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፠ GUIDELINES FOR AN ORTHODOX MARRIAGE ፠
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(St John Chrysostom’s commentaries on man-woman relations, marriage and
conjugal abuse)
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The analysis in this essay was premised on a careful reading of Chrysostom’s
commentaries referring to man-woman relations, especially in the context of
marriage and conjugal abuse. The author read in full over twenty homilies in the
original Greek of which seven were cited in this work.
[1]
The identification of which homilies to scrutinise was premised on: a)
biblical verses that referred to man-woman relations and marriage which usually
pertained to the epistles of St Paul, and b) on pertinent references made by
previous works on Chrysostom written in either English or modern Greek. While
the study cannot be considered comprehensive, an attempt was made to summarise
what would be considered essential understandings in the Orthodox tradition
pertinent to the themes examined here.
As a principle, the original Greek passages or terminologies that were selected
for citation were included in footnotes. This was deliberate and emanates from
the overall argument of this paper that religious traditions ought to be
approached within their proper epistemological frameworks, of which the
indigenous language makes an essential component. In general, the English
translations that were consulted in preparation of this paper did not make
transparent always their logic/method for translating Chrysostom. Translation,
however, should be considered a crucial stage due to the malleability of the
Greek language and the ways in which the Church Fathers tended to redefine terms
that were previously widely in usage.[2] Due to limited
space, it was not possible to provide such an exercise here. References are made
to available works where the reader can find an English translation. However,
the author’s altered/adapted renderings in English of all the passages cited in
the text and in the footnotes are readily available upon request.[3]
An important terminological comment that needs to be made regards the
translation of the term ‘γάμος’ which
has been rendered in most existing works uniformly as ‘marriage.’ It was felt
that giving this translation in all instances that Chrysostom used the word
would risk obscuring the expansion in the meaning of
‘γάμος’
when it was employed to refer to the post-fall condition (after the disobedience
of the first couple and the expulsion from heaven). In commentaries referring to
the non-existent relations of man and woman in the heavenly state, Chrysostom
clearly used the word ‘γάμος’ to refer
to the lack of carnal attraction and sexual union.[4]
Following the fall from heaven, however, this primal carnal attraction acquired
the understanding of marriage as sacramental and spiritual bond which was
intended for the salvation of the fallen humanity. Under Chrysostomean logic,
God apprehended the fall and had providentially created the close bond between
man and woman (with woman originating from man) that would provide the
substructure for marriage to serve the ends of salvation in the post-fall
condition. It follows from this that whichever spousal dynamics Chrysostom
considered ideal for marriage, he strictly referred to the post-fall married
state and this differed from man-woman relations in the heavenly state and the
state of virginity.
[1]
These were accessed through the Index of Migne’s Patrologia Graeca made
available online by the initiative of the Aegean University, Department of
Cultural Technology and Communication.
[2]
Panayiotis Nellas, Deification in Christ:
Orthodox Perspective on the Nature of the Human Person (New York: St
Vladimir’s Press, 1987), 16.
[3]
It should be observed that some of the English renderings cited in the text were
reproduced from existing translations by English-speaking scholars; however,
minor or major changes were made to approximate better the nuances of the
original according to the discernment of the author. Italics were used to
signify the changes proposed.
[4]
This reflects in the very etymology of the noun ‘γάμος’
which derives from the verb ‘to sleep with’ (‘γαμέω/γαμώ’).
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