Were all the apostles married?

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I am saying that celibacy should be an option as we see from Holy Scripture. Jesus was celibate, but the man he chose to be first Pope was married. So it makes no sense to restrict married men from becoming priests, bishops or Pope. If someone wants to be celibate, that’s OK also.
So the Orthodox are wrong also right? And surely if a Church has the power to bind and loose, then it is not unscriptural to bind the priesthood to celibacy. Jesus said “whatever”, giving the Church the option of what to bind.
 
But the man He chose to be the first Pope was married.
Emphasis on “was.” You can’t even make the claim that he was married at the time he was chosen/chose to follow Jesus. All indications are that he was, at one point, married because his mother-in-law was mentioned. Never was his wife mentioned, however, meaning that he was likely widowed before becoming an Apostle.

Do you have any evidence that he was still married after meeting with Jesus?

I mean, aside from the comment by Paul which isn’t definitive either way.
 
Was he still married or was he widowed? Scripture only mentions a mother-in-law not a wife.
Luke 4:38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s[a] house. Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick. She had a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her. 39 He stood very close to her and ordered the sickness to go away. The sickness left her, and she got up and began serving them.

This is not to be understated. It would be contrary in Jewish custom for the mother-in-law to serve guests in the son-in-law’s home. That is the duty of the wife, whom evidently, is not there. This is a strong inference that Peter was widowed.

Jesus and Paul recommend celibacy for full time servants of the Church. Just because the discipline wasn’t formalized centuries later does not mean there were no celibates in the early church.

*In the patristic era, clerical celibacy, strictly speaking meant the inability to enter marriage once a higher Order had been received. The first legislative expression of this is found in the eastern councils of Ancyra (314), c. 10, and Neocaesarea (ca. 314-325), c. 1, for deacons and priests respectively. An Armenian collection of canons, probably from 365, includes this prohibition of marriage2 and it is clearly expressed in the Apostolic Constitutions and Apostolic Canons of the late fourth century.3 Canon 14 of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451) likewise endorses this discipline (albeit indirectly), and it is found in other documents of the fifth and subsequent centuries which consider the practice to be an ancient and timeless tradition.4 *
Priestly celibacy in patristics and in the history of the Church
 
Emphasis on “was.” You can’t even make the claim that he was married at the time he was chosen/chose to follow Jesus. All indications are that he was, at one point, married because his mother-in-law was mentioned. Never was his wife mentioned, however, meaning that he was likely widowed before becoming an Apostle.

Do you have any evidence that he was still married after meeting with Jesus?

I mean, aside from the comment by Paul which isn’t definitive either way.
1 Corinthians 9:5: “Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas?”
 
1 Corinthians 9:5: “Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas?”
Yes, that was the comment by Paul which isn’t definitive. Half this thread has disputed what it actually meant.

In addition, the last post by epostle provides another resason to question your reading of it since it is doubtful Cephas found a second wife by the time Paul came on the scene.
 
If I say Roman Catholic I am saying Roman Catholic out of respect for the Chair of St. Peter and all that is bound and loosed in Heaven via the Roman Catholic Church.
And it excludes all the other churches and rites which are Catholic too.
On the signs of all Catholic Churches, reads: Roman Catholic Church.
Absolutely incorrect. Not ALL Catholic Churches.

http://www.saintanthonyschurch.org/images/st_anthony_front.jpg
So I am a Roman Catholic as I am a Catholic as I am a Christian!
Perhaps you are a Roman Catholic. But not all Catholic are Roman Catholic.

And that’s why this apostolate is not Roman Catholic Answers. Nor is the address of this forum
forum.romancatholic.com
And my discernment tells me when need or need not refer to the Roman aspect of the title.
You will be incorrect if you use it to mean the Universal Catholic Church.

If you mean one rite of the Universal Catholic Church, then you will be correct.
 
Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, III) (c. 202), said St. Peter was married, had children and witnessed his wife’s martyrdom in Rome. Please see: Eusebius: The History of the Church.
 
But the man He chose to be the first Pope was married.
He may have been a widower. You don’t know.

And if we’re going by weird criteria for which to choose popes based on Peter, why not say that all popes need to have 2 syllable names? Pope Zephyrinus should not have been ordained?

