Biblical View on Cohabitation and Custody Arrangements

The biblical view on cohabitation and custody arrangements is rooted in various scriptural passages and has been interpreted differently across Christian traditions. The concept of "habitation" is significant in biblical contexts, often referring to God's dwelling among his people or the harmony among believers ^{[1, 4]}.

Biblical Foundations

The Bible provides several foundational principles regarding family and relationships. Genesis 2:24 establishes the unity of man and wife, implying a deep bond between them ^[5]. The importance of family harmony is highlighted in Psalms 133:1, which praises brothers living together in harmony ^[2]. Isaiah 11:6 paints a picture of a future where even predators and prey live together peacefully, symbolizing a profound change in human relationships ^[3].

Marriage and Cohabitation

The biblical institution of marriage is divinely ordained, with Genesis 2:18-25 providing its origin and principles. These include the unity and indissolubility of the marriage bond, monogamy, and the social equality and subordination within the marital relationship ^[6]. The early Christian fathers, such as Augustine, emphasized the goods of marriage, including offspring, faithfulness, and the sacramental bond ^[8].

Cohabitation, or living together, is addressed indirectly through discussions on marriage and family. The Bible does not directly condone or condemn cohabitation outside of marriage, but the broader context suggests that sexual relations are reserved for marriage ^[5]. The Catholic tradition, as represented by Aquinas, discusses the implications of cohabitation in the context of marriage impediments, such as affinity and adoption ^[9].

Custody Arrangements

The Bible does not provide explicit guidance on modern custody arrangements. However, principles regarding family and the care of children can be inferred. In Jewish tradition, as reflected in the Babylonian Talmud and Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, there are detailed discussions on the obligations of parents towards their children, including financial support and custody after divorce ^{[12, 13]}. The Reformed tradition, as seen in Calvin's Institutes, emphasizes the importance of caring for one's family and neighbors ^[10].

Traditional Interpretations

Different Christian traditions have interpreted biblical teachings on cohabitation and custody arrangements in various ways. The Reformed tradition, represented by Calvin and Hodge, emphasizes the importance of marital fidelity and the care of children within the context of marriage ^{[10, 11]}. The Catholic tradition, as seen in Aquinas, discusses the sacramental nature of marriage and its implications for cohabitation and family relationships ^{[7, 9]}.

The Jewish tradition, reflected in Rabbinic sources, provides detailed rules regarding marriage, divorce, and the care of children, highlighting the complexity and importance of family relationships in biblical and post-biblical contexts ^{[12, 13]}.

Conclusion

The biblical view on cohabitation and custody arrangements is complex and has been interpreted in various ways across different Christian traditions. While the Bible provides foundational principles regarding marriage, family, and the care of children, the specifics of cohabitation and custody arrangements are subject to interpretation and vary across traditions ^{[5, 6, 10]}. Understanding these principles and their historical interpretations can provide insight into the ongoing discussions within Christian communities about family and relationships.

