P
Paidion
Guest
In our day, the term "marry" seems to mean "undergoing a legal contract". Legal contracts are a fairly recent innovation. In earlier times, weddings were celebrations of marriage rather than marriage itself.
Consider the following use of "marry" by the early church historian Eusebius:
From Eusebius (260 – 340 A.D) Church History
AT this time the so-called sect of the Nicolaitans made its appearance and
lasted for a very short time. Mention is made of it in the Apocalypse of
John. They boasted that the author of their sect was Nicolaus, one of the
deacons who, with Stephen, were appointed by the apostles for the
purpose of ministering to the poor. Clement of Alexandria, in the third
book of his Stromata, relates the following things concerning him. “They
say that he had a beautiful wife, and after the ascension of the Savior, being
accused by the apostles of jealousy, he led her into their midst and gave
permission to any one that wished to marry her. For they say that this
was in accord with that saying of his, that one ought to abuse the flesh.
And those that have followed his heresy, imitating blindly and foolishly
that which was done and said, commit fornication without shame. But I
understand that Nicolaus had to do with no other woman than her to
whom he was married, and that, so far as his children are concerned, his
daughters continued in a state of virginity until old age, and his son
remained uncorrupt."
Eusebius indicated that the men who participated in the Nicolaitan practice of fornication with the wife of Nicolaus, were marrying her.
Eusebius also directly quoted Clement of Alexandria in his description of what Nicolaus had supposedly done in allowing anyone who wished, to marry his wife. Eusebius apparently thought that Clement used the word “marry†appropriately, as referring to copulation. At the same time, Eusebius stated that “Nicolaus had to do with no other woman that her to whom he was married.†Is Eusebius now using “marry†in a different sense from that of his quote from Clement? I don’t think so. When he referred to the woman whom Nicolaus was married, did he not simply mean the woman with whom he was living and with whom he had sexual relations?
Clement of Alexandria “Exhortation to the Heathenâ€Â, chapter 4
…and again that of Demetrius, who was raised to the rank of the gods; and where he alighted from his horse on his entrance into Athens is the temple of Demetrius the Alighter; and altars were raised to him everywhere, and nuptials with Athene assigned to him by the Athenians. But he disdained the goddess, as he could not marry the statue; and taking the courtesan Lamia, he ascended the Acropolis, and lay with her on the couch of Athene, showing to the old virgin the postures of the young courtesan.
Is this story not saying that because Demetrius could not have sex with the statue of Athene, and that the goddess herself was not personally available, he copulated with the courtesan Lamia to satisfy his needs? Is this not the way in which Clement defined "marry"?
Clement of Alexandria “Stromataâ€Â, Book 2, chapter 23
But they who approve of marriage say, Nature has adapted us for marriage, as is evident from the structure of our bodies, which are male and female.
This passage could be interpreted from almost any point of view, but it seems to me that Clement is saying that nature has adapted men for sexual intercourse with women as is evident from the structure of their respective bodies.
Eusebius “Church History†Book 3, Chapter 28
And Dionysius, who was bishop of the parish of Alexandria in our day, in the second book of his work On the Promises, where he says some things concerning the Apocalypse of John which he draws from tradition, mentions this same man in the following words:
“But (they say that) Cerinthus, who founded the sect which was called, after him, the Cerinthian, desiring reputable authority for his fiction, prefixed the name. For the doctrine which he taught was this: that the kingdom of Christ will be an earthly one. And as he was himself devoted to the pleasures of the body and altogether sensual in his nature, he dreamed that that kingdom would consist in those things which he desired, namely, in the delights of the belly and of sexual passion, that is to say, in eating and drinking and marrying, and in festivals and sacrifices and the slaying of victims, under the guise of which he thought he could indulge his appetites with a better grace.†These are the words of Dionysius.
Eusebius quotes Dionysius as explaining “the delights of the belly and of sexual passion†in terms of "eating and drinking and marrying.†He seems to equate "the delights of the belly" with "eating and drinking", and he seems to equate "sexual passion" with "marrying".
