Marriage In The Western Church The Christianization of Marriage During the Patristic and Early Medieval Periods

This book examines the manner in which marriage acquired
a specifically Christian identity in the Latin West during the
first millennium after Christ. It is not concerned with the actual
married life of Christians during this period (a matter about
which we know very little) , but rather with the manner in which
men of the Church understood and regulated marriage. Thus
it deals with a Christian concept of marriage and with how bishops
and theologians developed their own understanding of the
nature and purpose of marriage in the light of the Gospel.