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Dec 29th, 2019
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Dearest Father Ambrose, Comparatively, the Coptic Orthodox Church...only permits crowning in the first Marriage of any person. The Coptic Encyclopedia states: "the second marriage [is] inferior to the first; thus, the church accords it not the blessing of a crowning, but a prayer of forgiveness." Is the second marriage considered to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony? Or is it considered as a "blessing" to cohabit without the Sacrament of Matrimony? The question as to whether a second Crowning is a Sacrament has been the rather complicated question of this thread. I am not absolutely sure. IMO, it is not, for two reasons: 1) There is no such thing as "degrees of Sacrament." A Sacrament is a Sacrament is a Sacrament. Since the Coptic Church views second marriages as "lesser" than a first marriage, I must conclude it is not a Sacrament. 2) As your link indicates, the Prayer of Matrimony occurs only during the Crowning. And since the Crowning does not take place (and hence no Prayer of Matrimony), the second Marriage is not properly a Sacrament. Scroll down to the end of the link you gave to get a better understanding of the difference between a first and second marriage in the Coptic Orthodox Church. It should also be noted that unlike the Byzantine Tradition, the Coptic Orthodox Church has a greater appreciation for God's Natural Law, and Marriage is primordially justified by Divine Natural Law. Humbly, Marduk
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2) As your link indicates, the Prayer of Matrimony occurs only during the Crowning. And since the Crowning does not take place (and hence no Prayer of Matrimony), the second Marriage is not properly a Sacrament. Would not this reasoning deprive even those entering a first marriage of the Sacrament? The link I gave emphasises, twice, that Crowning is permitted only for a bride and groom who are both virgins. As you say, no crowning = no Sacrament. Quotes: "The Matrimonial Rite is performed for virgin couples." "During this prayer, the priest places two crowns on the heads of the bride and groom; hereby ordaining them king and queen of their new kingdom - their house. This ritual is only done for virgins..." http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/thecopticchurch/sacraments/6_matrimony.html
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Dearest Father Ambrose,
As you will notice, the text states that the Crowning is also performed for those who have been widowed (in Coptic Orthodoxy, like in the rest of Oriental Orthodoxy, and in the Catholic Church, death ends the Marriage bond).
So physical virginity is not what is meant by "virgin." Other translations of that text have "chaste" instead of "virgin." One can be a virgin in the eyes of God through the Sacrament of Confession, in any case.
Granted, physical viriginity is regarded as a prerequisite even to be married among Coptic Orthodox. In the traditional setting, unless one is a physical virgin, one won't be accepted by the parents. But I think (stress on "I think"), this is more cultural than anything else, though custom certainly has the status of canon in many cultures, including the Copts.
Humbly,
Marduk
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