Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 24:2 (Jun 1981)
Article: The New Testament On Divorce And Remarriage: Some Logical Implications
Author: Phillip H. Wiebe

JETS 24:2 (June 1981) p. 131

The New Testament On Divorce And Remarriage:
Some Logical Implications

P. H. Wiebe*

General disapproval of divorce, and correlatively of marriage of divorced persons, is evident in NT teaching. Indeed, if it were not for a few phrases the expression of disapproval would be total and complete. In this paper I shall discuss the apparent exceptions mentioned in the NT. I shall confine my attention to the logical implications of the relevant statements rather than attempt to include the much larger problem of historical interpretation. The statements I shall consider derive from Matthew and 1 Corinthians.

Matthew’s record of the teaching of Jesus contains the following statement:

“Whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity,1 and marries another, commits adultery” (19:9 RSV).

(1)

A few preliminary comments are in order. First, the statement parallels statements in Mark 10:11 and Luke 16:18, except that Matthew is the only one of the three to include the all-important clause except for unchastity.” Mark enunciates an analogous principle pertaining to women divorcing their husbands (10:12). For ease of exposition I will discuss the question of divorce and remarriage in connection with the party referred to in the text—for example, to men in Matt 19:9. I assume, however, that what is said about one party shall apply mutatis mutandis to the other. Second, the text at 19:9 admits of variations—specifically, of various readings that include additional phrases. One variation is as follows: “Whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, makes her commit adultery.” This is substantially what is found in Matt 5:32, so we need not be detained concerning the authority of this variation on 19:9. The other variation on 19:9 is the insertion of the additional clause “whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery,” but this too is contained in 5:32, so again there is no novelty that requires attention. The statements of Jesus found in 5:32 are as follows:

“Everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress,”

(2)

and

“Whoever marries a divor...