Joseph Martin Kronheim - The Sunday at Home 1880 - Revelation 22-17

The bride of Christ, or the lamb's wife, is a metaphor used in number of related verses in the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

, specifically the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

– in the Gospels, the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

, the Epistles, with related verses in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

. The identity of the bride is generally considered within Christian theology to be the church, with

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

as the bridegroom; Ephesians 5:22–33 in particular compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. It is a favorite ecclesial image. Interpretations of the metaphor's usage vary from church to church, with most believing that it always refers to the church. The set of Christian beliefs that use wedding imagery are known as bridal theology. The

often portrays communion with Jesus as a marriage, and God's reign as a wedding banquet. This tradition in turn traces back to the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Song of Songs The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...

(or Song of Solomon). In Christianity, bridal theology plays a role in the lives of those who become Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican nuns and

religious sisters A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and lab ...

; for this reason, nuns and religious sisters are often termed "brides of Christ". Additionally, those who dedicate their lives as

consecrated virgin In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity as a bride of Christ. Consecrated virgins are consecrated by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical ...

s live as a "spouse of Christ", spending their lives devoted to serving in the local church and praying for all the faithful (being gifted a

breviary A breviary () is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such as Aberdeen Breviar ...

after undergoing the rite). Expanding on this, in '' The Harvard Ichthus'', Jane Thomas explained that in a sense, all Christian women are brides of Christ: Bridal theology has influenced the works of, among others,

Henry Suso Henry Suso, OP (also called Amandus, a name adopted in his writings, and Heinrich Seuse or Heinrich von Berg in German; 21 March 1295 – 25 January 1366) was a German Dominican friar and the most popular vernacular writer of the fourteenth c ...

Catherine of Siena Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rom ...

and

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

Christ as a bridegroom

The

Gospel of John The Gospel of John () is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "Book of Signs, signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the ...

speaks of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom and mentions the bride: In the Gospels, when Jesus is asked why his disciples do not fast, but the followers of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

and the

Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...

do, Jesus answers: In Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19 and Luke 5:34, the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

are referred to as the friends, guests, or children – depending on the translation – of the bridegroom commonly accepted to be Jesus Christ. The bridegroom is also mentioned in the

Parable of the Ten Virgins The Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins or the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, is one of the parables of Jesus. According to , ten virgins await a bridegroom; five have brought enough oil fo ...

Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation repeatedly mentions the appearance of the Bride: In this passage,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, the author of the Revelation, speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as the

New Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the capital of the ...

, first mentioned in Revelation 3:12. The bride is mentioned again in Revelation 22:17: The Greek word used for 'bride' is , as in Revelation 21:2, 9, (cf., 18:23; 22:17). This word, , is understood to mean 'a son's wife,' or 'daughter-in-law,' -'bride.' Revelation 19:7, which has , means 'wife' or 'woman'; despite the potential translation of the term in Revelation 19:7 as 'woman', the context of the verse is marriage, and numerous Bible translations (such as the New International Version,

New Living Translation The New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published in 1996 by Tyndale House, Tyndale House Foundation, the NLT was created "by 90 leading Bible scholars." The NLT relies on recently published Text ...

English Standard Version The English Standard Version (ESV) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently pu ...

, etc.) are consistent in translating as 'bride' in this instance.

Comparing the church to a bride

In Ephesians 5:22–33, the author compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church.Osiek, Carolyn. "The Bride of Christ: a problematic wedding - Ephesians 5:22-33." ''Biblical Theology Bulletin, Spring, 2002.'' Web: 20 Oct 2010

/ref> The central theme of the whole Ephesians letter is reconciliation of the alienated within the unity of the church.

Ephesians 5 Ephesians 5 is the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Traditionally, it is believed to be written by Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62). More recently, it is suggest ...

begins by calling on Christians to imitate God and Christ, who gave himself up for them with love. Verses 1–21 of the same chapter contain a rather strong warning against foolishness and letting down one's guard against evil. Rather, the author encourages the readers to constantly give thanks with song in their hearts because of what God has done for all in Christ. The prelude to the subject's text takes up again the theme of loving submission that began with the example of Christ in Ephesians 5:2: "Be submissive to one another out of reverence for Christ." It implies that the "Bride" is the body of believers that comprise the universal Christian (; Church). The is never explicitly called "the bride of Christ" in the New Testament. That is approached in Ephesians 5:22–33. A major analogy is that of the body. Just as husband and wife are to be "one flesh", this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and . Husbands were exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved the " and gave himself for it. When Christ nourishes and cherishes the , he nourishes and cherishes his own flesh, just as the husband, when he loves his wife, is loving his own flesh. Members of the are "members of his own body", interpreting Genesis 2:24 – "and the two shall become one flesh" – through the lens of the New Testament view of Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:32, Paul quotes the Genesis passage as what has been called a "divine postscript".Stagg, Frank. ''New Testament Theology.'' Broadman, 1962. In writing to the Church of Corinth in

2 Corinthians 11 2 Corinthians 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Timothy ( 2 Corinthians 1:1) in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. According to theologi ...

