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Thebride of Christ, or thelamb's wife,[1] is a metaphor used in a number of related verses in theChristianBible, specifically theNew Testament – in the Gospels, theBook of Revelation, the Epistles, with related verses in theOld Testament.
The identity of the bride is generally considered within Christian theology to be the church, withJesus 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.[2] Interpretations of the metaphor's usage vary fromchurch to church, with most believing that it always refers to the church.
The set of Christian beliefs that use wedding imagery are known asbridal theology. TheNew Testament often portrays communion with Jesus as a marriage, and God's reign as a wedding banquet.[3] This tradition in turn traces back to theHebrew Bible, especially allegorical interpretations of theSong of Songs (or Song of Solomon).[4]
In Christianity, bridal theology plays a role in the lives of those who become Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican nuns andreligious sisters; for this reason, nuns and religious sisters are often termed "brides of Christ".[5][6] Additionally, those who dedicate their lives asconsecrated virgins live as a "spouse of Christ", spending their lives devoted to serving in the local church and praying for all the faithful (being gifted abreviary after undergoing the rite).[7][8]Christian women in general have been described as brides of Christ.[6] Bridal theology has influenced the works of, among others,Henry Suso,Catherine of Siena,Teresa of Ávila,Gregory the Great andBernard of Clairvaux.[3]
TheGospel of John speaks of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom and mentions the bride:
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: thus my joy therefore is fulfilled.
— John 3:29,King James Version[9]
In the Gospels, when Jesus is asked why his disciples do not fast, but the followers ofJohn the Baptist and thePharisees do, Jesus answers:
And Jesus said unto them, Can the friends of the bridegroom fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
— Mark 2:19, King James Version[10]
In Matthew 9:15,[11] Mark 2:19[12] and Luke 5:34,[13] theApostles 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 theParable of the Ten Virgins:
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
— Matthew 25:1–13[14]
The Book of Revelation repeatedly mentions the appearance of the Bride:
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [...] And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God
— Revelation 21:2, 9–10, King James Version[15]
In this passage,John, the author of the Revelation, speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as theNew Jerusalem, first mentioned in Revelation 3:12.[16] The bride is mentioned again in Revelation 22:17:
And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let him that heareth say, "Come." And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
— Revelation 22:17,New International Version[17]
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In Ephesians 5:22–33,[18]the author compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church.[2] The central theme of the whole Ephesians letter is reconciliation of the alienated within the unity of the church.[2]Ephesians 5 begins by calling on Christians to imitate God and Christ, who gave himself up for them with love.[19] Verses 1–21 of the same chapter[20] 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."[21]
Theekklēsia 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",[22] this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ andekklēsia.[23] Husbands were exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved theekklēsia" and gave himself for it.[24] When Christ nourishes and cherishes theekklēsia, he nourishes and cherishes his own flesh, just as the husband, when he loves his wife, is loving his own flesh.[25] Members of theekklēsia are "members of his own body", interpreting Genesis 2:24[26] – "and the two shall become one flesh" – through the lens of the New Testament view of Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:32,[27] Paul quotes the Genesis passage as what has been called a "divine postscript".[28]
In writing to the Church of Corinth in2 Corinthians 11, 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:
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
— 2 Corinthians 11:2–4, King James Version[29]
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 regardnuns 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 wasGertrude the Great, a highly influential Christian mystic of the 13th century. It is known that, together with her friend and teacherMechtilde, Gertrude practiced a spirituality called "nuptial mysticism", and came to see herself as the bride of Christ.[30]
Bernard of Clairvaux, in his sermons on theSong of Songs, interprets the bride of Christ as the soul and the union thereof as the mystical union of the soul with Christ.[31]
Brautmystik (IPA /'brautˌmystik/), literally 'bride-mysticism', often rendered 'bridal mysticism' or 'nuptial mysticism' in English,[32] was a thirteenth-century Christian spiritual movement associated with theLow Countries.
It is particularly associated withBeatrice of Nazareth (d. 1268) andHadewijch of Antwerp (fl. c. 1250). The movement drew inspiration from the thought ofBernard of Clairvaux, particularly his thinking on the imagery of theCanticle. It was a form ofaffective piety. It is often associated with the more intellectual, speculative movement,Wesenmystik [Wikidata].[33]
The earliest Christian tradition identifies texts from the Hebrew Bible as symbolic of the divine love of God and people. The love poems of theSong of Songs and the latter prophetHosea have many references to an intimate, spousal relationship between God and his people.[34] The prophet Hosea notes his bride inchapter 2, verses 16 and following. The theme of bridal love is central in the dramatic marriage of Hosea (Hosea 1:2).
A similar concept existed inValentinian Gnosticism with the notion of theBridal Chamber, which involved a marriage to one's heavenly counterpart.[35][36] Some mystics take this "marriage" as a symbol of the union of the human soul with God.
