Marriage from an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Perspective Part I: Introduction

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, marriage is not a social contract but a sacred covenant (ቃል ኪዳን) with deep theological and spiritual significance. It is a divine union established by God, blessed by the Church, and intended to foster love, unity, procreation, and spiritual growth. This essay explores the foundational purposes of marriage within this tradition, its theological foundation, its sacramental nature, and its role in guiding individuals toward holiness and mutual support in Christ.

Marriage in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) is a holy and sacramental union between a man and a woman—established by God, sanctified by the Church, and intended for love, unity, procreation, and spiritual growth. It is not a contract but a divine covenant that reflects the relationship between Christ and His Church, blessed through the sacrament of Holy Matrimony (ቅዱስ ጋብቻ).

The Purpose of Marriage within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Marriage serves multiple purposes within the Church, all focused on spiritual and familial growth:

Union and Love: A holy marriage unites a man and a woman in a sacred bond, centered on love and mutual respect. The Holy Scriptures affirm: “ስለዚህ ሰው አባቱንና እናቱን ይተዋል፥ በሚስቱም ይጣበቃል፤ ሁለቱም አንድ ሥጋ ይሆናሉ።” (Genesis 2:24). Likewise, Ephesians 5:25 instructs: “ባሎች ሆይ፥ ክርስቶስ ደግሞ ቤተ ክርስቲያንን እንደ ወደዳት ሚስቶቻችሁን ውደዱ፤”—highlighting the selfless love that husbands must have for their wives.

Procreation and Raising Godly Children: One of the fundamental purposes of marriage is to bring forth and raise children in the faith. The Lord's command in Genesis 1:28 declares: “እግዚአብሔርም ባረካቸው፥ እንዲህም አላቸው፦ ብዙ፥ ተባዙ፥ ምድርንም ሙሉአት...” Likewise, Malachi 2:15 emphasizes the importance of raising a godly lineage: “እግዚአብሔር የሕይወትን መንፈስ አንድ አድርጎ ጠብቆልን የለምን? እርሱም የሚፈልገው ምንድር ነው? ዘር አይደለምን? ስለዚህ መንፈሳችሁን ጠብቁ፥ ማንም የልጅነት ሚስቱን አያታልል። This underscores the sacred duty of parents to raise a faithful and spiritually strong generation.

Spiritual Growth and Mutual Support: Marriage serves as a path to holiness, where spouses strengthen and encourage each other in faith. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 states: "ድካማቸው መልካም ዋጋ አለውና አንድ ብቻ ከመሆን ሁለት መሆን ይሻላል። ቢወድቁ አንዱ ሁለተኛውን ያነሣዋልና፤ አንዱ ብቻውን ሆኖ በወደቀ ጊዜ ግን የሚያነሣው ሁለተኛ የለውምና ወዮለት።" Likewise, 1 Peter 3:7 instructs husbands to honor and support their wives: "እንዲሁም፥ እናንተ ባሎች ሆይ፥ ደካማ ፍጥረት ስለ ሆኑ ከሚስቶቻችሁ ጋር በማስተዋል አብራችሁ ኑሩ፤ ጸሎታችሁ እንዳይከለከል አብረው ደግሞ የሕይወትን ጸጋ እንደሚወርሱ አድርጋችሁ አክብሩአቸው።" These verses emphasize the role of marriage in fostering mutual support, love, and spiritual growth.

Sanctification and Protection Against Sin: Marriage helps believers maintain purity and live a disciplined life. 1 Corinthians 7:2 states: “ነገር ግን ስለ ዝሙት ጠንቅ ለእያንዳንዱ ለራሱ ሚስት ትኑረው ለእያንዳንዲቱ ደግሞ ለራስዋ ባል ይኑራት።” Likewise, Hebrews 13:4 affirms the sanctity of marriage: "መጋባት በሁሉ ዘንድ ክቡር መኝታውም ንጹሕ ይሁን፤ ሴሰኞችንና አመንዝሮችን ግን እግዚአብሔር ይፈርድባቸዋል።" These verses undrescore marriage as a sacred (የተቀደሰ) and protected (የተጠበቀ) union, guiding believers toward holiness.

A Reflection of Christ and the Church: Marriage symbolizes the sacred bond between Christ and His Church. Ephesians 5:31-32 states: “ስለዚህ ሰው አባቱንና እናቱን ይተዋል ከሚስቱም ጋር ይተባበራል ሁለቱም አንድ ሥጋ ይሆናሉ። ይህ ምሥጢር ታላቅ ነው፥ እኔ ግን ይህን ስለ ክርስቶስና ስለ ቤተ ክርስቲያን እላለሁ።” This passage reveals marriage as a profound mystery (ምሥጢር), mirroring the divine union of Christ and His Church.

The Theological Foundation of Marriage

The foundation of marriage is deeply rooted in Scripture, with both the Old and New Testaments affirming its sacred nature. Genesis 2:24 provides a key understanding of its divine establishment: “ስለዚህ ሰው አባቱንና እናቱን ይተዋል፥ በሚስቱም ይጣበቃል፤ ሁለቱም አንድ ሥጋ ይሆናሉ።” This verse highlights the unity and permanence of marriage.

Christ Himself affirms this sacred bond in Matthew 19:5: “ስለዚህ ሰው አባቱንና እናቱን ይተዋል፥ ከሚስቱም ጋር ይተባበራል፥ ሁለቱም አንድ ሥጋ ይሆናሉ የሚለውን ቃል አላነበባችሁምን?” His words emphasize the sanctity and permanence of marriage in Christian life.

In the EOTC, marriage emphasizes not only the importance of love and union but also of mutual sanctification (መቀደስ) and spiritual growth (መንፈሳዊ ዕድገት). The Church views marriage as both a divine calling and a spiritual discipline that requires mutual respect, dedication, and a shared commitment to the growth of both partners in Christ.

Marriage is not something that one enters into to seek wealth, beauty, or material possessions, but a sacred vocation meant to foster spiritual growth and virtuous living. Matthew 16:26 underscores this belief “ሰው ዓለሙን ሁሉ ቢያተርፍ ነፍሱንም ቢያጐድል ምን ይጠቅመዋል?” highlighting that no worldly possessions or material wealth can provide the true fulfillment found in spiritual growth and virtuous living.

Marriage in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Tradition

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, marriage is a sacrament (ምስጢር), blessed by the Church and guided by its traditions. The marriage ceremony is a sacred occasion, filled with prayers, blessings, and the holy exchange of promises. This sacramental understanding of marriage highlights its significance not only as a personal commitment but also as a covenant (ቃል ኪዳን) before God and within the Church community.

Conclusion

Marriage in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is far more than a personal commitment; it is a divine sacrament that mirrors the sacred union between Christ and His Church. Through its teachings, rituals, and sacramental nature, marriage fosters love, unity, procreation, spiritual growth, and holiness. It is both a personal and communal covenant, deeply rooted in faith and dedicated to the fulfillment of God's will for love, unity, procreation, and sanctification in the lives of believers.