From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition, 2nd ed.

by Jr. John Witte

Publisher:

Westminster John Knox

, 2012

Overview

This newly revised and enlarged edition of John Witte’s authoritative historical study explores the interplay of law, theology, and marriage in the Western tradition. Witte uncovers the core beliefs that formed the theological genetic code of Western marriage and family law. He explores the systematic models of marriage developed by Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, and Enlightenment thinkers, and the transformative influence of each model on Western marriage law. In addition, he traces the millennium-long reduction of marriage from a complex spiritual, social, contractual, and natural institution into a simple private contract with freedom of entrance, exercise, and exit for husband and wife alike.

This second edition updates and expands each chapter and the bibliography. It also includes three new chapters on classical, biblical, and patristic sources.

Key Features

• Explores the interplay among law, theology, and marriage in the Western tradition
• Focuses on the Christian theological norms and Western legal principles of marriage and family life
• Exmaines the theological beliefs that have helped to form Western marriage law

Contents

• Classical Foundations of Western Marriage
• Biblical Foundations of Western Marriage
• Patristic Foundations of Western Marriage
• Marriage as Sacrament in the Medieval Catholic Tradition
• Marriage as Social Estate in the Lutheran Reformation
• Marriage as Covenant in the Calvinist Tradition
• Marriage as Commonwealth in the Anglican Tradition
• Marriage as Contract in the Enlightenment Tradition

Top Highlights

“deepest fault lines in the historical formation and” (Page 2)

“they are linked to competing claims of ultimate authority over” (Page 2)

“The Western Christian Church has, from its apostolic beginnings, offered four perspectives on marriage.” (Page 2)

“religious sanction, communal legitimation, voluntary formation, and natural origin, respectively” (Page 2)

Product Details

• Title: From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition, 2nd edition
• Author: John Witte Jr.
• Edition: 2nd
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 414
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Historical Theology

About John Witte, Jr.

John Witte Jr. is Woodruff University Professor of Law, McDonald Distinguished Professor, and Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.