IVomen Under Early Christian Law.
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cause they celebrated their mysteries with readily imagine what was thought of a sec ond marriage; even though Paul allowed bread and cheese. Women being- what the Fathers said, it and advised it for certain young widows. were " well for a man not to touch a woman." The Apostolical Constitutions permitted Saint Paul held celibacy to be better than; second marriages, reproved third marriages marriage, yet in compassion for the weakness and forbade fourth marriages. Origen said of human nature he allowed the latter. But that second, third and fourth marriages the Fathers pushed the matter further. Ori- exclude from the kingdom of heaven,— by gen thought marriage profane and impure : that he meant the Church. He allowed that Tertullian said that celibacy must be chosen, the thrice married are in a state of salvation, even if mankind should perish; in Saint but — he added — they will not receive a Augustine's heaven the unmarried shine like crown at their Master's hands. Justin beaming stars, the wedded as bedimmed Martyr says : " All who by human laws are ones. If Adam had been obedient (these thrice married are in the eye of our Master good men thought), he would have lived a sinners." Tertullian remarked : " We ac virgin forever and paradise might have been knowledge one marriage, as we do one God." Athenagoras wrote : " A second marriage is peopled with a race of innocent and immor tal beings by some "budding" process, akin only a species of adultery. For he who de to that known in the vegetable world. As prives himself of his first wife, even though the one old thousand patriarch cubits was, high, according theretowas the ample Jews, | she be dead, is a cloaked adulterer." Minucius Felix said : " We abide by the bond of a single marriage. Let him who material to start with. But we wander. Many of the early sects as well strongly marries again do penance for a year. One condemned matrimony, forbidding men to marrying according to the law is righteous, beget children, saying that woman was the but second marriage after the promise made work of the devil and therefore they that at the first is discreditable; not on account married fulfilled the works of the devil, and of the marriage itself, but because of the that no one that lived in wedlock could hope falsehood. To take a second wife is, accord to a thing see God. belonging Othersonly heldtothat themarriage Old Testa was | ing to Apostolic precept, allowed, but in the nature of things it is fornication. But since ment and that it was abrogated by the com it is done by God's permission and allowance, ing of Christ. But the council of Gangra it is honest fornication." (Reichel, Complete came to the rescue of this holy estate and Manual of Canon Law, vol. I, p. 342, n. 71.) thundered : " If any one condemns marriage, However, the general sentiment of the early or blames or abhors a woman, who is other Church was in favor of the legality, but wise faithful and pious, for sleeping with her against the propriety, of second marriages. Theodore of Canterbury orders that on a husband as if on that account she could not enter into the kingdom of God; let him be first marriage the couple should refrain from church for thirty days (is this the origin of anathema. If any woman forsake her hus the honeymoon?) and then do penance for band minding to turn recluse out of an ab horrence of matrimony; let her be anathema." forty days before communicating; but on a The Apostolical canons speak to the same second marriage they had to do penance for a year, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and ab effect. If the Church preferred celibacy we can stain from meat for three Lents. In some
