What I Am Reading: The Greek Orthodox View of Marriage ©

John Meyendorff, Marriage: An Orthodox Perspective, 3rd revised edition.  Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1984, 131 pp.

In my ongoing study of the LDS and ancient temples, their theology, rituals, and practices, around Christmas I finished John Meyendorff’s small volume on Eastern Orthodox marriage. It is a brief but interesting history of marriage in this ancient religion. The Orthodox adhere to the canons of the first Ecumenical Councils and the teachings of some of the early church Fathers. However, despite his reputation in Western Catholicism, they have some differences with the theological giant Augustine on the subject. Marriage did not become a “sacrament” or rite in the Greek Orthodox Church until the 10th Century C.E. (See  p. 26) Like all of Christianity, church and civil marriage rites had a great deal of mutual influence on each other, especially in eastern orthodoxy. As always in the early churches, politics and political leaders played an important role and exerted considerable influence upon marriage law, custom, and practice. Orthodoxy tries to hold true on the New Testament prohibitions of divorce and Church tradition of celibate clergy.  On the former they have gradually come to permit some divorce and remarriage. An interesting Orthodox doctrine is the idea of eternal marriage which is transformed into Christlike love.

Let's think together again, soon.