{"id":52,"date":"2015-12-06T02:29:45","date_gmt":"2015-12-06T02:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/?page_id=52"},"modified":"2015-12-06T18:48:50","modified_gmt":"2015-12-06T18:48:50","slug":"a-marriage-booklet-for-simple-pastors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/the-small-catechism-martin-luther\/a-marriage-booklet-for-simple-pastors\/","title":{"rendered":"A Marriage Booklet for Simple Pastors"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Marriage Booklet for Simple Pastors<\/b><\/span><\/span>1<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>26<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Martin Luther<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many lands, so many customs,\u201d says the common proverb. For this reason, because weddings and the married estate are worldly affairs, it behooves those of us who are \u201cspirituals\u201d<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>27<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>or ministers of the church in no way to order or direct anything regarding marriage, but instead to allow every city and land to continue their own customs that are now in use. Some bring the bride to the church twice, in both the evening and the morning, some only once. Some announce it publicly and publish the banns from the pulpit two or three weeks in advance. All these and similar things I leave to the prince and town council to create and arrange as they want. It is no concern of mine.<\/p>\n

However, when people request of us to bless them in front of the church or in the church, to pray over them, or even to marry them, we are obligated to do this. Therefore I wanted to offer these words of advice and this order for those who do not know anything better, in case they are inclined to use this common order with us. Others, who can do better (that is, who can do nothing at all and who nevertheless think they know it all), do not need this service of mine, unless they might greatly improve on it and masterfully correct it. They certainly ought to take great care not to follow the same practice as others. A person might think that they had learned something from someone else! Wouldn\u2019t that be a shame?<\/p>\n

Because up to now people have made such a big display at the consecrations of monks and nuns (even though their estate<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>28<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>and existence is an ungodly, human invention without any basis in the Bible), how much more should we honor this godly estate of marriage and bless it, pray for it, and adorn it in an even more glorious manner. For, although it is a worldly estate, nevertheless it has God\u2019s Word on its side and is not a human invention or institution, like the estate of monks and nuns.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>29<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>Therefore it should easily be reckoned a hundred times more spiritual than the monastic estate, which certainly ought to be considered the most worldly and fleshly of all, because it was invented and instituted by flesh and blood and completely out of worldly understanding and reason.<\/p>\n

We must also do this in order that the young people may learn to take this estate seriously, to hold it in high esteem as a divine work and command, and not to ridicule it in such outrageous ways with laughing, jeering, and similar levity. This has been common until now, as if it were a joke or child\u2019s play to get married or to have a wedding. Those who first instituted the custom of bringing a bride and bridegroom to church surely did not view it as a joke but as a very serious matter.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>30<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>For there is no doubt that they wanted to receive God\u2019s blessing and the community\u2019s prayers<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>31<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>and not to put on a comedy or a pagan farce.<\/p>\n

The ceremony itself makes this clear. For all who desire prayer and blessing from the pastor or bishop<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>32<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>indicate thereby\u2014whether or not they say so expressly\u2014to what danger and need they are exposing themselves and how much they need God\u2019s blessing and the community\u2019s prayers for the estate into which they are entering. For we experience every day how much unhappiness the devil causes in the married estate through adultery, unfaithfulness, discord, and all kinds of misery.<\/p>\n

Therefore we want to deal in the following way with the bride and bridegroom (when they desire and demand it).<\/p>\n

First, publish the banns<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>33<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>from the pulpit with the following words:<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn N. and Mary N.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>34<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>wish to enter the holy estate of matrimony according to God\u2019s ordinance and desire the prayers of the Christian congregation on their behalf so that they may begin it in God\u2019s name and have it turn out well. Now should anyone have anything to say against this, let him or her speak at this time or hereafter remain silent. God grant them his blessing. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exchange vows<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>35<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>in front of the church with the following words:<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn, do you desire to have Mary as your wedded wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

Let him answer: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMary, do you desire to have John as your wedded husband?\u201d<\/p>\n

