The Principle of One Body
The Principle of One Body
In the Christian family, marriage is built upon a profound divine principle: the principle of one body.
The Principle of One Body
This principle has been firmly established since the beginning of humanity, when the Lord said: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). The Lord Christ affirmed this truth in His conversation with the scribes and Pharisees concerning divorce: “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19:5).
In this unity, the man is the head and the woman is the body (Eph. 5:23–28). The Apostle Paul confirmed this meaning, adding: “He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh.”
Saint John Chrysostom explains these two verses, saying: Do you ask how she is his body? Listen: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” thus said Adam (Gen. 2:23).
Chrysostom continues speaking about this unity, saying to the bride and groom in his commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians: “You have now become one, a single living being.”
What does this unity mean? See our next article…
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