Historical Theology and the Problem of Divorce and Remarriage Today

Abstract

This essay aims to bring some resources of the biblical and patristic traditions to bear on the problem of divorce and remarriage. I begin by arguing two historical points: 1) that several New Testament texts show that the tradition of Jesus' teaching against divorce has been modified several times to accommodate new historical situations; 2) that the Western patristic tradition shows diverse interpretations of the New Testament evidence, including allowing men to remarry, if their first wives were guilty of adultery. The absolute position of Augustine against remarriage after divorce appears to have been an innovation and did not become dominant for several hundred years. Augustine himself even had doubts about the validity of his own view. I conclude by discussing another important development in the Western Christian tradition: the allowance of penance for the sin of apostasy. Third-century bishops, such as Cyprian of Carthage, pioneered this development in order to offer mercy and Eucharistic sustenance to Christians in need. This latter example of development can provide a model for a compassionate response to Catholics who remarry after divorce.