Deuteronomy — Chapter 24
These annotations are from the original 1609 Douay Old Testament, the first complete English Catholic Bible translation, produced by English scholars in exile at the English College of Douai. The archaic spelling is preserved.
This content was digitized from the original 1609 Douay (Old Testament) and 1582 Rheims (New Testament) print editions by OCR. The OCR process sometimes confused print page numbers with verse numbers, and may have assigned annotations to the wrong chapter. Chapter and verse labels on this page reflect the OCR output from the original print pagination and may not correspond to canonical Scripture chapter/verse numbers. For canonical reference, consult a standard Douay-Rheims edition. The annotation texts themselves are authentic 1609/1582 Douay-Rheims content.
Verse 1
Dismisse her.] Whether this divorce was tolerated as a lesse sinne, to auoide a greater, as S. Hierome and S. Chrysostome and others teach; or dispensed withal, and so made lawful to the Iewes, which is also probable, for that none of the holie Prophets did euer reprehend it; sure it is, that Christ either by correcting a fault, or by recalling a former dispensation, restored the insolubilitie of marriage to the first institution, saying: (Mat. 19.) That which God hath ioyned together, let not man separate. Further answering the Pharisees, concerning this law, that for the hardnes of your harts permitted you to dismisse your wiues: but from the beginning it was not so. And albeit he alloweth separation of man and wife for fornication, yet for no cause neither of them can marie againe, so long as the other liueth. As S. Augustine (li. 1. de adulter. coniugijs. c. 11. & 12.) by conference of three Euangelistes words touching this point, plainely sheweth, concluding that for so much as holie Scripture calleth him that taketh a woman so dismissed, not a husband, but an adulterer, sinnes fit his wife, by whom for fornication she was dismissed. Likewise he proueth by S. Paules doctrine (Rom. 7. & 1. Cor. 7.) that though divorce be made for adulterie, yet neither the guiltie nor innocent partie can marie another, for the Apostle saith: A woman is under the law of her husband, so long as he liueth. If her husband be dead, she is loosed from his law. Therefore her husband living, she shall be called an adultresse, if she be with an other man. If she part, let her remaine unmaried, or be reconciled to her husband. — Whether the band of marriage could be loosed or no in the old law; amongst Christians it can not be dissolved.