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On Exhortation to Chastity

Tertullian

Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—Unity of Marriage Taught by Its First Institution, and by the Apostle’s Application of that Primal Type to Christ and the Church.

For the laying down of the law of once marrying

‹ Chapter 4 Chapter 6 ›

,

the

very

origin

of

the

human

race

is

our

authority

;

witnessing

as

it

emphatically

does

what

God

constituted

in

the

beginning

for

a

type

to

be

examined

with

care

by

posterity

.

For

when

He

had

moulded

man

,

and

had

foreseen

that

a

peer

was

necessary

for

him

,

He

borrowed

from

his

ribs

one

,

and

fashioned

for

him

one

woman

;

whereas

,

of

course

,

neither

the

Artificer

nor

the

material

would

have

been

insufficient

(

for

the

creation

of

more

)

.

There

were

more

ribs

in

Adam

,

and

hands

that

knew

no

weariness

in

God

;

but

not

more

wives

in

the

eye

of

God

.

And

accordingly

the

man

of

God

,

Adam

,

and

the

woman

of

God

,

Eve

,

discharging

mutually

(

the

duties

of

)

one

marriage

,

sanctioned

for

mankind

a

type

by

(

the

considerations

of

)

the

authoritative

precedent

of

their

origin

and

the

primal

will

of

God

.

Finally

,

“

there

shall

be

,

”

said

He

,

“

two

in

one

flesh

,

”

not

three

nor

four

.

On

any

other

hypothesis

,

there

would

no

longer

be

“

one

flesh

,

”

nor

“

two

(

joined

)

into

one

flesh

.

”

These

will

be

so

,

if

the

conjunction

and

the

growing

together

in

unity

take

place

once

for

all

.

If

,

however

,

(

it

take

place

)

a

second

time

,

or

oftener

,

immediately

(

the

flesh

)

ceases

to

be

“

one

,

”

and

there

will

not

be

“

two

(

joined

)

into

one

flesh

,

”

but

plainly

one

rib

(

divided

)

into

more

.

But

when

the

apostle

interprets

,

“

The

two

shall

be

(

joined

)

into

one

flesh

”

of

the

Church

and

Christ

,

according

to

the

spiritual

nuptials

of

the

Church

and

Christ

(

for

Christ

is

one

,

and

one

is

His

Church

)

,

we

are

bound

to

recognise

a

duplication

and

additional

enforcement

for

us

of

the

law

of

unity

of

marriage

,

not

only

in

accordance

with

the

foundation

of

our

race

,

but

in

accordance

with

the

sacrament

of

Christ

.

From

one

marriage

do

we

derive

our

origin

in

each

case

;

carnally

in

Adam

,

spiritually

in

Christ

.

The

two

births

combine

in

laying

down

one

prescriptive

rule

of

monogamy

.

In

regard

of

each

of

the

two

,

is

he

degenerate

who

transgresses

the

limit

of

monogamy

.

Plurality

of

marriage

began

with

an

accursed

man

.

Lamech

was

the

first

who

,

by

marrying

himself

to

two

women

,

caused

three

to

be

(

joined

)

“

into

one

flesh

.

”

Notes

1
Dirigendam.
2
Gen. ii. 21, 22.
3
Or, “but no plurality of wives.”
4
Apud Deum.
5
Gen. ii. 24.
6
Eph. v. 31.
7
Gen. iv. 18, 19.