> I were 
> to recount them, I should undo the heroism of the wife who chose to 
> bear the 
> blame of a separation rather than to blacken the character and 
> expose the 
> stains of him who was one body with her.  I will only urge this one 
> plea 
> which is sufficient to exonerate a chaste matron and a Christian 
> woman.  The 
> Lord has given commandment that a wife must not be put away'except 
> it be for 
> fornication, and that, if put away, she must remain unmarried.'  Now 
> a 
> commandment which is given to men logically applies to women also."
> 
> Basil, Letter 188 to Amhilochius, concerning the Canons.
> "The sentence of the Lord that it is unlawful to withdraw from 
> wedlock, save 
> on account of fornication, applies, according to the argument, to 
> men and 
> women alike.  Custom, however, does not so obtain."
> 
> Basil, The Canons of Basil, Canon IX
> "Our Lord is equal, to the man and woman forbiding divorce, save in 
> case of 
> fornication; but custom requires women to retain their husbands, 
> though they 
> be guilty of fornication.  The man deserted by his wife may take 
> another, 
> and though he were deserted for adultery, yet St. Basil will be 
> positive, 
> that the other woman who afterward takes him is guilty of adultery; 
> but the 
> wife is not allowed this liberty.  And the man who deserts an 
> innocent wife 
> is not allowed to marry."
> 
> First Nicean Council, Canon 51
> "Bishops shall not allow the separation of a wife from her husband 
> on 
> account of discord."
> 
> Canon 66
> "If any priest or deacon shall put away his wife on account of her 
> fornication, or for other cause as aforesaid, ....let him be 
> deposed."
> 
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
> 
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek
> You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: dixonps at juno.com
> To unsubscribe, forward this message to 
> $subst('Email.Unsub')
> To subscribe, send a message to 
> subscribe-b-greek at franklin.oit.unc.edu
> 
> 



More information about the B-Greek mailing list