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Orthodox Doctrine (Summary of Christian Divinity)

Metropolitan Platon of Moscow, tr. Pinkerton, 1814

37. Part 2, Section 37: Of Marriage

Marriage is a holy rite,¹ in which the servant of the church unites two marriageable persons, and prayeth for the blessing of God to fall upon them.

In this act there must be two persons, a man and a woman, who, according to their mutual love and consent, enter into lawful marriage between themselves. Having brought them into the temple, (that their mutual engagements may be attested by the witnesses present,) the servant of the church unites their hands, and prays with the whole assembled church of God, that he would give unto them love, peace, and the blessed fruit of the womb. And thus, through this ceremony, their engagements become the firmer, in as much as they are attested before the altar of the Lord; for “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled;” Heb. xiii. 4. Therefore, polygamy is by no means permitted according to the laws of Christianity; for, “from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female;” Mark x. 6.² The advice which St Paul gives to the husband and wife, is the following: “Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband;” Eph. v. 33.³

Notes

In respect to marriage, our author has been censured for departing from the orthodox faith; for in place of calling marriage a tain or mystery, he uses quite a different word, and denominates it an obriad, which literally signifies a rite or ceremony.
In the Slavonian, this verse is rendered: “From the beginning of the creation, God created them a man and a woman.”
The ceremony of marriage is always performed in the church, and it consists of three parts. First, the betrothing, in which the parties exchange rings in pledge of their mutual love and fidelity. The second is the matrimonial coronation, and is properly the rite of marriage. In this, the priest having pointed out the duties of the matrimonial connection, and interrogated the parties in respect to their mutual consent, crowns the bridegroom first, saying, “The servant of God N. is crowned for the hand-maid of God M. in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Then taking the second crown, he puts it on the head of the bride, saying, “The hand-maid of God M. is crowned for the servant of God N. in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The third part is the dissolving of the crowns, in which the priest concludes with this prayer: “We thy servants, O Lord, having ratified the contract, and performed the office of marriage, as in Cana of Galilee, and laid up the symbols of it, give glory to thee the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, now and for ever, even unto ages of ages.”
Formerly the crowns used were garlands of flowers; but at present every church has two crowns either made of gold or silver.
All the three offices are now joined in one service; but they were formerly performed at different times. No marriages are solemnised in time of Lent, and a fourth marriage is altogether unlawful in the Greek church.