An Examination of Matrimony

[Nectorist 7422]

An Examination of Matrimony

 

☩ ☩ ☩

 

The Sacrament of Holy Union, a most treasured one mirrored in virtually every other faith in the known world, begets far less literature and discussion than is owed for something so necessary for the functions of society. As presently acknowledged by nearly all faithful Canonists, marriage is a union between a man and a woman, bearing the signifiers ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ that correspond with the sex of those within the union. The man is the husband and the woman is the wife. This belief seems to derive from Canon Law, which shall be quoted here:

 

From Article 1, Chapter 2, Book 4 of the Codex Iurius Canonici Danielus Pontifex:

§1. The purpose of matrimony is the holy union of a man and a woman, modeling Ex. Horen and St. Julia.

 

Ex. Horen, a man, was the husband, and St. Julia, a woman, was the wife, and so from this we are given a clear guide: as Ex. Horen and St. Julia represented the first Holy Union, we faithful must follow in kind. As has been defined for centuries or more, marriage may only occur between a man and a woman.

 

However, when one examines the Holy Scrolls for all mention of matrimony, and specifically the union of Ex. Horen and St. Julia, it is well-possible to arrive at different conclusions than that found within the Canonist tradition virtually since its inception. Let us examine the first two instances of matrimony being discussed within the Scrolls, predating mention of Ex. Horen and St. Julia.

 

From Verses 4, 5, and 9 of the Canticle of Temperance:

§4. I grew the first grapes of the vineyard, and gave unto Horen the first wife.

§5. And as I made for you the worldly pleasures, so too have I made the pleasures of the spirit, and the love of the husband and wife.

 

§9. So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not lie with your kin, nor those of other tribes, and none shall lie together but in holy union.

 

From this we may establish five indisputable truths of the nature of matrimony, as given to us by God:

 

I) The first marriage occurred when Ex. Horen was given a wife.

 

II) It is between a husband and wife.

 

III) It may not be between kin.

 

IV) It may not be between those of different races.

 

V) It is the only relationship in which lying together is acceptable.

 

III-V are generally well-understood by most students of the Holy Scrolls, and are also represented within cultural convention and Canon Law, but it is I-II that remain rather elusive. What is a husband? What is a wife? One may answer that a husband is a man within marriage and a wife is a woman within marriage, as after all, Ex. Horen was a man, and St. Julia was a woman, but the Holy Scrolls do not draw attention to this as a necessary prerequisite. Were the opposing sexes of Ex. Horen and St. Julia necessary to fulfill a proper marriage in the eyes of the Lord, or are there other conditions that define such categories in a more satisfactory manner?

 

To answer these questions, we must study the nature of the relationship of Ex. Horen and St. Julia to see if any patterns emerge that may prove more useful in reaching a conclusion as to the meaning of ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.

 

From Verses 2-4 of the Book of Horen:

§2. So the Sons were raised up as kings, and each became more concerned with the World than the Skies. 

§3. All took concubines, except for Horen, who took only one wife. 

§4. Her name was Julia, and they kept their union holy.

 

The distinction drawn here is between a concubine, of which there are many, and a wife, of which there is only one. The inherent goodness of marriage, as opposed to other such relations, is that it is between two. What distinguished Ex. Horen from his Brothers is that he had one companion to devote himself to, as they had many. Notably, the sexes of the concubines of the other Brothers are not mentioned. Whether they were men, like the Brothers, women, like St. Julia, or both, is of no great importance. The distinction that matters is that the form of relation of concubinage was unholy, and it was unholy because it was the many bound to the one. The form of relation of marriage was holy, and it was holy because it was the one bound to the one.

 

From Verses 16-23, 32, and 44 of the Book of Horen:

§16. The Lord told him to go into the Grotto of Gamesh, which was many leagues’ walk from the land of Horen’s people, and to fast in the waters for three days.

§17. So Horen submitted, but was wise first, for he felt the presence of Iblees in the world. 

§18. He went to his people and described to them the Denier’s aspect, and advised them to cast him out when he appeared.

§19. Thus informed, Julia went into her family’s tent, their holy tabernacle, and she gathered their three sons. 

§20. She bade them to remain in the tabernacle as she walked the camp, looking for Iblees.