Or popes should be fisherman. Literal fishermen.

Or popes should be Jewish.

Or popes should have to deny Christ 3 times…

Or…🤷
 
Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, III) (c. 202), said St. Peter was married, had children and witnessed his wife’s martyrdom in Rome. Please see: Eusebius: The History of the Church.
Sure. He was married. At one time. He had a motherinlaw, after all.

But whether he was married when he was a pope…who knows?

Do you have an online source for Eusebius’ quote of Peter being married, having children and witnessing his wife’s martyrdom? I’ve not heard this before, and it seems that it would have been an argument presented quite often by Protestants.

I think you may be duped into believing something because, “Hey, I read it on the internet, so it must be true, eh?”
 
Sure. He was married. At one time. He had a motherinlaw, after all.

But whether he was married when he was a pope…who knows?

Do you have an online source for Eusebius’ quote of Peter being married, having children and witnessing his wife’s martyrdom? I’ve not heard this before, and it seems that it would have been an argument presented quite often by Protestants.

I think you may be duped into believing something because, “Hey, I read it on the internet, so it must be true, eh?”
Peter was married after he was chosen by Jesus because his wife was martyred for her faith.
Please see:
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA (THE STROMATA, 7:11)
and
EUSEBIUS (the history of the Church 3:30)
where the martyrdom of Peter’s wife is discussed.
 
Peter was married after he was chosen by Jesus because his wife was martyred for her faith.
Ok.

That doesn’t mean that he was married when he was pope.

Nor does it mean that if he were married (still dubious), that all the other popes had to be.
Please see:
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA (THE STROMATA, 7:11)
and
EUSEBIUS (the history of the Church 3:30)
where the martyrdom of Peter’s wife is discussed.
Do you have this book in your book collection? Are you reading it now as we discuss this, or are you simply asserting something that you read on the internet?

I’m pretty sure this is something someone just made up…otherwise there would have been a whole bunch o’ Protestant apologists bringing this up ever so many times.

And yet I’ve not heard any Protestant ever assert this.

So, if you have the book in your collection, how 'bout if you post it here so we can all see for ourselves?
 
Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, III) (c. 202), said St. Peter was married, had children and witnessed his wife’s martyrdom in Rome. Please see: Eusebius: The History of the Church.
The Stromata, Book III is available in Latin in a number of places, including New Advent. There is an english version at Early Christian Writings, though not authoritative.

earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-stromata-book3-english.html

Book III does not mention Peter witnessing his wife’s martyrdom in Rome. However, it does state that Peter and Philip had children. Those still could have been from before Peter’s discipleship, though. The relevant section is here (52 and 53.)
Or do they also scorn the apostles? Peter and Philip had children, and Philip gave his daughters in marriage.
  1. Even Paul did not hesitate in one letter to address his consort. The only reason why he did not take her about with him was that it would have been an inconvenience for his ministry. Accordingly he says in a letter: “Have we not a right to take about with us a wife that is a sister like the other apostles?” But the latter, in accordance with their particular ministry, devoted themselves to preaching without any distraction, and took their wives with them not as women with whom they had marriage relations, but as sisters, that they might be their fellow-ministers in dealing with housewives. I t was through them that the Lord’s teaching penetrated also the women’s quarters without any scandal being aroused. We also know the directions about women deacons which are given by the noble Paul in his second letter to Timothy. Furthermore, the selfsame man cried aloud that “the kingdom of God does not consist in food and drink,” not indeed in abstinence from wine and meat, “but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Which of them goes about like Elijah clad in a sheepskin and a leather girdle? Which of them goes about like Isaiah, naked except for a piece of sacking and without shoes? Or clothed merely in a linen loincloth like Jeremiah? Which of them will imitate John’s gnostic way of life? The blessed prophets also lived in this manner and were thankful to the Creator .
With regard to Paul’s “consort,” it appears that its use by Clement was not in the manner we would use it today because he says the apostles took their “wives” not “as women with whom they had marriage relations, but as sisters, that they might be their fellow-ministers in dealing with housewives.”

