From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition

This newly revised and enlarged edition of John Witte's authoritative historical study explores the interplay of law, theology, and marriage in the Western tradition. Witte uncovers the core beliefs that formed the theological genetic code of Western marriage and family law. He explores the systematic models of marriage developed by Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, and Enlightenment thinkers, and the transformative influence of each model on Western marriage law. In addition, he traces the millennium-long reduction of marriage from a complex spiritual, social, contractual, and natural institution into a simple private contract with freedom of entrance, exercise, and exit for husband and wife alike.

This second edition updates and expands each chapter and the bibliography. It also includes three new chapters on classical, biblical, and patristic sources.

Author: John Witte Jr
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 01/31/2012
Pages: 414
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.32lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9780664234324

About the Author
Witte Jr, John: - John Witte Jr. is Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law, Alonzo L. McDonald Distinguished Professor, and Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. A world-renowned expert on church and state, he is the author or editor of numerous books and articles on the subject.