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as Mark expresses it, the question put to them by the Lord, What did Moses command?, was in
answer to those who had previously asked His opinion concerning the putting away of a wife.
And when they had replied that Moses permitted them to write a bill of divorcement, and to put
her away, His answer was concerning that same law, given by Moses, how God instituted the
marriage of a male, and a female, saying those things which Matthew relates [Matt 19:4]; on
hearing which they again rejoined what they had replied to Him when He first asked them,
namely - Why then did Moses command?
Augustine, cont. Faust, XIX, 26: Moses, however, was against a man's dismissing his wife, for he
interposed this delay, that a person whose mind was bent on separation, might be deterred by
the writing of the bill, and desist; particularly, since, as is related, among the Hebrews, no one
was allowed to write Hebrew characters but the scribes. The [p. 195] law therefore wished to
send him, whom it ordered to give a bill of divorcement, before he dismissed his wife, to them,
who ought to be wise interpreters of the law, and just opponents of quarrel. For a bill could only
be written for him by men, who by their good advice might overrule him, since his circumstances
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and necessity had put him into their hands, and so by treating between him and his wife they
might persuade them to love and concord.
But if a hatred so great had arisen that it could not be extinguished and corrected, then indeed a
bill was to be written, that he might not lightly put away her who was the object of his hate, in
such a way as to prevent his being recalled to the love, which he owed her by marriage, through
the persuasion of the wise. For this reason it is added, "For the hardness of your heart, he wrote
this precept"; for great was the hardness of heart which could not be melted or bent to the taking
back and recalling the love of marriage, even by the interposition of a bill in a way which gave
room for the just and wise to dissuade them.
Pseudo-Chrys., Cat. in Marc. Oxon: Or else, it is said, "For the hardness of your hearts," because
it is possible for a soul purged from desires and from anger to bear the worst of women; but if
those passions have a redoubled force over the mind, many evils will arise from hatred in
marriage.
Chrys.: Thus then, He saves Moses, who had given the law, from their accusation, and turns the
whole upon their head. But since what He had said was grievous to them, He at once brings back
the discourse to the old law, saying, "But from the beginning of the creation, God made them
male and female."
Bede: He says not male and females, which the sense would have required had it referred to the
divorce of former wives, but "male" and "female", so that they might be bound by the tie of one
wife.
Chrys.: If however he had wished one wife to be put away and another to be brought in, He
would have created several women. Nor did God only join one woman to one man, but He also
bade a man quit his parents and cleave to his wife.
Wherefore it goes on: "And he said, (that is, God, said by Adam) For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and cleave to his wife.
From the very mode of speech, shewing the impossibility of severing marriage, because He said,
"He shall cleave."
Bede: [p. 196] And in like manner, because He says, he shall cleave to his wife, not wives.
It goes on: "And they twain shall be one flesh."
Chrys.: Being framed out of one root, they will join into one body.
It goes on: "So then they are no more twain, but one flesh."
Bede: The reward then of marriage is of two to become one flesh. Virginity being joined to the
Spirit, becomes of one spirit.
Chrys.: After this, bringing forward an awful argument, He said not, do not divide, but He
concluded, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
Augustine, cont. Faust, XIX, 29: Behold the Jews are convinced out of the books of Moses, that a
wife is not to be put away, while they fancied that in putting her away, they were doing the will of
Moses. In like manner from this place, from the witness of Christ Himself, we know this, that God
made and joined male and female, for denying which the Manichees are condemned, resisting
now not the books of Moses, but the Gospel of Christ.
Bede: What therefore God hath conjoined by making one flesh of a man and a woman, that man
cannot separate, but God alone. Man separates, when we dismiss the first wife because we
desire a second; but it is God who separates, when by common consent [1 Cor 7:5], for the sake
of serving God, we so have wives as though we had none [1 Cor 7:29].
Chrys.: But if two persons, whom God has joined together, are not to be separated; much more is
it wrong to separate from Christ, the Church, which God has joined to Him.
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Theophylact: But the disciples were offended, as not being fully satisfied with what had been
said; for this reason they again question Him.
Wherefore there follows: "And in the house, His disciples asked Him again of the same matter."
Pseudo-Jerome: This second question is said to be asked "again" by the Apostles, because it is
on the subject of which the Pharisees had asked Him, that is, concerning the state of marriage;
and this is said by Mark in his own person.
Gloss: For a repetition of a saying of the Word, produces not weariness, but thirst and hunger.
Wherefore it is said, "They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be [p.
197] thirsty"; for the tasting of the honied words of wisdom yields all manner of savour to them
who love her.
Wherefore the Lord instructs His disciples over again; for it goes on, "And he saith unto them,
Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery upon her."
Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant., e Cat. in Marc.: The Lord calls by the name of adultery cohabitation
with her who is not a man's wife; she is not, however, a wife, whom a man has taken to him, after
quitting the first; and for this reason he commits adultery upon her, that is, upon the second,
whom he brings in. And the same thing is true in the case of the woman; wherefore it goes on,
"And if a woman shall put away her husband, and marry another, she committeth adultery"; for
she cannot be joined to another as her own husband, if she leave him who is really her own
husband. The law indeed forbade what was plainly adultery; but the Saviour forbids this, which
was neither plain, nor known to all, though it was contrary to nature.
Bede: In Matthew it is more fully expressed, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication." [Matt 19:9] The only carnal cause then is fornication; the only spiritual cause is the
fear of God, that a man should put away his wife to enter into religion [ed. note: Husbands and
wives have never been allowed to take monastic vows without mutual consent, see Bingham,
book 7, ch 3; where also are incidentally given many instances of married persons thus giving up
the world.], as we read that many have done. But there is no cause allowed by the law of God for
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