Marriage in the Old Testament. here we deal with the practice and understanding of marriage in the life of the Israelites beginning with Abraham.

 Types of marriage .  The marriage practice of the Israelites was very much influenced by by the neighboring peoples. There are four types of marriages in ancient Israel:  Polygamy (David and Solomon) which seems to have been the privilege of the rich, bigamy (Ieah and Rachel for Jacob), concubinage (Abraham, Sara and Hagar), which involved a legalwife and a concubine, and monogamy which received more insistence manly in the post exilic period.

Marriage celebration. Marriage wasa family affair which required actually no public or religious ceremonies . It became effective by the mere act of bringing the bride into the house of the bridegroom. Though as an institution it was never in the hands of the priests, it was still celebrated with some religious elements for it was considered to be sacred.

Theology of Marriage

 From the account of the creation it is clear that the sense  of complementarity and equity is the way that God intended the relationship between man and woman to be from the  beginning (Gen. 1,27). But the story of the fall clearly shows that the inequality of the sexes in the life of the Israelites was a punishment that resulted from the fall and was not intended by God from the very beginning. Obviously marriage was presented as God's plan to increase the human race (Gen. 1,28). There is a deep sense of complementary, sense of bonding, sense of unity in the narrative of the creation of Eve. This is manifested in marriage as is evident from Gen. 1, 20-24. The Genesis account clearly shows  that God intended marriage in terms of monogomy. The other trends entered into marriage practice through the influence of the people in the midst of whom the Israelites lived. In the later periods of the history of Israel, the concept of fidelity to the covenant between God and  Israel becomes aIs. model for marital relationship ( Is. 54, 6-7). Marriage is relationship that should not be taken lightly. In the book of Deuteronomy the indissoluble character of marriage is presented with some exceptions which Jesus would explain as a concession for human weakness (Deut. 24, 1-40). But prophet Malachi speaks of a significant change in the matter of indissolubility: "For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel" (Mal. 2, 15-16).

Marriage in the New Testament

 Jesus' attitude towards marriage.This is expressed most clearly in Mark 10: 2-9, in a controversy with the Pharisees. Jesus is confronted with the question of divorce. Jesus does not enter into the casuistry, but raises the whole matter to a higher level.And points to the original order of God's creation. His conclusion is "what God has joined together, let no man put asunder". It would be wrong to understand the pronouncement of Jesus about marriage as a legal statement. It is above all a prophetic and messianic proclamation of salvation and grace. In Jesus' proclamation, marriage is seen both as part of the original order of creation and as an aspect of the order of salvation of God in his kingdom of love and faithfulness in future.

The Christological understanding of Marriage.

 There is a change in the ubderstanding of marriage with the coming of Christ. Humanity has a new being in Christ . Marriage which is close ly linked to humanity, as we have seen earlier, will have to be u nderstood in a new way. Paul expresses it by saying that Christians should marry "in the Lord" ( 1 Cor. 7,39). Through Baptism an ontological change or a deep personal transformation takes place in the Christians. They are united with Christ not merely on an ideological plane, but on a personal level. In marriage the relationship between husband and wife is grafted into the personal relationship between Christ and the Church established by Christ (Eph. 5, 25). When Christians enter into marriage relationship the following take place:

The key to unity between husband and wife is in the fact that are integrated into the self- gift of Christ. The subjection of the wife to the husband should not be understood in a juridical sense, but in a personal and organic sense; in the ssssssame way the self-gift of the  husbamd to the wifeshould also be understood. Their roles as husband and wife acquire a mystical dimension through Christian marriage. There is no superiority or inferiority, but only complementarity of function. This is expressed very beautifully in 1 Cor. 7, 4. "For the wife does not have authorityover her own  .body, but the husband does;likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife has". Thus a new kind of marriage takes place when Christians enter into marriage in Christ. It is not merely a marriage of creation, but a marriage of the new creation which integrates them into the self-giving of Christ.