§21. So Horen went into the east, and followed the path ordained for him. Iblees observed his absence, and went into the camp of Horen’s people, and began to tempt them.

§22. But Julia was wise and recalled her husband’s warning. 

§23. She revealed Iblees, and the Denier was cast out of the camp, and he was very wroth.

 

§32. And Julia, having cast out Iblees, had retired to her tabernacle where she cared for her three sons and awaited the end of her husband’s fast.

 

§44. He went into the tabernacle and spoke with his wife, who advised him of the sin that corrupted the world.

 

With these verses, and in consideration of the wider context of the Book of Horen, the role of ‘husband’ and the role of ‘wife’ becomes far clearer. Within the union, it is Ex. Horen who takes a more commanding presence and is the more powerful of the two. It is he, the husband, who owns property, leads his followers, and acts a direct agent of the Lord while in communion with Him. In instructing his people of the manifestation of Iblees, it is Ex. Horen who provides them with guidance and direction that they would otherwise not have.

 

St. Julia, then, acts as a guarantor of her husband’s estates and people, sees that his instructions are fulfilled, and acts as a leader of his people while he is absent. She is not necessarily deprived of power within this union; Ex. Horen consults her advice and implicitly trusts her during his absence, and she is the one to cast Iblees out of the camp, not her husband. St. Julia, the wife, simply takes a more subordinate role, but is also nearer to the husband than any others beneath him, even their own Children.

 

The role of the husband is that of the leader and the role of the wife is that of the follower, though these broadly seem to be contours and not strict arrangements. St. Julia is not deprived of agency, nor does she express any desire to resist her husband. On the contrary, the two of them have arranged their affairs in a manner that allows them to lead the people of Horen more effectively, manage their shared estate, and govern their family. What is emphasized here, more than anything else, is that their Holy Union enables them to design this arrangement of shared rulership and have the trust in each other needed to fulfill it. Together, in the bed of marriage, is where they die, symbolizing the necessity of their unity for the people of Horen to survive, as after their deaths their Sons are unable to maintain the order. Without wives of their own, they were unable to follow the example of their parents.

 

From Verse 18 of the Book of Scattering:

§18. There Krug found that the least of his people had drugged Horen and Julia into deep sleep, and killed the King of Men and his wife in their bed, for they had slain his brother.

 

And so we must question: If matrimony must necessarily be the mantling of the Holy Union of Ex. Horen and St. Julia, what do the Scrolls find most important about their marriage?

 

I) It is between two people of the same race and who are not kin, and these two people are designated husband and wife.

 

II) The husband inhabits an active role, is the owner of their property, and generally acts with greater authority.

 

III) The wife inhabits a supportive role, is the guarantor of the security of their family, and acts with the authority of the husband when the husband is not present.

 

IV) These roles are not strictly codified, but instead suggest an implicit agreement within their union, which permits general equality between the two.

 

V) There is an unbreakable trust between the two, as they are not beholden to any others within the union. 

 

If we are to most seriously strive to replicate Ex. Horen and St. Julia, then it is necessarily the case that we distinguish between what is mandated in the Holy Union and what is to be aspired to in marriage. Trust cannot be required by law, it is an impossibility, nor can the specific arrangement of the two partners and the exercising of their shared duties, but both can be aspired to throughout the course of the marriage. It follows from this that placing rules around the sex of those entering into matrimony is not required by God; if it were, then it would follow alongside the prohibitions of kin marriage and cross-racial marriage within the Scrolls. 

 

It could be argued that an ideal marriage in the eyes of the Lord is between a man and a woman, just as an ideal marriage involves the joint-death of the spouses, as both are contained in the example of Ex. Horen and St. Julia, but nowhere in the Scrolls are either of these cases required. Instead, both are merely suggested as points of aspiration within the ideal marriage, but are not legislated in the same manner as other such prohibitions, such as the necessity of marriage being between two and not containing many like in concubinage. 

 

It is in light of this examination that I come to the conclusion that there is the availability for debate of whether Holy Union must be between a man and a woman, or if the ambiguity within the Holy Scrolls allows for the interpretation, and therefore the practice, of matrimony between man and man or woman and woman. If nothing else, it would be of great use to establish universally-accepted definitions for ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.

