Marriage, divorce and remarriage
- S22.1 Era I–II: separation for adultery, no remarriage (Hermas, Athenagoras); Era III divides (Basil tolerates, Augustine forbids) (medium)
- S22.2 Church-blessed (Tertullian) and a sacramentum of indissolubility (Augustine) from Era II–III; ‘one of seven’ is later (medium)
- S22.3 No Era I–II evidence; Era III divides: Ambrosiaster frees a believer deserted by an unbeliever to remarry, Basil calls the deserted husband ‘pardonable’, Augustine allows separation but no remarriage, Chrysostom allows separation and is silent on remarriage (low)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 3 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 140 Shepherd of Hermas S22.1
- c. 205 Tertullian S22.2
- c. 240 Origen S22.1
- c. 370 Basil S22.1, S22.3
- c. 375 Ambrosiaster S22.3
- c. 395 Chrysostom S22.3
- c. 415 Augustine S22.1
- c. 415 Augustine S22.2
- c. 415 Augustine S22.3
- 1531 Apology of the AC Lutheran
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1646 Westminster Confession Reformed Baptist
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
S22 · Marriage, divorce and remarriage
May a marriage be dissolved for adultery, with remarriage?
Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Jesus said divorce and remarriage is adultery ’except for sexual immorality’ (Matthew 19:9). The earliest Christian writers let a spouse separate after adultery but not remarry. By the 4th century, practice varied: Basil tolerated some remarriages, Augustine did not. Catholic teaching and old Anglican canon law forbid remarriage while the spouse lives; Lutheran and Presbyterian confessions let the innocent party remarry; the Orthodox allow a second marriage as a concession. On desertion (1 Corinthians 7:15) the 4th-century writers split again: one says the deserted believer may remarry, Augustine says no; Presbyterian teaching counts wilful desertion as grounds for divorce, while Catholic, old Anglican and Mennonite sources do not (Catholic law keeps a narrow exception for converts).
Plan
Question: S22.1 may a marriage be dissolved for adultery (or desertion) so that the innocent party may remarry? Scripture: Matt 5:32; 19:3–9; Mark 10:2–12; Luke 16:18; Rom 7:2–3; 1 Cor 7:10–15, 39. Fathers: Hermas, Mandate 4.1; Athenagoras, Plea 33; Origen, Commentary on Matthew XIV.23; Basil, Letter 188 canon 9; Augustine, On the Good of Marriage 24.32. S22.2: is marriage a sacrament? Eph 5:31–32; Tertullian, To His Wife II.8; Augustine, On the Good of Marriage 24.32. S22.3: does wilful desertion dissolve a marriage? 1 Cor 7:11–16, 39; Ambrosiaster on 1 Cor 7:15; Chrysostom, Homily 19 on 1 Corinthians; Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount I.14.39, I.16.44; Basil, Letter 188 canon 9.
Questions
- S22.1 Divorce for adultery, and remarriage of the innocent party
- S22.2 Is marriage a sacrament?
- S22.3 Does wilful desertion dissolve a marriage?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
S22.1 · Divorce for adultery, and remarriage of the innocent party
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S22.1 | Era I–II: separation for adultery, no remarriage (Hermas, Athenagoras); Era III divides (Basil tolerates, Augustine forbids) | Medium | S22.1.1 · S22.1.3 weighing | hermas-s22-s1 · origen-s22-s1 · basil-s22-s1 · augustine-s22-s1 | S22.1.4: medium |
S22.2 · Is marriage a sacrament?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S22.2 | Church-blessed (Tertullian) and a sacramentum of indissolubility (Augustine) from Era II–III; ‘one of seven’ is later | Medium | S22.2.1 · S22.2.3 weighing | tertullian-s22-s1 · augustine-s22-s2 | S22.2.4: medium |
S22.3 · Does wilful desertion dissolve a marriage?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S22.3 | No Era I–II evidence; Era III divides: Ambrosiaster frees a believer deserted by an unbeliever to remarry, Basil calls the deserted husband ‘pardonable’, Augustine allows separation but no remarriage, Chrysostom allows separation and is silent on remarriage | Low | S22.3.1 · S22.3.3 weighing | ambrosiaster-s22x-s1 · chrysostom-s22x-s1 · augustine-s22x-s1 · basil-s22-s1 | S22.3.4: low |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | S22.1, partly S22.2, partly S22.3 | — |
| Orthodox | S22.1, partly S22.2 | partly S22.1 |
| Oriental Orthodox | partly S22.1, partly S22.2 | — |
| Lutheran | — | S22.1 |
| Anglican | S22.1, partly S22.2, partly S22.3 | — |
| Presbyterian | S22.2, partly S22.3 | S22.1, partly S22.2 |
| Reformed Baptist | S22.2 | partly S22.2 |
| General Baptist | S22.2 | partly S22.2 |
| Anabaptist | S22.2, partly S22.3 | S22.1, partly S22.2 |
Overall verdict
S22.1: the earliest fathers allowed separation for adultery but not remarriage; Basil tolerated more and Augustine held the line. Matthew’s exception clause, read in its setting, probably allows the innocent party to remarry, so here Scripture and the early fathers pull in different directions. S22.2: the fathers call marriage church-blessed and a sacramentum of indissolubility, but the seven-sacrament list is later; Protestant confessions treat it as a holy state, closer to Scripture’s creation-ordinance framing. S22.3: on desertion the fathers split. Ambrosiaster says the deserted believer may marry again without sin, and Basil tolerates it; Augustine allows separation but not remarriage. Paul’s ’not enslaved’ (1 Cor 7:15) most naturally frees the deserted believer, so the Presbyterian ground of wilful desertion fits the text best, though it reaches beyond Paul’s case of an unbelieving spouse.
Verification status
Trent XXIV, the OCA encyclical, the Coptic report, the Treatise, Canon 107 (via Hansard) and WCF XXIV are verified. The Reformed Baptist and General Baptist cells are not addressed (no divorce article); the Anabaptist cell rests on Menno Simons (verified) and the Wismar Resolutions as quoted by GAMEO. Coptic remarriage practice for the innocent party is not verified. S22.2: Trent XXIV canon 1, Dositheus 15, the Coptic list, Art. XXV, WCF XXVII.4, 1689 28.1 and Dordrecht XII are verified; the Lutheran cell is not assessed; the General Baptist cell rests on the Orthodox Creed art. XXVII. S22.3: Ambrosiaster (PL 17 Latin, our rendering), Chrysostom Hom. 19 on 1 Cor., Augustine Sermon on the Mount I.14.39 and I.16.44, Trent XXIV canon 5, CIC 1983 can. 1143, Canon 107 and WCF XXIV.6 are verified; the PL column number for Ambrosiaster is to verify. The Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed Baptist and General Baptist cells are not assessed (no classic text on desertion was located).