Let her answer: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here let them exchange wedding rings and join their right hands together, and say to them:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat God joins together, no human being ought to separate.\u201d<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>36<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Then let the pastor declare to all who are present:<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore because John N. and Mary N. desire each other in marriage and confess the same here publicly in the presence of God and the world, in testimony of which they have given each other their hands and wedding rings, I pronounce them joined in marriage, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In front of the altar<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>37<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>let the pastor read God\u2019s word from Genesis\u00a02[:18*<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>, 21\u201324*<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>] over the bride and groom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the Lord God said, \u2018It is not good that the human being should be alone; I will make him a helper who will stand by his side.<\/i>\u2019<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>38<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the human being, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the Lord God built a woman out of the rib that he had taken from the human being, and he brought her to him. Then the human being said: \u2018This is truly bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called woman, because she is taken out of man.\u2019 Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and they will be one flesh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then let the pastor turn to both and address them thus:<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you both have entered into the married estate in God\u2019s name, hear first of all God\u2019s commandment concerning this estate. Thus says St. Paul:<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>39<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>40<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy, and has cleansed her through the washing of water in the Word, in order to prepare for himself a church that will be glorious,<\/i><\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>41<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>that has neither spot nor wrinkle nor anything of the kind, but instead that she may be holy and blameless. So also husbands ought to love their wives like their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but instead he nourishes it and takes care of it, just as the Lord does for the church.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is also the head of the church, and he is the savior of his body. But as now the church is subject to Christ, so also the women are subject to their husbands in all things.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond, hear also the cross that God has placed upon this estate.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>42<\/sup> \u2018<\/span><\/span>To the woman God said:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018\u201cI will create much distress for you in childbirth. You shall bear your children in distress, and you shall cringe before your husband, and he shall be your lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018And to the man God said:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018\u201cBecause you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree, about which I commanded you and said, \u2018You shall not eat from it,\u2019 cursed is the ground because of you. In distress you shall nourish yourself your whole life long. The ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field. By the sweat of your face shall you eat your bread, until you return again to the earth from which you were taken. For you are earth and shall return to earth.\u201d\u2018<\/p>\n

\u201cThird, this is your comfort, that you know and believe how your estate is pleasing and blessed in God\u2019s eyes. For it is written:<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>43<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018God created the human being in his image, in the image of God he created them. He created them a male and a female, and God blessed them and said to them: \u201cBe fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the air and over all animals that crawl on the earth.\u201d And God saw all that he had made, and look, it was all very good.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore Solomon also says,<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>44<\/sup><\/span> \u2018<\/i><\/span><\/span>Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains a blessing from the Lord.\u2019<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point let the pastor spread his hands over them and pray:<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>45<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lord God, who have created man and woman and have ordained them for the married estate, have blessed them also with the fruit of the womb, and have therein signified the sacrament of your dear Son Jesus Christ and the church,<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span>46<\/sup> <\/span><\/span>his bride: We beseech your never-ending goodness that you would not permit this your creation, ordinance, and blessing to be removed or destroyed, but graciously preserve it among us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.<\/p>\n

