Unequally Yoked

Published on September 28, 2005 By pseudosoldier In Religion

From 2 Corinthians 6:14 -
"Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition)

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (Memorial Edition, Holy Bible, Concordance)

Based on Deuteronomy 22:10 and Leviticus 19:19, which seem to be straight Judaic law, warning of yoking different animals together to plow fields. Asses and oxen have different strides, it seems, and this will not only make it harder on the animals but on the plowmaster.

But is Paul speaking strictly or even tangentially about marriage in the above? It seems that many Baptists interpret this passage as strictly related to marriage between Christians and non-Christians. It could be interpreted to include this, I would think, but it should also warn of other relationships, and it seems probable that Paul was warning against uneven business dealings more than anything else. In 1 Corinthians 7:12-16, Paul also wrote:

"To the rest I say, no the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace. Wife how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?"

While Paul admits that this is his opinion and not the Lord's, it strikes me as odd that he would include it and then later clarify this as "this is what you should do if you get in this situation, but don't get in this situation." Again, it's possible that's what he meant.

I'm open to hearing interpretations.

Comments

greywar

on Sep 28, 2005

Paul was never shy about making his opinions known and then stating them as behavioral codes. He made no bones about them being "God's will" or anything of the sort. The guy was pretty damn sure that he himself was a fine moral authority and that that should be good enough for his church. Keep in mind the massive schism opening between Pauline Christians outside of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem church itself headed by James the Just at the time and this makes a bit more sense.

Paul's church ended up with the last word in the end as the vast majority of the elders of the Jerusalem Church were wiped out during one of the many sacks of the city. Genocide as a healer of religious schism... who knew?

pseudosoldier

on Sep 28, 2005

Genocide as a healer of religious schism... who knew?

That begs the obvious answer of "God," but I should just let that rest.

I'm certainly not as up on my history as you. Any good links? Or should I just use your notes above as a Google pointer?

oleteach

on Sep 28, 2005

I think your interpretion is right on, pseudo. It could relate to all relationships but I do think, for the most part it refers to marriage. It just makes sense to seek marriage with a person who has the same basic beliefs, that is Christians with Christians. I am yoked right now with a Christian, a stong one, but he does not belong to the same church as I do. Sometimes I feel unevenly yoked because he is much more mature in his Christian faith than I am. :} We are very open about sharing and discussing our beliefs and their differences. It has been a great time in my life for enrichment. If two people are totally on different paths, It can lead to lots of arguments and tensions. Yet if someone is already yoked unevenly... it is no excuse to seek divorse.

greywar

on Sep 30, 2005

Yet if someone is already yoked unevenly... it is no excuse to seek divorse.

I agree. I would point to my childhood friend Danny whose father was a Roman Catholic and whose mother was a Jehovah's witness. I beleive they are at around 30+ years of marriage now with neither one converting.

greywar

on Sep 30, 2005

Any good links?

While Paul's letters to the congregations are a good starting point. He makes frequent moral decisions on his while obliquely refers to "other members of the church" or "other churches" doing or saying things that contradict him.

Historically speaking it is a mixed bag on the net since most of the bits put up are authored by utter whackjobs from one ideology or another. Piers Paul Read is a pretty decent conventional historian. I highly recommend this book for a Middle Ages Church history.

For early church history? Good luck really. There are a lot of sources out there that do fairly good research and use it to leap to pretty loony conclusions but they are worth reading for simple background.

pseudosoldier

on Sep 30, 2005

are a lot of sources out there that do fairly good research and use it to leap to pretty loony conclusions

I seem to recall you keeping some of those around work at some point. I'm certain they're all gone now.

I'll keep an eye out for Read and the book you linked to. Not sure what kind of reaction it might garner in my household, though... or when I'd find time to read it.

Spc Nobody Special

on Oct 02, 2005

Genocide as a healer of religious schism... who knew?

Bad, naughty greywar......smite thee! smitey smite smite!!!!!!

For early church history?

Acts???..........nah, no gnostics..................dan brown would never write a book about that.................

greywar

on Oct 03, 2005

dan brown would never write a book about that

Liked the books but you don't get very far recommending works of modern fiction as sources (even in religion).

pseudosoldier

on Oct 03, 2005

Liked the books but you don't get very far recommending works of modern fiction as sources (even in religion).

Besides, I've already read them.

Still haven't ordered these, but I'm hip deep in other reading right now. (History text, two self-help books, the weekly readings in the Bible, some zen stuff, soon to be Philosophy textbook.) They're on the list...

pseudosoldier

on Oct 06, 2005

I think your interpretion is right on, pseudo. It could relate to all relationships but I do think, for the most part it refers to marriage.

Honestly, that's the most common interpretation I've seen, and was somewhat hoping someone would disagree with it... This interpretation seems to be most common among Baptists, but they also seem to post on the 'net more than Catholics.

Still, I think that the quote is a directive to be followed *before* marriage, and that 1 COR 7:12-16 would take precedence if you then found yourself "unequally yoked" after the fact.

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