Tag: celibacy

Here is the link to this week’s article: https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/of-marriage-of-priests/

This article deals with the issue of clerical celibacy. Are priests allowed to get married? Are vows of celibacy binding?

In answer to the first question, the reformers concluded that there is no Biblical reason to forbid marriage. Old Testament priests were not forbidden to marry.

The Bible indicates that Peter and at least some of the other apostles were married (Matt. 8:14-15; Luke 8:38-40; 1 Cor. 9:5). Further, the list of qualifications for a pastor includes the requirement that he only have one wife (1 Tim. 3:2). While this is probably intended as a prohibition of polygamy (not of single men serving the church), it does suggest that marriage was normal for pastors in the early church.

It’s true that in 1 Corinthians 7:7, St. Paul seems to suggest that he himself is single and that he wishes everyone else was also. However, he also acknowledges that his particular gift is unique.

The second question is harder to deal with. Vows should be kept (Deut. 3:21-23). But what if the vow itself is wrong? There are some examples of this in scripture (Judges 11; 1 Sam. 14:14-52).

In medieval times, vows of celibacy were often taken impulsively by young people who later came to regret them. The whole system led to severe abuses: since they could not marry, many priests had mistresses, and the church often turned a blind eye to such sexual sins.

Because marriage is established by God, no one should forbid it: hence, the reformers concluded that vows of celibacy required by the church were contrary to God’s law and were invalid.

On June 13, 1525, Martin Luther put this teaching into practice when he married Katharina von Bora.