This is the same passage from Corinthians where Paul is not stating he actually has a “consort,” but merely answering critics of those who do have “sister-wives” with them. Basically, Paul is saying he could exercise a right like the other apostles but chooses not to. I think Clement could be misreading since Paul doesn’t actually say he has a “consort,” but merely that he could travel with one in the same sense that the other apostles do. I think we would be reading into the text our meaning of “consort” if we take such liberties with it.

This doesn’t really settle anything because the translation is not an authoritative one nor does it attempt to reconcile the use of the English word “wives” in the translation with the fact that Clement only mentions Peter and Philip out of all the apostles as having children. Surely, in Judaism at the time being “married” would have brought about children - many children. Why only mention the two apostles as having children when normal conjugal marriage would have undoubtedly resulted in a number of children for each apostle had they actually been married at the time.
 
According to this article by Father John Shuster: 39 Popes Were Married.
johnshuster.com/thirtynine_popes.htm
Yes, a “married” Catholic priest who is pushing for a married priesthood and performs “marriages” that are not recognized by the Catholic Church. Clearly a dissident former priest who now “practices” his trade with no authority from the Church.

You ought to check your sources Tom.
As an ordained Roman Catholic priest, the wedding ceremonies I witness are officially recognized by the State of Washington. **Since I am a married priest, the weddings are not currently recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. ** Many couples who have been disqualified by the local parish priest from having a Roman Catholic Church wedding, or those wanting an outdoor wedding celebration, find that they can have a pleasant spiritual ceremony tailored to their needs and desires with their local married priests.
johnshuster.com/frjohn/father_john_shuster.htm
 
Yes, a “married” Catholic priest who is pushing for a married priesthood and performs “marriages” that are not recognized by the Catholic Church. Clearly a dissident former priest who now “practices” his trade with no authority from the Church.

You ought to check your sources Tom.
As an ordained Roman Catholic priest, the wedding ceremonies I witness are officially recognized by the State of Washington. Since I am a married priest, the weddings are not currently recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Many couples who have been disqualified by the local parish priest from having a Roman Catholic Church wedding, or those wanting an outdoor wedding celebration, find that they can have a pleasant spiritual ceremony tailored to their needs and desires with their local married priests.
johnshuster.com/frjohn/father_john_shuster.htm
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
The Stromata, Book III is available in Latin in a number of places, including New Advent. There is an english version at Early Christian Writings, though not authoritative.

earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-stromata-book3-english.html

Book III does not mention Peter witnessing his wife’s martyrdom in Rome. However, it does state that Peter and Philip had children. Those still could have been from before Peter’s discipleship, though. The relevant section is here (52 and 53.)

With regard to Paul’s “consort,” it appears that its use by Clement was not in the manner we would use it today because he says the apostles took their “wives” not “as women with whom they had marriage relations, but as sisters, that they might be their fellow-ministers in dealing with housewives.”

This is the same passage from Corinthians where Paul is not stating he actually has a “consort,” but merely answering critics of those who do have “sister-wives” with them. Basically, Paul is saying he could exercise a right like the other apostles but chooses not to. I think Clement could be misreading since Paul doesn’t actually say he has a “consort,” but merely that he could travel with one in the same sense that the other apostles do. I think we would be reading into the text our meaning of “consort” if we take such liberties with it.

This doesn’t really settle anything because the translation is not an authoritative one nor does it attempt to reconcile the use of the English word “wives” in the translation with the fact that Clement only mentions Peter and Philip out of all the apostles as having children. Surely, in Judaism at the time being “married” would have brought about children - many children. Why only mention the two apostles as having children when normal conjugal marriage would have undoubtedly resulted in a number of children for each apostle had they actually been married at the time.
Yeah.

'nuff said.
 
Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, III) (c. 202), said St. Peter was married, had children and witnessed his wife’s martyrdom in Rome. Please see: Eusebius: The History of the Church.
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA (died ca. 215) believed that Paul was married and took his wife with him during his apostolic ministry. But he believes that Paul must have lived with her as brother and sister, without marital intercourse. Clement says this because he also believed that the other apostles, if they were married, did not have conjugal intercourse with their wives. If the apostles did take a woman with them during their ministry, he states, "women were not treated as wives but as sisters, to serve as interpreters with women whose duties kept them within their homes, and in order that, through these intermediaries, the doctrine of the Lord could penetrate the women’s quarters without the apostles being blamed or unjustly suspected by people of ill will" (GAS 52, 220; Cochini, 80)
AMBROSIASTER (ca. 366-84) reminds us that Christ did not desist from choosing Peter as chief of the apostles just because Peter had a wife and children; in the same manner the Church chooses married men today as priests. But, Ambrosiaster adds, the apostles lived in perfect continence with their wives; following this precedent, he continues, priests today do not have intercourse with their wives (CSEL 50, 414-16; Cochini 82).
ST. AMBROSE (333-397), one of the four “great” doctors of the Church,** urged his priests to persevere in perfect chastity: “You who have received the grace of the sacred ministry in an integral body and with an incorruptible purity and who are alien to the conjugal community itself know that the ministry must be immune from offense and stain and must not be subjected to any injuries from possible conjugal relations**. …Learn, O priest, O deacon … to present your pure body to the celebration of the mysteries” (PL 16, 104b-5a; Cochini 236).
ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM (died ca. 435) wrote to Deacon Isidore explaining 1 Cor 9:5: If women accompanied the apostles, “it was not in order to procreate children or to lead with them a common life but, in truth, to assist them with their goods, to take care of feeding the heralds of poverty.” If Paul called them sister-women, it is “because by the word ‘sister’ he wanted to show that they were chaste, while describing their nature with the word ‘women’” (PG 78, 865d-68c; Cochini 81). Note here his interpretation of the “sister-woman” passage of 1 Cor 9:5; Paul, says Isidore, used the term to indicate a brother-sister relationship.
I pause here to observe that some contemporary translators use the word wife in this passage. The New Catholic Study Bible, for example, reads like this: “Don’t I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips?” **That translation is misleading. Scripture professionals of the early Church beg to differ. Clement of Alexandria (died ca. 215), Tertullian (died ca. 220), Jerome (died ca.420), Isidore of Pelusium (died ca. 435) and others, all state that Paul refers here to a brother-sister relationship?B] (see Cochini 81 ff.).
May I add that if we look at the passage in context, Paul argues here not about conjugal life, but about a right to receive support for his living from the community, by reason of his apostolic work; support which would include meals and other services. He forgoes that right voluntarily, he says, out of a feeling that he wishes to be a burden to no one. The context is not at all about conjugal relations, but about services provided by a “sister-woman,” or if you will, a “sister-wife” (adelphaen gynaika). Today we would call her a housekeeper. A correct translation reveals that Paul refers here to sister-companions or sister-wives of the apostles: if the actual wives of the apostles went with them, they went as sister-women, not as conjugal partners**.
 
Peter was married after he was chosen by Jesus because his wife was martyred for her faith.
Please see:
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA (THE STROMATA, 7:11)
and
EUSEBIUS (the history of the Church 3:30)
where the martyrdom of Peter’s wife is discussed.
I found your citations. Eusebius is quoting Clement it is hard to see that he is reliable as he also states that Paul was married. Paul states very clearly that he was not married. It cast a doubt that Clement is accurate
Church History (Book III)

In looking up Clement, I did not find the quote the Eusebius attributes to him but interestingly I did find this
53. Even Paul did not hesitate in one letter to address his consort. The only reason why he did not take her about with him was that it would have been an inconvenience for his ministry. Accordingly he says in a letter: “Have we not a right to take about with us a wife that is a sister like the other apostles?” But the latter, in accordance with their particular ministry, devoted themselves to preaching without any distraction, and took their wives with them not as women with whom they had marriage relations, but as sisters, that they might be their fellow-ministers in dealing with housewives. I t was through them that the Lord’s teaching penetrated also the women’s quarters without any scandal being aroused. We also know the directions about women deacons which are given by the noble Paul in his second letter to Timothy. Furthermore, the selfsame man cried aloud that “the kingdom of God does not consist in food and drink,” not indeed in abstinence from wine and meat, “but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Which of them goes about like Elijah clad in a sheepskin and a leather girdle? Which of them goes about like Isaiah, naked except for a piece of sacking and without shoes? Or clothed merely in a linen loincloth like Jeremiah? Which of them will imitate John’s gnostic way of life? The blessed prophets also lived in this manner and were thankful to the Creator

What to make of this?
 
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