, Paul writes to warn the community of false teachers who would teach of another Christ, and to confess his concern that they will believe someone who teaches a false Christ, other than Christ Jesus of Nazareth whom he preached; Paul referred to the Church in Corinth as being espoused to Christ: In the writing to the Church in Rome, Paul writes, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (

Romans 7 Romans 7 is the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who add ...

, King James Version). Here, Paul seems to suggest that the Church is to be married to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was raised from the dead.

Other interpretations

Nuns as brides of Christ

While the most commonly accepted interpretation of the bride of Christ is the Church, there are other, uncommon interpretations. A possible alternate interpretation is to regard

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s as being brides of Christ, with their taking monastic vows regarded as a "marriage" to Christ, and their keeping their vows as being faithful to their husband. A notable promoter of that interpretation was

Gertrude the Great Gertrude the Great or Gertrude of Helfta (January 6, 1256 – November 17, 1302) was a German Benedictine nun and mystic who was a member of the Monastery of Helfta. While herself a Benedictine, she had strong ties to the Cistercian Order; her ...

, a highly influential Christian mystic of the 13th century. It is known that, together with her friend and teacher Mechtilde, Gertrude practiced a spirituality called "nuptial mysticism", and came to see herself as the bride of Christ.

Bernard of Clairvaux

, in his sermons on the

Song of Songs The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...

, interprets the bride of Christ as the soul and the union thereof as the mystical union of the soul with Christ.

Brautmystik

Brautmystik (IPA /'brautˌmystik/), literally 'bride-mysticism', often rendered 'bridal mysticism' or 'nuptial mysticism' in English, was a thirteenth-century Christian spiritual movement associated with the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

. It is particularly associated with

Beatrice of Nazareth Beatrice of Nazareth (; 1200 – 1268), also known as Beatrice of Tienen, was a Flemish Cistercian nun, visionary and mystic. Remembered chiefly through a medieval adaptation of her writings, of which the originals are now mostly lost, ...

(d. 1268) and Hadewijch of Antwerp (fl. c. 1250). The movement drew inspiration from the thought of

, particularly his thinking on the imagery of the ''

Canticle In the context of Christian liturgy, a canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a psalm-like song with biblical lyrics taken from elsewhere than the Book of Psalms, but included in psalters and books su ...

''. It was a form of

affective piety Affective piety is most commonly described as a style of highly emotional devotion to the humanity of Jesus, particularly in his infancy and his death, and to the joys and sorrows of the Virgin Mary. It was a major influence on many varieties of de ...

. It is often associated with the more intellectual, speculative movement, .

Old Testament

The earliest Christian tradition identifies texts from the Hebrew Bible as symbolic of the divine love of God and people. The love poems of the

and the latter prophet

Hosea In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea ( or ; ), also known as Osee (), son of Beeri, was an 8th-century BC prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is the first of the Twelve Minor Prophets, whose collective writing ...

have many references to an intimate, spousal relationship between God and his people. The prophet Hosea notes his bride in

chapter 2 Chapter Two refers to the second chapter in a book. Chapter Two, Chapter 2, or Chapter II may also refer to: Film * ''Chapter Two'' (film), a 1979 adaptation of Neil Simon's play * '' KGF: Chapter 2'', 2022 Indian period action film * '' Khuda H ...

, verses 16 and following. The theme of bridal love is central in the dramatic marriage of Hosea ( Hosea 1:2).

Analogous concepts

A similar concept existed in

Valentinian Gnosticism Valentinianism was one of the major Gnostic Christian movements. Founded by Valentinus ( CE – CE) in the 2nd century, its influence spread widely, not just within the Roman Empire but also from northwest Africa to Egypt through to Asia Minor an ...

with the notion of the

Bridal Chamber Valentinianism was one of the major Gnostic Christian movements. Founded by Valentinus ( CE – CE) in the 2nd century, its influence spread widely, not just within the Roman Empire but also from northwest Africa to Egypt through to Asia Minor an ...

, which involved a marriage to one's heavenly counterpart. Philip L. Tite
''Valentinian Ethics and Paraenetic Discourse''
/ref> Some mystics take this "marriage" as a symbol of the union of the human soul with God.

Notes

{{commons, Mystic marriage, Bridal theology

External links

Christian article on who the "Bride of Christ" is
* Don Christopher Nugent, 'The Harvest of Hadewijch: Brautmystik and Wesenmystik', ''Mystics Quarterly'', 12.3 (September 1986), 119–26, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20716745. Polygamy in Christianity Biblical phrases Christian terminology Ecclesiology Jesus in Christianity Women in the New Testament Marriage in Christianity Gender in the Bible Christian mysticism History of Christianity in Belgium