Consider the following use of "marry" by the early church historian Eusebius:
From Eusebius (260 – 340 A.D) Church History
AT this time the so-called sect of the Nicolaitans made its appearance and
lasted for a very short time. Mention is made of it in the Apocalypse of
John. They boasted that the author of their sect was Nicolaus, one of the
deacons who, with Stephen, were appointed by the apostles for the
purpose of ministering to the poor. Clement of Alexandria, in the third
book of his Stromata, relates the following things concerning him. “They
say that he had a beautiful wife, and after the ascension of the Savior, being
accused by the apostles of jealousy, he led her into their midst and gave
permission to any one that wished to marry her. For they say that this
was in accord with that saying of his, that one ought to abuse the flesh.
And those that have followed his heresy, imitating blindly and foolishly
that which was done and said, commit fornication without shame. But I
understand that Nicolaus had to do with no other woman than her to
whom he was married, and that, so far as his children are concerned, his
daughters continued in a state of virginity until old age, and his son
remained uncorrupt."
Eusebius indicated that the men who participated in the Nicolaitan practice of fornication with the wife of Nicolaus, were marrying her.
Eusebius also directly quoted Clement of Alexandria in his description of what Nicolaus had supposedly done in allowing anyone who wished, to marry his wife. Eusebius apparently thought that Clement used the word “marry†appropriately, as referring to copulation. At the same time, Eusebius stated that “Nicolaus had to do with no other woman that her to whom he was married.†Is Eusebius now using “marry†in a different sense from that of his quote from Clement? I don’t think so. When he referred to the woman whom Nicolaus was married, did he not simply mean the woman with whom he was living and with whom he had sexual relations?
Clement of Alexandria “Exhortation to the Heathenâ€Â, chapter 4
…and again that of Demetrius, who was raised to the rank of the gods; and where he alighted from his horse on his entrance into Athens is the temple of Demetrius the Alighter; and altars were raised to him everywhere, and nuptials with Athene assigned to him by the Athenians. But he disdained the goddess, as he could not marry the statue; and taking the courtesan Lamia, he ascended the Acropolis, and lay with her on the couch of Athene, showing to the old virgin the postures of the young courtesan.
Is this story not saying that because Demetrius could not have sex with the statue of Athene, and that the goddess herself was not personally available, he copulated with the courtesan Lamia to satisfy his needs? Is this not the way in which Clement defined "marry"?
Clement of Alexandria “Stromataâ€Â, Book 2, chapter 23
But they who approve of marriage say, Nature has adapted us for marriage, as is evident from the structure of our bodies, which are male and female.
This passage could be interpreted from almost any point of view, but it seems to me that Clement is saying that nature has adapted men for sexual intercourse with women as is evident from the structure of their respective bodies.
Eusebius “Church History†Book 3, Chapter 28
And Dionysius, who was bishop of the parish of Alexandria in our day, in the second book of his work On the Promises, where he says some things concerning the Apocalypse of John which he draws from tradition, mentions this same man in the following words:
“But (they say that) Cerinthus, who founded the sect which was called, after him, the Cerinthian, desiring reputable authority for his fiction, prefixed the name. For the doctrine which he taught was this: that the kingdom of Christ will be an earthly one. And as he was himself devoted to the pleasures of the body and altogether sensual in his nature, he dreamed that that kingdom would consist in those things which he desired, namely, in the delights of the belly and of sexual passion, that is to say, in eating and drinking and marrying, and in festivals and sacrifices and the slaying of victims, under the guise of which he thought he could indulge his appetites with a better grace.†These are the words of Dionysius.
Eusebius quotes Dionysius as explaining “the delights of the belly and of sexual passion†in terms of "eating and drinking and marrying.†He seems to equate "the delights of the belly" with "eating and drinking", and he seems to equate "sexual passion" with "marrying".