\n

1<\/a>26 <\/span><\/sup>This text, also printed as a separate pamphlet in 1529, was included in most editions of the <\/span>Small Catechism <\/i><\/span>printed during Luther\u2019s lifetime, starting in 1529, and in at least one version of the <\/span>Book of Concord <\/i><\/span>printed in 1580. A translation into English, on which this translation is based, is found in <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 53:110\u201315 (WA 30\/3: 74\u201380).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>27 <\/span><\/sup>Geistliche:<\/i><\/span> Luther uses a common term for clergy and monks.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>28 <\/span><\/sup>Here and throughout this tract: <\/span>Stand,<\/i><\/span> meaning \u201cwalk of life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>29 <\/span><\/sup>For a similar criticism, see also <\/span>The Estate of Marriage<\/i><\/span> (1522) (WA 10\/2: 275\u2013304; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 45:17\u201349) and <\/span>The Judgment of Martin Luther on Monastic Vows<\/i><\/span> (1521) (WA 8:573\u2013669; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 44:245\u2013400).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>30 <\/span><\/sup>Cf. \u201cSermon at Marriage of Sigismund von Lindenau\u201d (1545) (WA 49:802, 11\u201322; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 51:363f.).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>31 <\/span><\/sup>Luther is thinking of the general prayers made by the community in worship.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>32 <\/span><\/sup>Luther called the chief pastor in a town its bishop. For example, see <\/span>Lectures on 1 Timothy<\/i><\/span> (1528) (WA 26:49, 5\u201351, 9; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 28:281\u201384); <\/span>Answer to the Hyperchristian . . . Book<\/i><\/span> (1521) (WA 7:630, 10\u2013632, 19; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 39:154\u201356); and <\/span>Instruction of the Visitors<\/i><\/span> (1528) (WA 26:196, 1\u2013197, 10; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 40:269\u201371), as well as the SC, \u201cPreface,\u201d 1, and \u201cHousehold Chart,\u201d 2.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>33 <\/span><\/sup>For Luther\u2019s opinion of betrothals, see <\/span>On Marriage Matters<\/i><\/span> (1530) (WA 30\/3: 224, 32\u2013225, 29; <\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 46:290f.).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>34 <\/span><\/sup>The text reads <\/span>Hans und Greta,<\/i><\/span> common names for a couple, but also the names of Luther\u2019s own parents.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>35 <\/span><\/sup>Luther believed that marriage should follow soon after betrothal. Because the exchange of vows was considered a matter of civil law, it took place at the door of the church.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>36 <\/span><\/sup>Matthew 19:6<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>37 <\/span><\/sup>This marks the beginning of the worship service.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

*<\/a> 18\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Then the Lord God said, \u201cIt is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.\u201d Genesis 2:18 (NRSV)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

*<\/a> 21\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.<\/span><\/p>\n

22\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.<\/span><\/p>\n

23\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Then the man said, \u201cThis at last is bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

24\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. Genesis 2:21\u201324 (NRSV)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>38 <\/span><\/sup>With the 1536 edition of the Small Catechism, the text follows the complete edition of the Luther Bible from 1534. Earlier texts read: \u201cwho will be his companion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>39 <\/span><\/sup>Ephesians 5:25\u201329<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span> <\/span><\/span>and 5:22\u201324<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>40 <\/span><\/sup>Throughout this passage the German is <\/span>Gemeine,<\/i><\/span> literally, \u201ccongregation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>41 <\/span><\/sup>Before 1536: \u201cpresent for himself a glorious church.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>42 <\/span><\/sup>Genesis 3:16\u201319<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>43 <\/span><\/sup>Genesis 1:27f<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>. and 1:31<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>44 <\/span><\/sup>A paraphrase of Proverbs 18:22<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>. Before 1536 the text reads, \u201cWhoever gets a wife gets a good thing and will obtain delight from the <\/span>Lord<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>45 <\/span><\/sup>The following prayer is an adaptation of a traditional prayer used at nuptial Masses in Luther\u2019s day.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

1<\/a>46 <\/span><\/sup>Here: <\/span>Kirchen.<\/i><\/span> Luther did not view marriage as a sacrament, but uses the word here as found in the traditional prayer to refer to Ephesians 5:32<\/span><\/span><\/span>*<\/span><\/span><\/span>, where the Vulgate translates the Greek <\/span>mysterion<\/i><\/span> with <\/span>sacramentum.<\/i><\/span> See WA 6:550, 22\u2013552, 27 (<\/span>LW<\/i><\/span> 36:92\u201395).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Marriage Booklet for Simple Pastors126 Martin Luther \u201cSo many lands, so many customs,\u201d says the common proverb. For this reason, because weddings and the married estate are worldly affairs, it behooves those of us who are \u201cspirituals\u201d127 or ministers of the church in no way to order or direct anything regarding marriage, but instead … Continue reading A Marriage Booklet for Simple Pastors<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":24,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-52","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P705gD-Q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53,"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52\/revisions\/53"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.immanuelnyc.org\/sub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}