The bride of Christ, or the lamb's wife,[1] is a metaphor used in number of related verses in the Christian Bible, specifically the New Testament – in the Gospels, the Book of Revelation, the Epistles, with related verses in the Old Testament.
The identity of the bride is generally considered within Christian theology to be the church, with Jesus 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 New Testament portrayal of communion with Jesus as a marriage, and God's reign as a wedding banquet.[2] This tradition in turn traces back to the Hebrew Bible, especially allegorical interpretations of the erotic Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon).[3]
In Christianity, bridal theology plays a role in the lives of those who become Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican nuns and religious sisters; for this reason, nuns and religious sisters are often termed "brides of Christ".[4] Additionally, those who dedicate their lives as consecrated 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 a breviary after undergoing the rite).[5] [6] Expanding on this, in The Harvard Ichthus, Jane Thomas explained that in a sense, all Christian women are brides of Christ:[7]
Bridal theology has influenced the works of, among others, Henry Suso, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Ávila, Gregory the Great and Bernard of Clairvaux.[2]
The Gospel of John 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 and the Pharisees do, Jesus answers:
In Matthew 9:15,[8] Mark 2:19[9] and Luke 5:34,[10] the Apostles 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 Book of Revelation repeatedly mentions the appearance of the Bride:
In this passage, John, the author of the Revelation, speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as the New Jerusalem, first mentioned in Revelation 3:12.[11] The bride is mentioned again in Revelation 22:17:
The Greek word used for 'bride' is Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: νύμφη|nymphē, as in Revelation 21:2, 9, (cf., 18:23; 22:17). This word, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: νύμφη, is understood to mean 'a son's wife,' or 'daughter-in-law,' -'bride.' Revelation 19:7, which has Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γυνὴ|gynē|label=none, 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, English Standard Version, etc.) are consistent in translating Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: γυνὴ as 'bride' in this instance.
In Ephesians 5:22–33,[12] the author compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church.[13] The central theme of the whole Ephesians letter is reconciliation of the alienated within the unity of the church. Ephesians 5 begins by calling on Christians to imitate God and Christ, who gave himself up for them with love.[14] Verses 1–21 of the same chapter[15] 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."[16] 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",[17] this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and .[18] Husbands were exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved the " and gave himself for it.[19] 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.[20] Members of the are "members of his own body", interpreting Genesis 2:24[21] – "and the two shall become one flesh" – through the lens of the New Testament view of Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:32,[22] Paul quotes the Genesis passage as what has been called a "divine postscript".[23]
In writing to the Church of Corinth in 2 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:
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, 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.
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 nuns 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, 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.[24]
Bernard of Clairvaux, in his sermons on the Song of Songs, interprets the bride of Christ as the soul and the union thereof as the mystical union of the soul with Christ.[25]
Brautmystik (IPA /'brautˌmystik/), literally 'bride-mysticism', often rendered 'bridal mysticism' or 'nuptial mysticism' in English,[26] was a thirteenth-century Christian spiritual movement associated with the Low Countries.
It is particularly associated with Beatrice of Nazareth (d. 1268) and Hadewijch of Antwerp (fl. c. 1250). The movement drew inspiration from the thought of Bernard of Clairvaux, particularly his thinking on the imagery of the Canticle. It was a form of affective piety. It is often associated with the more intellectual, speculative movement, .[27]
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 Song of Songs and the latter prophet Hosea have many references to an intimate, spousal relationship between God and his people.[28] The prophet Hosea notes his bride in chapter 2, verses 16 and following. The theme of bridal love is central in the dramatic marriage of Hosea .
A similar concept existed in Valentinian Gnosticism with the notion of the Bridal Chamber, which involved a marriage to one's heavenly counterpart.[29] [30] Some mystics take this "marriage" as a symbol of the union of the human soul with God.