A thread on what Augustine of Hippo actually thought about marriage - because you probably won't read about it in most Christian articles on marriage and that's one of my pet peeves... (1/9)

This comes from an article by @CTmagazine in which the author argues that the Church needs to 'save' marriage as it declines both inside and outside the Church.
But we need to place this in Augustine's historical context and the context of his wider writings. (2/9)

Augustine wrote his 'On the Good of Marriage' in response to a contemporary debate about whether marriage was sinful or not. Some, like Jerome, argued that getting married was to tempt sexual sin, so remaining single was the best way to live a holy life. (3/9)

Whereas others, like Jovinian, argued that marriage and singleness were equal in the eyes of God.
So, where did Augustine fit? He took the middle ground. He argued that marriage was good, but singleness was to be preferred. (4/9)

This is why 'On the Good of Marriage' has a sister book 'Holy Virginity'. Here Augustine, quoting Paul, writes that marriage is good, but it can also be dangerous and distracting. Therefore, if someone can be celibate and single, they should be. (5/9)

For Augustine, if someone is single then they can seek God without the distractions and worries of marriage: (6/9)

Augustine was simply arguing that marriage was not sinful. To him, virginity (singleness, celibacy etc.) were still the preferred course of action - he even taught that married couples should return to celibacy after having children and encouraged widows to remain single. (7/9)

To quote Augustine's 'On the Good of Marriage' without referencing it's historical context or Augustine's wider thinking on relationships, distorts his thinking and perpetuates a false perception that marriage is the ideal and always has been in the history of the Church. (8/9)

Instead of thinking about how Christians need to 'save' marriage, I think Augustine would actually argue that we should direct our energy into helping single Christians pursue Christ, love their singleness and use all of the advantages it gives. (9/9)