The Purpose of Marriage

in Creation
Genesis 2:18-25
18 The LORD God said: "It is not good for
the man to be alone. I will make a suitable
partner for him."
19 So the LORD God formed out of the
ground various wild animals and various
birds of the air, and he brought them to the
man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would
be its name.
20 The man gave names to all the cattle, all
the birds of the air, and all the wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner
for the man.

21 So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on

the man, and while he was asleep, he took
out one of his ribs and closed up its place
with flesh.
22 The LORD God then built up into a
woman the rib that he had taken from the
man. When he brought her to the man,
23 the man said: "This one, at last, is bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one
shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man'
this one has been taken."
24 That is why a man leaves his father and
mother and clings to his wife, and the two of
them become one body.
25 The man and his wife were both naked,
yet they felt no shame.

Illustrated in this
passage is the gift of
SEXUALITY from God
in answer to mans
deep longing to be with
another of his own
kind, a companion.

To understand:
God already loved man even before
he came into being
Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh
means to become one flesh,
Man and woman are essentially of
the same in nature and equal in
dignity, could form the unity of
oneness, an indication of a
monogamous union.
Both man and woman have intrinsic
goodness in them in so far as they
reflect the divine image in
themselves.
Man and woman are equal and
unique

Marriage As Realized Among

the Chosen People
Old Testament:
Women were subordinate.
Primary function became that of
bearing children who would
continue the male line.
Procreation is the primary value,
sexuality was taken as a means by
which couples became involved in
the creative and historical plan of
God.

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Polygamous relationships were

allowed. (until the monarchy
period)
Divorce is initiated by the husband
only.
Barrenness or the inability to have
children was considered a disgrace
Concubinage was tolerated as a
means to find a substitute for the
barren wife
Levirate law, which obligated man
to marry the wife of his dead
brother in order to raise a son or to
carry the deceased name and right
to family inheritance.

Hosea was the first to see the

relationship of husband and wife
as a covenant, comparing
marriage with the covenant
between God and Israel.
Procreation assured the
continuity of the Jewish
community, fulfilling the
covenant for the people of God.

2 tensions
Patriarchal-genealogcal
emphasis- where family line won
over love
Prophetic-messianic emphasiswhere the wonder of love was
above the obligation of serving
the species.

Despite the tendency to value

relationship, which demanded
monogamy, Pregnancy and
childbearing is seen, above all, as
the source of dignity of the
conjugal union.
CHILDREN- considered the most
important goods of marriageassuring the continuity of the
Jewish community.