I had no idea that it was only in the Middle Ages that marriage was seen as a sacrament. This series has been very interesting, spurring deep thought. Thank you for that. And I really love the last illustration ~ the colors are so rich and the art is so satisfying. Makes you want to get up and dance for joy.
In your series on the Angels, you mentioned that the mediaevals saw lust as the primary cause of the fall of Satan and the demons. Do you think there's a connection between that, and the negative view of marriage/marital relations of the medievals?
I've never come across anything indicating a direct connection—for example, I've never seen a medieval writer suggest that Christian marriage was somehow tainted by the fact that the desire for marriage (or something akin to marriage) with human females caused the angels to fall from grace. However, there is certainly an indirect connection, insofar as medieval spirituality placed great emphasis on the danger and degradation of lust. The theory that the angels fell because of lust is in part an expression of this mentality, and marriage was likewise treated with suspicion because it was assumed that most spouses could not practice marital sexuality without sometimes exceeding the bounds of temperate, procreative desire and thus falling into carnal lust.
I had no idea that it was only in the Middle Ages that marriage was seen as a sacrament. This series has been very interesting, spurring deep thought. Thank you for that. And I really love the last illustration ~ the colors are so rich and the art is so satisfying. Makes you want to get up and dance for joy.
Yes, the last illustration was my favorite as well.
Marriage is a Holy Mystery of the Church.🕊️ ☦️ 📖
⛪ 🔔 ♥️ 👑🕯️📿 Stay close to the 🔥 Mysteries.....
....thank you for this wonderful series ⏳ of historical posts, faith hope love. Grace and peace to you Amigo!
You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed the series!
In your series on the Angels, you mentioned that the mediaevals saw lust as the primary cause of the fall of Satan and the demons. Do you think there's a connection between that, and the negative view of marriage/marital relations of the medievals?
I've never come across anything indicating a direct connection—for example, I've never seen a medieval writer suggest that Christian marriage was somehow tainted by the fact that the desire for marriage (or something akin to marriage) with human females caused the angels to fall from grace. However, there is certainly an indirect connection, insofar as medieval spirituality placed great emphasis on the danger and degradation of lust. The theory that the angels fell because of lust is in part an expression of this mentality, and marriage was likewise treated with suspicion because it was assumed that most spouses could not practice marital sexuality without sometimes exceeding the bounds of temperate, procreative desire and thus falling into carnal lust.
Modern isn’t always a bad word ;-)
No, not quite always, I suppose ... just most of the time.
Thank you for redressing the balance in a positive way, and reminding us of the wisdom of Thomas Aquinas about marriage.
And I had no idea before this last essay that it was in the Middle Ages that the sacramental character of marriage was developed.
You're welcome, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to share this very interesting bit of history with you!