The Essential Definition of Marriage According to the 1917 and 1983 Codes of Can: 1917 and 1983 Codes of Canon Law An Exegetical and Comparative Study - Tapa dura

This amply documented book provides a considerable contribution towards clarity on the theme of the definition of marriage and deserves attention by all those interested in the question: canonists, theologians and persons involved in pastoral ministry.--Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski, Secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, Vatican City

Scicluna presents a detailed and well-documented study of the way Roman Catholic canonical tradition, especially in the last 150 years, has tackled the challenge of providing a juridical definition of marriage. Three main sources are consistently analyzed: the documents of the magisterium; the jurisprudence of the Apostolic Tribunals of the Catholic church; and the works of experts in canon law. Two important canonical legal texts, the 1917 and 1983 Codes of Canon Law, are taken as essential points of reference which gives chronological structure to the work. The book not only describes developments in a technical and scientific manner but also provides material for further discussion on the meaning and interpretation of phrases like 'the essential obligations of marriage' and 'the essential elements of marriage.'