Marriage in Christian tradition.

i) In the Patristic Period. The early Christians took great care to see that the Christians entered into marriage by choosing partners who were members of the faith community because of the deep meaning that they gave to Christian understanding of marriage in Christ which we have explained above. Apart from that there were no Christian marriage rituals, they simply got married according to the civil customs and ceremonies of the day. There was little involvement of the clergy and their presence was notrequired for validit. The only active role of the clergy was the blessings of the spouses a custom that became widespread without becoming obligatory and without a prescribed formula. In some cases there was a Eucharistic celebration at which the newly wed participated and received the blessing. We have evidence of a nuptial Mass in the Roman Sacramentaries from 6th century onwards.

ii) n the Middle Ages. From 11th century onwards, due to instability and weakening of civil authority, the Church took over the civil regulations of marriage. Marrige is  now conducted in  face ecclesiae (in the presence of the Church) and the social elements peculliar to earlier secularform were now incorporated into the marriage liturgy, which had become a liturgical rite conducted by the priest. It is at this time that the Church decides that consent (the Roman juridical; element) and the consummation (the Franco-Germanic personal element) enter as the constitutive elements of marriage. It is Pope Alexander III who declared consent as the essence of the bond of marriage and that the bond is indissoluble only after consummation. Hence the concept of marriage ratum et consummatum.

iii) The Coucil of Trent. The Council of Trent in the polemic against the Reformers stressed the sacramental nature of marriage and the power of the Church to regulate marriage. It also sought to combat the evil of clandestine marriage. It declared that in future the only valid form of marriage for Catholics would be consent declared before a priest and two witnesses. The rite itself became juridical in nature with the focus on consent and ratification of consent by the priest. This form of the rite continued until very recent times.

The teaching of Vatican II. This represents a change of perspective. Some of the major points are:

i) There is a shift from the juridical to the more personalistic concept of marriage 'Contract gives way to the more biblical 'covenant '. "The intimate partnership(foedus=covenant) of life and the love which constitutes the married state is rooted in their irrevocable personal consenr" .

ii) Conjugal love is the concrete essence of Christian marriage , reflecting as it does the covenantal love of Christ for his Church. " He abides with them in order that by their mutual self- giving spouses will love each other with enduring fidelity as he loved the Church and delivered himself for it ".

iii) The terminology of primary and secondary ends is abandoned and the values of marriage are listed without any hierarchical preference.

iv) The sacramentally of marriage is not something added to the marriage union established through human love.. "Authentic married love is taken up into divine love and is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the action of the Church".

v) There is an emphasis on the necessity of faith commitment for the sacrament of marriage. Marriage is  not just between baptized Christians, but between Christifidelies, faithful Christians. All these elements are reflected in the introduction to the New Rite of Marriage.

ELEMENTS FOR A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE TODAY

 Marriage as part of God's plan.

 i) The religious basis of marriage.  Christians speaks of marriage being instituted by God as part of an overall plan or design for creation. They are implying that there are some givens which cannot be changed according to human whims or intention. A religious sense of reality in general insists that people need to be guided in their decisions by the realization of something greater that is present of the heart of the world. They must drew upon the fundamental rhythm of God's creation to keep their sensitivities alive.. The human agenda is not the domonant one.

ii) The social basis of marriage. The sense of being part of a greater living whole, the society, is really   the background for the Christian insistence that marriage in the Church is not simply an agreement laid down by the mutual consent of the parties involved. The couple chooses to marry in the midst of the community because it is an event that affects the rest of the communituy as well as their relationship with that community.

iii) The ecclesial basis of marriage. St. Paul speaks of Christian marriage as a union between man and woman in Christ. Those who live in Christ through the sacrament of baptism constitute the Church Christian social life has its foundation in Baptism. Christian marriage is a special expression of the new life received at Baptism, a sacrament of the Baptism reality. The self-gift of Christ in his death and resurrection which is sacramentalized in Baptism becomes visible, public and permanent in a personal way in the lives of those who enter into marriage bond. Therefore Christians marry not only in Christ, but in the Church.