Marriage Between Christians and Non-Christians

Abstract

The theme of Christian marriage and its conditions is a recurring theme in Church law. The 2017 determination of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church “On the Canonical Aspects of Church Marriage” consolidated the Church's rulings in the area of marriage law in accordance with the requirements of modernity. In the fall of 2024, a draft document “On Issues Concerning Prayer with Non-Orthodox Christians” was submitted for Church-wide discussion, Section VI of which, in particular, stipulates the admission of mixed marriages: “The participation of a non-Orthodox Christian in the marriage ceremony in the case of such a marriage is implied by the very rite of the sacrament”. The question of the possibility of crowning a mixed marriage is also addressed in the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church (p. X.2). The historical solution of this question in the Orthodox Church is offered in the published translation of the article by the famous Orthodox canonist Nicodemus (Milash) “Marriage Between Christians and Non-Christians” (1907). The translation was made by Archpriest Alexander Zadornov, Associate Professor, according to the edition: Никодим (Милаш), еп. Брак између хришћана и нехришћана // Никодим (Милаш), еп. Дела. Књ. VII: Аутобиографија; студије; чланци. Београд; Шибеник: Истина, 2005. С. 783–796. In this publication, the subscripts are arranged in accordance with the original, reflecting the bibliographical and commentary traditions of the time of the text's creation.