On Not Marrying Again
De non iterando coniugio · Πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν περὶ μονανδρίας
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Contents
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- 1Chrysostom asks why widows who once lamented marriage seek it again, names forgetfulness, vanity and incontinence as causes, and states that he does not condemn second marriage, which Paul allows “only in the Lord,” but holds one marriage to be much better.
- 2Chrysostom argues that a second marriage falls short of a single marriage because marriage consists in a wife's being content with one husband, describes the divided affections and household grief it brings, and notes that second weddings were held without festivities.
- 3Chrysostom explains that Paul's “refuse younger widows” and “I want younger widows to marry” (1 Tim 5:11, 14) forbid not widowhood but its profession by those who would later marry, and that Paul allowed second marriage as a concession to prevent worse evils.
- 4Chrysostom answers the objection that a widow cannot manage her husband's affairs by arguing that God gave women the management of the household, and that a widow who remarries draws more reproach than one who disciplines her servants.
- 5Chrysostom concludes that second marriage, though not punishable, is not praiseworthy, sets out the troubles it brings to a widow and her children, answers the case of a woman widowed young, and urges widows to remain free for Christ.