Porneia

From: George Athas (gathas@mail.usyd.edu.au)
Date: Sun Jan 04 1998 - 16:36:05 EST


Greetings all!

I have a colleague who has recently suggested a new understanding of the
word PORNEIA. This word is commonly translated as "marital
unfaithfulness", "fornication," etc. My colleague has suggested that
PORNEIA refers to unlawful marriage - of the type found in Leviticus 18.
Thus, when Jesus forbids marriage on all grounds except for PORNEIA in
Matt 19:9, he is actually saying that divorce is never to be so much as
even contemplated unless that marriage should never have happened in the
first place (because it was an unlawful relationship to start with).

I found his argument intriguing and very thought provoking. He argues
that Jesus doesn't use MOICHEIA "adultery" as grounds for divorce, which
would be the logical word to use "marital unfaithfulness." Also, in Gal
5:19, MOICHEIA and PORNEIA stand side by side, obviously denoting a
distinction between them.

My colleague also argues that the contexts in which PORNEIA is condemned
suggest "unlawful marriage". For example, John the Baptist condemned
Antipas for his marriage to Herodias (his niece and cousin). If PORNEIA
means "unlawful marriage" which this certainly was, the passage makes
great sense. The Pharisees' test Jesus on marriage and divorce in
"Judaea beyond the Jordan" - ie Peraea - a domain of Antipas. If PORNEIA
means "unlawful marriage", then the Pharisees may well have been wanting
to corner Jesus into saying the same things that landed John in prison -
and therefore do away with him.

There are numerous other points to my colleagues argument, but I do not
have an outline of them in front of me. What do other think about it? Is
there evidence to suggest translating PORNEIA as "unlawful marriage"
from other sources (I seem to remember my colleague mentioning a Qumran
scroll)? Is it plausible? What are the implications for our
understanding of divorce and remarriage?

Best regards!
George Athas (University of Sydney)
< gathas@mail.usyd.edu.au > (ICQ #5866591)
(Visit the Tel Dan & Bytyhwh Ostracon sites at)
(http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~gathas/TelDan.htm)



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