Christian Concept of Marriage and Family

Abstract

The historical formation of the Christian concept of marriage and family is discussed in this article. Firstly, four conceptual assumptions are presented: philosophical, which points to a complex character of marriage as a social group and as a religious structure; anthropological, which emphasizes a personal element and the union of the spiritual and the bodily as the principal of life; educational, which explains personal growth as a result of two processes: namely, personalization and socialization; and methodological, which distinguishes a normative model of marriage and family, a postulated model propagated by institutions, and an applied model, i.e. a model realized in the given historical conditions. The above methodological assumption is a basis for further discussion of the Christian model of marriage and family. In the second part, the author explains the rise of the normative model in Christ’s teachings, in the works of the Fathers and in Church documents. The postulated model was formulated at the Council of Trent in op- position to the Reformation and was later connected with the social teaching of the Church. This model, however, due to the changes in the 19th and 20th centuries (romantism, positivism and modernism) called for a renovation. The Second Vatican Council proposed a new concept of marriage and family emphasizing their sacramental and vacational character. Maritial, parental and family goals are to be carried out in the religious environment of the family. Te post-Councilar model is both personal and pastoral in character. Parents are no longer under the ideological pressure of the Catholic community. Their choices are personal, testifying to the conclusion of a sacramental marriage and the Christian care of the children.

Also presented is the recent discussion on the application of the post-Councilar proposal, related to the problems of sexual life, contraception and birth control, and family planning. The author points to the humanistic character of this new concept and the significance of marital love. Some remarks on the relationship between science and the Christian concept of marriage and family conclude the article.