Cyril of Alexandria said marriages dissolve?

[Kaste]

Some Orthodox point to St. Cyril of Alexandria to defend their concept that marriages can be disolved. A Bishop under the Patriarch of Constantinople quoted Cyril near the end to make his point:

“A question we can ask ourselves is whether Christ considered marriage as being indissoluble? We need to be very clear in this as when Christ teaches that marriage may not be dissolved that does not mean that He is stating that it cannot occur. The completeness of the marriage relationship can be tainted by erroneous behaviour. In other words, it is the offence that breaks the bond. The divorce is ultimately a result of this break. This is also the teaching of the Eastern Church fathers. A quotation from the testimony of Cyril of Alexandria will be sufficient to make our point here: **“It is not the letters of divorce that dissolve the marriage in relation God but the errant behaviour”.**21]”

orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/athenagoras_remarriage.htm

I have been unable to verify his footnote. Has anyone else come across this quote attributed to Cyril? Any comments on its veracity, context and source are appreciated.

Thank you,
K

 

[Bookcat]

Some Orthodox point to St. Cyril of Alexandria to defend their concept that marriages can be disolved. A Bishop under the Patriarch of Constantinople quoted Cyril near the end to make his point:

“A question we can ask ourselves is whether Christ considered marriage as being indissoluble? We need to be very clear in this as when Christ teaches that marriage may not be dissolved that does not mean that He is stating that it cannot occur. The completeness of the marriage relationship can be tainted by erroneous behaviour. In other words, it is the offence that breaks the bond. The divorce is ultimately a result of this break. This is also the teaching of the Eastern Church fathers. A quotation from the testimony of Cyril of Alexandria will be sufficient to make our point here: **“It is not the letters of divorce that dissolve the marriage in relation God but the errant behaviour”.**21]”

orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/athenagoras_remarriage.htm

I have been unable to verify his footnote. Has anyone else come across this quote attributed to Cyril? Any comments on its veracity, context and source are appreciated.

Thank you,
K

I have not run across such a quote. And even if the great Father said such…one would need to look at the context…it may mean (and it seems the Bishop here is saying something like this too perhaps) that the error …the great sin…“breaks a marriage” in the way that one sees on a practical level (the disunity that possibly comes from the great sins) …in other words the civil and “practical family effect” and “sinful effect before God” of the damaged bond…comes from the sin…not some civil piece of paper…

(not that the Marriage is actually undone…)

and of course even a Father of the Church could make a mistake from time to time… you can search CA for the various quotes from the Fathers on Marriage…oh and contact Jimmy Akin…he just wrote a whole book on the Fathers…

Of course…repentance…healing can happen…to restore and renew things…

 

[Todd_Easton]

The footnote “P.G. 72, 380 D” refers to J.P. Migne’s Patrologia Graeca or Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca, Volume 72, page 380, section D, and refers to St. Cyril’s Commentary on Matthew, specifically Matthew 5:31. It appears at Google Books in Latin (below) and Greek, here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=1W...UCGZWRc_7OIhcxmkoA&ci=121,1172,393,158&edge=0
I don’t know enough Latin or Greek to figure out the context but his comments seem to refer to divorce under the Mosaic Law as only Matthew 5:31 is quoted.

 

[thistle]

Some Orthodox point to St. Cyril of Alexandria to defend their concept that marriages can be disolved. A Bishop under the Patriarch of Constantinople quoted Cyril near the end to make his point:

“A question we can ask ourselves is whether Christ considered marriage as being indissoluble? We need to be very clear in this as when Christ teaches that marriage may not be dissolved that does not mean that He is stating that it cannot occur. The completeness of the marriage relationship can be tainted by erroneous behaviour. In other words, it is the offence that breaks the bond. The divorce is ultimately a result of this break. This is also the teaching of the Eastern Church fathers. A quotation from the testimony of Cyril of Alexandria will be sufficient to make our point here: **“It is not the letters of divorce that dissolve the marriage in relation God but the errant behaviour”.**21]”

orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/athenagoras_remarriage.htm

I have been unable to verify his footnote. Has anyone else come across this quote attributed to Cyril? Any comments on its veracity, context and source are appreciated.

Thank you,
K

A marriage of two baptised people that is consummated cannot be dissolved.
A marriage where one or both are not baptised, or a marriage that is not consummated after the wedding ceremony can be dissolved.

 

[Kaste]

Perhaps that may have been the intent, Bookcat.

Todd, outstanding work! Thank you for finding that.

Is there anyone apt enough in Latin to cross check the short paragraph Todd linked to: “Sapientem…ratio” with the Orthodox Bishop’s translation in my original post?

-K