Page:Christian Marriage.djvu/88

 passage in the Pauline writings must be harmonised with this crowning exposition.

IV.—The seventh chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians contains the apostle's rulings on certain practical matters of difficulty which had been referred to his decision. Of these the most urgent and permanently important was the question of divorce. There are two distinct cases. First, when both husband and wife are Christians: next, when one or other of the parties is an unbeliever. In the former case St. Paul adduces the commandment of Christ prohibiting divorce. In the latter case he makes the validity of the marriage turn on the willingness of the heathen partner to maintain it.

In the event of desertion in consequence of Christianity, he allows divorce and, since no other kind of divorce was known to the ancient, re-marriage. We must suppose the apostle to have in mind the facile and frequent divorces of Greek and Roman life, and the extreme repugnance which in some cases the fact of