It is actually
reported that there
is sexual immorality
among you,
and such sexual
immorality as is
not even named among
the Gentiles --
that a man has his
father's wife!
And you are puffed
up, and have not
rather mourned, who
has done this deed
might be taken away
from among you.
1 Corinthians 5: 1 --
2
Paul after
having laid the foundation for what he is about to address holds back no longer
in addressing the situation that is occurring in the Corinthian church. Very often, I have heard of the immorality
of the Roman empire and this immorality that is spoken of as occur as the Roman
empire became more affluent and the people themselves became more
affluent. There is a direct parallel of
this immorality with them the Roman Empire that we can see in our culture
today; unfortunately as it was happening in the Corinthian church it is also
happening in many of the Christian churches today. Corinth was a city under the rule of the
Roman empire and was obliged to follow Roman law albeit that they did have some
freedom in regards to commerce and other issues but not in regard to that which
is called; " Incestum." What is: " Incestum?" INCESTUM
or INCESTUS. Incestum is non castum,
and signifies generally all immoral and irreligious acts. In a narrower sense
it denotes the unchastity of a Vestal, and sexual intercourse of persons within
certain degrees of consanguinity. If a man married a woman whom it was
forbidden for him to marry by positive morality (moribus),
he was said to commit incestum (Dig. 23 tit. 2 s39). Such a
marriage was in fact no marriage, for the necessary connubium
(sexual union between a married couple, man and woman, that sealed the marriage
union) between the parties was wanting. Accordingly, incestum
is the sexual connection of a male and a female, whether under the form of
marriage or not, if such persons cannot marry by reason of consanguinity. There
was no connubium between persons related by blood in
the direct line, as parents and children. If such persons contracted a marriage
it was Nefariae et Incestae nuptiae. There was no connubium between persons who stood in the relation of
parent and child by adoption, not even after the adopted child was emancipated.
There were also restrictions as to connubium between
collateral kinsfolk (ex transverso gradu cognationis: reversing the degree of relationship):
there was no connubium between brothers and sisters,
either of the whole or of the half blood; nor between children of the blood and
children by adoption, so long as the adoption continued, or so long as the
children of the blood remained in the power of the father. There was connubium between an uncle and his brother's daughter, after
the emperor Claudius had set the example by marrying Agrippina; but there was
none between an uncle and a sister's daughter. There was no connubium
between a man and his amita or matertera
(maternal or paternal aunt) [Cognati];
nor between a man and his socrus, nurus,
privigna or noverca. In all
such cases when there was no connubium, the children
had a mother, but no legal father.
Incest between persons in the direct line was punishable in
both parties; in other cases only in the man. The punishment was Relegatio, as in the case of adultery. Concubinage between
near kinsfolk was put on the same footing as marriage (Dig. 23 tit. 2 s56). In
the case of adulterium and stuprum
between persons who had no connubium, there was a
double offence: the man was punished with deportatio,
and the woman was subject to the penalties of the Lex Julia (Dig. 48 tit. 18 s5). Among
slaves there was no incestum, but after they became
free their marriages were regulated according to the analogy of connubium among free persons. It was incestum to have knowledge of a vestal virgin, and both
parties were punished with death.
That which was stuprum, was
considered incestum when the connection was between
parties who had no connubium. Incestum,
therefore, was stuprum, aggravated by the circumstance
of real or legal consanguinity, and, in some cases, affinity. It was not the
form of marriage between such persons that constituted the incestum;
for the nuptiae were incestae,
and therefore no marriage, and the incestuous act was the sexual connection of
the parties. Sometimes incestum is said to be contra fas, that is, an act in violation of religion. The
rules as to Incestum were founded partly on the Jus Gentium and partly on the Jus Civile;
but the distinction did not exist in the early periods, and the rules as to Incestum were only such as were recognized by the Jus Gentium. Though the rules as to Incestum
were afterwards more exactly determined by the Jus Civile,
there does not seem to have been any complete lex on
the matter. The Lex Julia de adulteriis only treated Incestum
incidentally, or so far as it was also adultery: but the jurists connected all
the imperial legislation on this matter and their own interpretation with the
Lex Julia. (Rein, Das Criminalrecht der Römer, p869, &c.)[1]
This
article along with some of my notes has been included so that you can fully
understand that what the Corinthian for doing was not only against God's law but
also against the Roman law. With this
groundwork now being set so that we understand what the Corinthian were doing
and needed to be addressed and settled.
Unfortunately the Corinthian's had become so puffed up that they were
allowing this sexual immorality even though it was against God's law. They were not mourning this sin that was
infecting the Christians and were allowing such liberality even
occurring in many churches in this present age. What should we do as Christians?
Should we allow such liberality?
What did Paul do to address this problem and settle this issue according
to Scripture? A final question: are you
willing to follow the advice given by Paul and inspired by the Holy Spirit? Your answer to this question will determine
for you and others whether or not you are truly convicted and are committed to
follow Jesus Christ and to deny yourself so that you become in His image. Tomorrow, I will continue to address what
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and for us today. I pray that you are courageous and convicted and committed
totally to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth
pass away,
not one jot or one tittle will
by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever
therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments,
and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven;
but whoever
does and teaches them, he shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5: 18 -- 19
Bring the truth, the Gospel, to your world
Richard L. Crumb
[1]
Long, George M.A: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John
Murray, London, 1875: p633 of
William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
No comments:
Post a Comment