How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments
How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments
Among the contributions of the medieval church to western culture was the idea that marriage was one of the seven sacraments, which defined the role of married folk in the church. Although it had ancient roots, this new way of regarding marriage raised many problems, to which scholastic theologians applied all their ingenuity. By the late Middle Ages, the doctrine was fully established in Christian thought and practice but not yet as dogma. In the sixteenth century, with the entire Catholic teaching on marriage and celibacy and its associated law and jurisdiction under attack by the Protestant reformers, the Council of Trent defined the doctrine as a dogma of faith for the first time but made major changes to it. Rather than focusing on a particular aspect of intellectual and institutional developments, this book examines them in depth and in detail from their ancient precedents to the Council of Trent.
- Provides a comprehensive, up-to-date and critical analysis
- Copiously documented with primary and secondary references for further study
- Non-confessional and open to readers of all persuasions, in a field dominated by confessional and often defensive Catholic studies
Reviews & endorsements
'For theologians interested in the history of sacramental theology, this monograph is a [must-read] … Philip L. Reynolds is an historical theologian and here he gives a masterly and accessible demonstration of what the hisÂtorical theologian does and why he does it … One of the great, perhaps unintended, benefits of [Reynolds'] monograph is that it contributes vast theological data and analysis to demonstrate yet one more time doctrinal development in the Catholic Church … this is a carefully researched and meticulously detailed history of the theology of the sacrament of marriage.' Michael G. Lawler, Marriage, Families and Spirituality
'No medievalist can afford to ignore this book, which is a truly magisterial achievement, worthy of the highest praise.' Alastair Minnis, Medium Ævum
Product details
June 2016Hardback
9781107146150
1076 pages
236 × 158 × 77 mm
1.7kg
2 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Marriage as a sacrament
- Part I. Augustine:
- 2. Marriage in Augustine's writings
- 3. Bonum prolis, bonum fidei: the utility of marriage
- 4. Bonum sacramenti: the sanctity and insolubility of marriage
- Part II. Getting Married: Consent, Betrothal, and Consummation:
- 5. Betrothal and consent
- 6. Consummation
- 7. From competing theories to common doctrine in the twelfth century
- Part III. The Twelfth Century: Origins and Early Development of the Sacramental Theology of Marriage:
- 8. Introduction to the sentential literature on marriage
- 9. The theology of marriage in the Sententiae
- 10. Hugh of Saint-Victor
- 11. The early doctrine of marriage as one of the sacraments
- Part IV. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries: Development of the Classical Doctrine:
- 12. Marriage as union
- 13. Scholastic sexual ethics
- 14. Marriage as a sacrament
- 15. The question of grace
- 16. Human contract and divine sacrament
- Part V. The Council of Trent:
- 17. On the eve of the General Council
- 18. The Sacrament of marriage at Bologna and Trent
- 19. Clandestine marriage: Bologna, 1547
- 20. Clandestine marriage: Trent, 1563.
