Шлюб і безшлюбність за вченням апостола Павла

Анотація

Стаття присвячена аналізу вчення ап. Павла про шлюб і безшлюбність (1 послання до коринфян, 7 глава і послання до ефесян, 5 глава). У посланні до коринфян Апостол надає перевагу дівству, намагаючись протидіяти радикальному коринфському аскетизму, а в посланні до ефесян розкриває догматичну сторону вчення про шлюб як таємницю, що є образом стосунків Христа і Церкви. Таким чином, аналізуючи ці два послання, прослідковано, чи можливо нині побудувати такі сімейні стосунки, котрі б відповідали біблійним нормам, про які говорить ап. Павло.

Today we are witnessing signs of transformation of the family: reducing the number of marriages, the desire of young people to «live together» without a wedding to test feelings. Therefore, the role of the family in the upbringing of the person on the Christian basis is lost. These questions are relevant now, but we can find the answer to them in the epistles of the Apostle of peoples - St. Paul. In the article the writings of the holy Fathers of the Church and later researchers of the Paul’s Collections of works, as well as the work of the authors, which analyze the life and the way of life of the first Christians, are taken into consideration. After all, in order to understand in full the advice of the Apostle Paul in relation to the topic we are studying, we need to have information about the social and domestic interests of Christians of the analyzed period. You also need to have an idea of the attitude to marriage of the Jews, and the peoples surrounding Palestine - this will make it possible to understand what influenced the emergence of problems regarding matrimony in the apostolic period. The Apostle Paul not only wrote the teachings to the Christians of Corinth and Ephesus, but wanted to resolve the problems that had taken place among Christians. Therefore, we observe how in the first epistle to the Corinthians we are talking about the superiority of virginity over marriage as an attempt to counter radical Corinthian asceticism. The Christians of the Roman Empire lived in the midst of people who were not followers of Christ, so Paul’s instructions in the first epistle to the Corinthians allowed them to solve the problems of those people who became spouses before conversion to Christianity - this issue, as well as its solution, is no less relevant today. In Scripture and in St.Paul’s letters, in particular, we see the concept of marriage as an absolute value. Divorce is not allowed. The only exception is the case of adultery. Someone from the marriage may leave the betrayer, but no longer marry. Ideally, a man has to live a lifetime with one wife and his wife has to live a life with one man. The excerpt from the epistle to the Ephesians, which is analysed, when it comes to marriage (by the way, it is read as an apostolic conception during the fulfillment of the sacrament of marriage), reveals us married life on the other hand. It is considered not from practical positions, but in the context of the mystical significance of marriage and it is raised at such a mysterious height, which may not even be fully comprehended by a person. In this message the unity of Christ and the Church becomes the image of the marriage union of a man and a woman. The apostle commands a man to love his wife as Christ loved the Church and calls it a great mystery. What does it mean to love as Christ loved the Church - this is well known to us from the Holy Gospel: to love so that you are ready to give your life for your family. As we see, the Apostle does not give any practical advice in this message regarding family life. However, we observe one clear formal rule – St.Paul emphasizes that after a marriage, the body of a man no longer belongs to him, as the body of his wife does not belong to her - they become one body in God. So, having analyzed the message of apostle Paul to the Corinthians and to the Ephesians, the article states that in our time it is possible to build such family relationships that correspond to the norms about which the Apostle says. For this, it’s worth remembering that a family is a small Church in which Christians learn to tolerate, love sacrificially, trust and hope. It is this institution that should become the focus of the upbringing of a new generation of Christians and the spiritual growth of the marriage couple through voluntary selfsacrifice in love.