Sources

Psalms “A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. -- Psalms 68:5”
Psalms “Psalms 133:1 (BBE) — See how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to be living together in harmony!”
Isaiah “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. -- Isaiah 11:6”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Habitation — God is the habitation of his people, who find rest and safety in him (Ps. 71:3; 91:9). Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne (Ps. 89:14, Heb. mekhon, "foundation"), because all his acts are founded on justice and judgment. (See Ps. 132:5, 13; Eph. 2:22, of Canaan, Jerusalem, and the temple as God's habitation.) God inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15), i.e., dwells not only among men, but in eternity, where time is unknown; and "the praises of Israel" (Ps. 22:3), i.e., he dwells among those praises and is continually surrounded by them.”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Marriage — Divinely instituted -- Ge 2:24. A covenant relationship -- Mal 2:4. Designed for The happiness of man. -- Ge 2:18. Increasing the human population. -- Ge 1:28; 9:1. Raising up godly seed. -- Mal 2:15. Preventing fornication. -- 1Co 7:2. The expectation of the promised seed of the woman an incentive to, in the early age -- Ge 3:15; 4:1. Lawful in all -- 1Co 7:2,28; 1Ti 5:14. Honourable for all -- Heb 13:4. Should be only in the Lord -- 1Co 7:39. Expressed by Joining together. -- Mt 19:6. Making affinity. -- 1Ki 3:1. Taking to wife. -- Ex 2:1. Giving daughte”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Marriage — + Its origin and history .--The institution of marriage dates from the time of man's original creation. (Genesis 2:18-25) From (Genesis 2:24) we may evolve the following principles: (1) The unity of man and wife, as implied in her being formed out of man. (2) The indissolubleness of the marriage bond, except on; the strongest grounds, Comp. (Matthew 19:9) (3) Monogamy, as the original law of marriage (4) The social equality of man and wife. (5) The subordination of the wife to the husband. (1 Corinthians 11:8,9; 1 Timothy 2:13) (6) The respective duties of ”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement (Supplementum), Of Disparity of Worship As an Impediment to Marriage, Art. 4: Article: Whether a believer can, after his conversion, put away his unbelieving wife if she be willing to cohabit with him without insult to the Creator? I answer that, Different things are competent and expedient to man according as his life is of one kind or of another. Wherefore he who dies to his former life is not bound to those things to which he was bound in his former life. Hence it is that he who vowed certain things while living in the world is not bound to fulfill them”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 13.--IN THE MARRIAGE OF MARY AND JOSEPH THERE WERE ALL THE BLESSINGS OF THE WEDDED STATE; ALL THAT IS BORN OF CONCUBINAGE IS SINFUL FLESH.: The entire good, therefore, of the nuptial institution was effected in the case of these parents of Christ: there was offspring, there was faithfulness, there was the bond.[11] As offspring, we recognise the Lord Jesus Himself; the fidelity, in that there was no adultery; the bond,[11] because there was no divorce. [XII.] Only there was no nuptial cohabitation; because He who was to be without sin, and was sen”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement (Supplementum), Of Legal Relationship, Which Is by Adoption, Art. 2: Article: Whether a tie that is an impediment to marriage is contracted through adoption? I answer that, The Divine law especially forbids marriage between those persons who have to live together lest, as Rabbi Moses observes (Doc. Perp. iii, 49), if it were lawful for them to have carnal intercourse, there should be more room for concupiscence to the repression of which marriage is directed. And since the adopted child dwells in the house of his adopted father like one that is begotten na”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 44: 38, 40. The Lord has been pleased to direct our attention to these two natural considerations as inducements to watch over our neighbour’s preservation—viz. to revere the divine image impressed upon him, and embrace our own flesh. To be clear of the crime of murder, it is not enough to refrain from shedding man’s blood. If in act you perpetrate, if in endeavour you plot, if in wish and design you conceive what is adverse to another’s safety, you have the guilt of murder. On the other hand, if you do not according to your means and ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 49: be admitted to the ministry, in neither case does the passage give authority to receive a polygamist into the fellowship of the Church. Considering, then, that monogamy is the undoubted law of Christ; considering that we have no evidence that He made an exception in favour of heathen converts; and considering the great importance that churches, founded in heathen lands, should bear true witness of the doctrines and precepts of Christianity, it would seem clear that no man having more than one wife should be admitted to Christian fellowshi”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 20b.12: The Gemara challenges further: The wife of a brother with whom one did coexist should not enter into levirate marriage; there should be a rabbinic decree due to the case of the wife of a brother with whom he did not coexist. The Gemara responds: The Merciful One made levirate marriage dependent upon a common dwelling together and coexistence of brothers, and this is well known by everyone since the matter is explicit in the Torah.”
Mishneh Torah (Maimonides) (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Mishneh Torah (Maimonides), Mishneh Torah%2C Marriage 21:17: [A husband] is not [obligated to] support his divorcee, even when she is nursing his child. In addition to the wage she receives [as a nursemaid], he must, however, provide her with those things that the child needs for clothing, food, drink, salves and the like. A woman who is pregnant is not entitled to any [payment] at all [from her ex-husband]. [The following rules apply after the 24] months have been completed, and the child has been weaned. If the divorcee desires that her son remain in her custody, he is not separated from her”

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