 

Father Davide

[Publius 3666]

Monk Matsuda Sakuraba was told of another man of the cloth at the Monastery of St. Juli'el who had written on marriage, and took to looking over his work. After a few moments, he had realized that Father Davide had written perhaps the first ever comprehensive Canonist reflection on the possibility of homosexual marriage! The piece caught him completely off guard and challenged his sensibilities...

 

He reached out for further discussion with the young man.

[Hom 517]

Atticus Reinhold is visibly impressed as he finishes the final paragraphs of the analysis, a slight shake to his hand as he thumbs through the pages. The entire thing was a slight rollercoaster of emotion, if he had to be honest, yet- By the end, for one reason or another, he felt a sense of quiet elation. A tentative, but glimmering hope. He takes a steadying breath as he places the paper down, willing his excitement not to get the better of him. Instead he picks up a pen, looking to show his gratitude.
 

Spoiler

Father Davide,

I pray that this letter finds you in good health, and good spirits. I recently had the fortune to come across your writing regarding the roles of 'husband' and 'wife' as defined by the Holy Scrolls, and I was taken aback by the depths of your study. I mean this only in the most positive way, of course- Such a unique yet well-founded examination is rarely seen, and it has been some time since I was able to observe an interpretation of the texts that deviates from the most commonly accepted readings. On an academic level, this analysis is a work of art I will be referring back to for years to come.

On a personal level, you have imparted me with a sense of hope I had long since given up on. For many years, I have found difficulty when defining myself as a man of faith. My love and loyalty is always to GOD, but I wrestled with the worry that there was something within myself that spoke contrary to His own wishes. I feared, as many fear, that I was at fault for the conditions of my birth. Though I have since come to terms with my perceived imperfections, you have inspired me with the belief that I have not acted against His law in following my own happiness. For this, I must give you my thanks. Even if others do not share your view in the end, hope is a powerful and blessed thing.

GOD Bless,
An Anonymous Reader.

 

Edited February 16 by Hom

[thesmellypocket 1841]

"His entire argument resteth but on the weakest of premises: on redefining husband as active partner and wife as passive, and removing the element of the sexes. But the Flexio language doth not admit of this. For the word Vir can mean husband, but it can also mean man. And the word femina can mean simply woman, but it can also be used in the sense of a wife, especially in relation to a husband "femina sua" is used in the sense "his wife" but literally meaneth "his woman." As "Vir suus" meaneth "her husband" but literally "her man." Thus it is clear that the Flexio language clearly understandeth and defineth husband as "male" and wife as "female." This beeth naught but sophistry, a twisting of the plain meaning of the Scriptures in order to justify sins condemned by centuries of Church teaching." Writes Offa with concern to the High Pontiff, hearing of events from his trip to Churland with great distress.

 

"The Flexio literally saith et "Ego feci caritatem viri et uxoris." Literally: "man and wife." When I return to Aevos, I must needs do all in my power to silence this madman, who has drunk the spirit of the world and the vanity of the present age over and against Divine Revelation which cometh through meek submission to His ways, rather than imposing our own desires so wantonly in this manner."

[Nooblius 5794]

Markus Sarkozic recalls a memory of when he first encountered homosexual behavior, and rambles to a Numenedain knight.

 

“I can remember exactly when my epiphany was. I hadn’t thought much about it, to tell you the truth. I was a squire in Velec, and my papej was dropping me off. I remember I was about to get out of the cart, and I look to my right, two well-dressed men in wigs kissed each other. They gave each other a kiss. And I’ll never forget it, I looked at my papej, and he said, ‘Mark, it’s simple. They love each other. It’s simple,’ — now I’m not joking … And it’s never been, it’s never been … It’s just that simple. It doesn’t matter whether it’s same-sex or a heterosexual couple. They should be married. What is the problem?”

[Toffee 1108]

Adalfriede of Hexenwald pored over the paper, jotting notes in the margin with one hand while her other finger traced over the words of the Holy Scrolls. Her copy was lavishly illuminated, silvery gold ink reflecting the light of a candle nearly burned to a stump. Certainly an interesting, thoroughly researched opinion... though she had her own thoughts.