Texts in Conversation
In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells a wife who leaves her husband to stay unmarried or be reconciled. In the Shepherd of Hermas, husbands and wives are similarly told to stay single after a divorce for adultery, and a sinning spouse may return after repenting.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Corinthians 7:11
New Testament
8 To the unmarried and widows I say that it is best for them to remain as I am. 9 But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. 10 To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—a wife should not divorce a husband 11 (but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife. 12 To the rest I say—I, not the Lord—if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is happy to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife because of her husband. Otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever wants a divorce, let it take place. In these circumstances the brother or sister is not bound. God has called you in peace. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation?
Shepherd of Hermas 29:8
Early Christian
7 “If then, Sir,” I said, “after the wife is divorced, she repents and wants to return to her own husband, should she not be taken back?” 8 “Certainly,” he said, “if the husband does not take her back, he sins and brings great sin on himself; indeed, the one who has sinned and has repented must be taken back, but not many times; for there is only one repentance for the servants of God. So, because of her repentance, the husband ought not to marry someone else. This is how husband and wife ought to act. 9 It is not only adultery if a person defiles their flesh, but whoever does things like the Gentiles also commits adultery. So if someone continues in such deeds and does not repent, keep away from them, and do not live with them. Otherwise, you too share in their sin. 10 For this reason you were commanded to remain single, whether husband or wife, for in such cases repentance can happen.
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Notes and References
“... The Shepherd says that, in such a case, divorce is the proper response; remarriage would result in the man himself committing adultery. So he should remain single afterward in the hope that his former wife will repent and want to be taken back (29.6–7). [...] Pauline influence extends to the solution—singleness in the hope of reconciliation—that the Shepherd gives to the problems of adultery and divorce. Paul’s argument in 1 Cor 7:10–11 exhorts a separated wife to either remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. This is precisely the argument found in Mand. 4.1.8 [29.8], adapted only slightly: Hermas has expanded it to refer to both partners. ...”
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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