Om een andere reden dan ontucht … . Mattheüs 5:32a en het joodse echtscheidingsrecht

Abstract

According to the Gospel of Matthew, 'Anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to become an adulteress' (5:32). This raises the question whether Jesus allows divorce only in the case of adultery. This article discusses Jesus' statement in the Matthean context and within the context of Jewish legislation in the first century, to show that Jesus is addressing a current debate about the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1, not the core of Jewish divorce law, namely, the possibility of marriage dissolution due to neglect of the marriage promise (Ex. 21:10-11). The latter provision was generally accepted in New Testament times, but is usually disregarded in the scholarly discussion of Matthew 5:32 (and 19:9).