Bishop Josephus Meile (†1957) claims in *Die jungfräulichen Seelen in der Welt* (*The Virgin Souls in the World* ) p. 28 that >At the time of the *wedding at Cana*, as the Fathers of the Church testify, Mary was married as the new Eve to Christ as the New Adam. The new wine of Cana symbolizes the love that unites the King and the Queen.
Bei der *Hochzeit zu Kana*, so bezeugen uns die Kirchenväter, ist Maria als neue Eva mit Christus als neuem Adam vermählt worden. Durch den neuen Wein von Kana wird die Liebe versinnbildet, welche den König und die Königin verbindet. Which "Fathers of the Church" say the **wedding at Cana** was that of the **New Eve marrying the New Adam?**

## Background The Hebrew bible and New Testament make numerous references to the concept of marriage (Exodus 21:10; Genesis 2:24) and even include stories involving weddings such as the famous Wedding at Cana . The NT also includes numerous commands for married couples such as Ephesians 5:22-33. However neither the Hebrew bible nor NT define what is involved in getting married, or what constitutes a wedding. In contrast, Jewish laws of *kiddushin* describe three ways a marriage can occur: sexual intercourse, a legal document, or the exchange of money . ## Question How have Protestants as *Sola Scriptura* proponents defined the boundaries of acceptable weddings without a corresponding biblical definition? Do they rely wholly on the state? How do they define when a couple is religiously considered married?

I was wondering in what conditions a believer could make a religious marriage with an atheist/agnostic in the Orthodox church. In some places I read that this is fully impossible, but some people told me that this could be accepted in some places. NB: is it different in eastern and western Europe?

[It is in the news](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/15/church-of-england-backs-plans-for-blessings-of-same-sex-weddings) that the Church of England is conducting standalone services to bless the weddings of same-sex couples. These are described as trials/experimental. I know nothing about how such things are done in the theological world, but I know a little about how clinical trials are prepared in the biomedical world. When doing clinical trials in the UK for example there is a [whole convoluted procedure that one must go through](https://www.ct-toolkit.ac.uk/routemap/) , some of the important points that must be documented and approved before the trial is authorised: - What is the objective of the study - What data will be collected - How that data will meet the objective of the study - What magnitude of effect is expected - How likely the study is to demonstrate the effect given the true magnitude of effect Is this sort of information published about this sort of study? Do we know precisely what question they are trying to answer, how the trial will do that and what the chance of getting a conclusive result is given various underlying realities?

My fiancee and I are not believers or members of any Christian church. Consequently, we are planning a civil wedding ceremony. That said, our parents and most of our guests are either Catholic or identify as Christian. To make our guests comfortable, we thought of inviting a Catholic priest or minister of some other Christian denomination to preach. Google makes clear that Catholic priests aren't allowed to officiate at weddings where neither party is Catholic and the wedding takes place outside a Catholic church, and I expect most other churches follow similar restrictions. What's less clear is whether a Christian minister is allowed to *preach* at a civil wedding. From what I understand, ministers are allowed to preach anywhere to anyone and have a Biblical mandate to do so when given the opportunity. So would a Christian minister be allowed to preach at a civil wedding if somebody else officiated?

A friend of mine who is a Christian made a mistake and lost her virginity before marriage. According to the rules of the Assemblies of God denomination, can she still have a church wedding?

Would it be legitimate in the eyes of the Church if two Catholics eloped civilly prior to receiving a Catholic wedding - then later enter in to a canonically valid marriage after the 8 month waiting/marriage prep. period required by the Catholic church is over?

My husband is Roman Catholic and I m Pentecostal. We married under a lot of pressure with no family members present. After much strife our families have agreed We have been trying to book a notice of marriage and are waiting for a reply. We may have to opt for a Convalidation which would destroy our families again as they might find out what we felt we had to do. We understand that a nuptial mass and a Convalidation are essentially the same But are registers still signed in a Convalidation ceremony?

The Catholic theologian & bishop Fulton Sheen wrote about (emphasis added) the Marriage Feast at Cana : > Sometimes these Eastern marriages lasted for seven days, but in the > case of the poorer people, for only two. Whatever was the case, at > Cana, at some period of the entertainment the wine suddenly ran out. > This was very embarrassing because of the passionate devotion of the > Eastern people to hospitality, and also because of the mortification > it offered to the wedded pair. It is permitted us to conjecture why > the wine should have failed. This was a wine country, and it is very > likely that the host laid in an abundant supply. **The explanation for > the deficiency is probably the fact that Our Blessed Lord did not come > alone. He brought with Him His disciples, and this apparently threw a > heavy burden upon the store of wine.** Our Lord and His disciples had > already been journeying for three days and had covered a distance of > ninety miles. The disciples were thus so hungry, and so thirsty, that > it was a wonder that the food did not give out as well as the wine. > Since wine was a symbol of mirth and health to the people, it was > important that their need be filled-as an old Hebrew proverb put it: > "Where wine is wanting, doctors thrive." What have other Catholic scholars written on the wine consumption at the wedding of Cana?

Proponents of a rapture sometimes say that Jewish weddings staged a mock kidnapping of the bride, which is a symbol for the future rapture of the church. For example [another answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/16808/6071) quotes [Nancy Missler who writes](http://www.khouse.org/articles/2011/987) > The second part of the Jewish marriage was called the nissuin or the marriage ceremony itself. The groom often surprised his bride by his unexpected or early return. > >All Jewish brides were said to be “stolen, caught up, or snatched up by surprise.” The bride was then led to the groom’s house by a wedding procession of women carrying lighted lamps, similar to the Parable of the Ten Virgins This aspect of rapture theology would make a lot of sense if it were true. There would be a strong multi-stage parallel between the Jewish wedding custom and the history of the Church: - an initial betrothal - the departure of the groom for a time to build a house (John 14:2-3), while the bride prepares herself (Rev 19:7) - the surprise return of the groom who snatches away the bride for a short time - the public wedding ceremony and banquet with the families and community (many passages use a wedding banquet as a symbol for the afterlife) The surprise return of the groom is easy to see in, for example, the parable of the ten virgins/bridesmaids (Matt 25:1-13), but I'm sceptical of the staging of a mock kidnapping of the bride. I haven't seen rapture proponents give any reliable references to ancient Jewish sources describing such a custom. So is there evidence of such a custom? Or should I conclude that it was made up by rapture proponents?

My daughter has decided to have a non-catholic/non-religious wedding. There does not seem to be any possibility of changing her mind mostly due to her fiance. Needless to say this has caused some "discomfort" within my family. While I know that the wedding can not be blessed by the Catholic Church, is there any type of a Catholic blessing or prayer that I can give at the wedding or at the wedding reception? I am at a loss as to what else I can do.