Abstract
A fundamental change in the understanding of marriage becomes apparent in the first century A.D., described by M. Foucault as the transition from a “matrimonial” to a “conjugal” marital concept. While early Christianity participated in this development, it also influenced it at decisive points and developed its own marital ethics. Through a consideration of philosophical (Musonius, Plutarch) and early Judaic (esp. Qumran, Jubilees) texts, this article outlines the marital concepts existing in the NT environment. In this context, the reciprocal community and the duration of the marital relationship are emphasized while sexuality remains wholly limited to reproduction. The core of the article offers a concrete analysis of texts from the Corpus Paulinum (1Cor 5-7; 1Thess 4:1-5; Eph 5:21-33), in which one can recognize, upon the backdrop of a traditional-hierarchical classification of man and woman, an equal and holistic relationship of the marital partners. Simultaneously – and here the Pauline texts extend beyond the borders of their environment – sexual intercourse is valued as an important component of the relationship between husband and wife. Here, the relationship of marriage, including the physical union of the marital partners, is theologically substantiated, and the frequently occurring semantics of “holiness” clearly plays a central role in the context of the marital texts. In the theologically substantiated union of the sexes one can recognize not only traditional, but especially Judaic forms of speech, created through the close interweaving of relationships between the sexes and the relationship with God. In addition, further norms that regulate early Christianity, such as the condemnation of adultery or the prohibition of divorce, become understandable in new ways.
Highlights
In today’s media culture, we are surrounded by erotic innuendo; almost all sexual taboos have been abandoned
Permanent, and holistic relationships are seen as the ideal location for living out one’s sexuality
Does this make marriage – once again or for the first time – the place in which sexual desire finds its true fulfillment? On the other hand, does the institutionalization of eroticism not inhibit desire? Does the daily routine, for example, in the raising of children, not inevitably take the magic out of sexuality and reduce it to a mere function? What can an investigation of antiquity contribute to this issue? How can the texts of early Christianity inspire us when Christianity is principally regarded, due to its origins, as being hostile to lust, bodily desire, and physicality? This article offers an unusual look at the perception and ethical evaluation of sexuality in the texts of the Apostle Paul and his school
Summary
In today’s media culture, we are surrounded by erotic innuendo; almost all sexual taboos have been abandoned. For most Germans, whether young or old, sex does not merely mean lust; instead it fulfills a profound yearning – a yearning for the highest degree of human intimacy (GEO 2007:27). These statements come from a cover article in the German GEO magazine, and it is not the only place where such a perspective has been noted. Permanent, and holistic relationships are seen as the ideal location for living out one’s sexuality Does this make marriage – once again or for the first time – the place in which sexual desire finds its true fulfillment? The terms “marriage”, “sexuality” and “holiness” which are brought together here must first be dealt with hermeneutically in order for their later use to be better understood
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