Christian Marriage: A Historical Study

by Glenn W. Olsen

A thoughtful and highly enjoyable collection of essays exploring the historical development of Christian marriage from a Catholic perspective. This new volume includes Francis "Marriage in the Biblical The Old Testament and Intertestamental Period" and "Marriage in the Biblical The New Testament;" Glenn "The Good of Marriage in the Age of Augustine" and "Marriage in the Barbarian Kingdom and the Christian Court (Fifth through Eleventh Centuries);" Teresa "Marriage Body and Sacrament in the Age of Hugh of St. Victor (Twelfth through Fifteenth Centuries);" Robert V. "Marriage and The Reformation;" James "The Emergence of the Modern Family;" and John "Marriage in the Twentieth Century."

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2001

About the author

Glenn W. Olsen a Professor of History at the University of Utah, with a Ph.D. in the history of the Middle Ages. He has contributed numerous articles to many historical journals, including Communio and Logos

Reviews

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am quite enjoying this book. It has an excellent discussion of the historical contexts of the evolving idea of marriage from Judaism to modern day. It is a series of essays beginning with creation where it looks at equal dignity of the married spouses, but also goes in depth to talk about the authority of Adam in 'marriage'. This theme and the evolution of marriage to a state of 'mutual self-submission' as opposed to one of stark submission in the apostolic times is very enlightening, for the burden of the christian peacefulness of it is put on him. I'm upto the Augustinian defense of marriage in the face of heretics and its a very fun book for exegetes. However, It does question several long-standing historical teachings: such as the preference for celibacy in the Christian ideal. However it clarifies many valuable things, such as the idea that marriage submission is NOT transferrable to any man or woman, what I have always understood to be the uncodified church standing on women and politics, which few scholars talk about simply because there is practically no church mentions of it..... Such fun!