- Pauline privilege
The Pauline Privilege ("Privilegium Paulinum") is a Christian concept drawn from the apostle Paul's instructions in the
First Epistle to the Corinthians.Origin
In Paul's epistle it states:
The first section, "not I but the Lord", matches
Jesus ' teaching on divorce, found in theExpounding of the Law , . The second section, "I say, not the Lord", gives Paul's own teaching on divorce.In the
Catholic Church and in some Protestant denominations (though most Protestants allow divorce in all serious circumstances), this is interpreted as allowing the dissolution of amarriage contracted between non-believers in the case that one (but not both) of the partners converts to Christianity and the other partner leaves the marriage.The Pauline Privilege differs from
divorce in that it leaves the Christian partner free to remarry. It differs fromannulment because it dissolves a valid actual marriage, in favor of the faith of the Christian partner, where annulments declare that a marriage was invalid from the beginning.According to the Catholic Church's canon law, the Pauline Privilege does not apply when either of the partners was a Christian at the time of marriage. Under Catholicism, the
Petrine Privilege may be invoked if only one of the partners was baptized at the time of marriage.Controversy
Some denominations do not recognize the Pauline Privilege as allowing for the dissolution of marriage, arguing that marriage is not the "bondage" referred to in Paul's instruction.
Another point of contention is what constitutes a "desire to separate" on the part of the unbelieving partner. Some recognize
abuse as equivalent to a "constructive desertion ", thus providing grounds for invoking the privilege.ee also
*
Petrine Privilege
*Pauline Christianity External links
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05054c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Divorce (see Section B.1: The Pauline Privilege)]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/library/almanac_thisrock93.htm A Catholic explanation of the Pauline Privilege]
* [http://www.shalach.org/ApostlePaul/Marriage-Divorce-Remarriage.htm A Messianic Jewish challenge to the Pauline Privilege]
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