Talk 56: What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate

In the New Testament Christ teaches that a married couple must remain inseparable to the end, and that the only just cause for divorce is adultery. Furthermore, Christ says that those who divorce and remarry for any other reason are condemned as adulterers. Yet, over the centuries the Orthodox Church has allowed divorce for a number of other reasons, and may even perform second and third marriages following a divorce. What few people know is that the Church actually acknowledges such remarriage as a transgression of Christ’s commandment. This raises the question: is the Church contradicting the clear teaching of Christ regarding divorce?

In this talk, Father Kosmas explains that even though the Church sometimes grants divorces and allows subsequent marriages, Orthodox Christians should put great effort into avoiding divorce. Using the teach ...