Project title
A research project on marriage as a spiritual, cultural, psychological and social union.
Status
Preparation
Format
research project / articles / conversations / video materials
Project materials will appear gradually: from an introductory article and a conversation series to further research, written theses, translations and video materials.
research article
How marriage in the Christian tradition moves from the biblical image of “one flesh” to the ecclesial sacrament, the liturgy of crowning, and the responsibility of shared life before God.
TALKS · 20 AUGUST 2026
Two talks in German in Münster: the first before lunch and the second after lunch. Questions and discussion are planned after the talks. Admission is free.
future publications
In the future, the project may include materials on civil marriage, Soviet legacy, marriage in different religious traditions and contemporary family questions.
The project will develop gradually. At its center is the Christian understanding of marriage, but historical, cultural, psychological and social contexts are also important.
Biblical images, church wedding, covenant, fidelity, responsibility, love, freedom and the spiritual meaning of married life.
Psychological readiness, ability to dialogue, responsibility, crises, intimacy, boundaries and growth within relationships.
How ideas of marriage have changed across different eras, societies and traditions, and what this says about the human person.
How legal, social and church forms of marriage have coexisted, conflicted or complemented one another.
A possible comparison of Christian, Islamic and other religious approaches to family, union and responsibility.
Divorce, remarriage, crises, parenting, loneliness, changing roles and the search for a sustainable form of life.
The project is dedicated to the study of marriage as one of the key human, spiritual and cultural institutions. At its center is the Christian understanding of marriage, but the topic is not limited to church formulas or preparation for a wedding service. We are interested in how marriage has been understood in biblical texts, church tradition, culture, social history and contemporary human experience.
We want to consider marriage as a space of responsibility, fidelity, freedom, love, crises, growth and mutual service. Alongside theological questions, psychological maturity, family conflicts, historical forms of marriage, civil and church dimensions of the union, and possible comparisons of different religious and cultural traditions will also be important.
One of the first practical directions includes conversations with Fr. Ilya Limberger, a priest and psychologist. These conversations focus on the meaning of church wedding, biblical images of marriage, responsibility, intimacy and the spiritual maturity of family life.
The project will develop gradually through articles, conversations, video materials, written theses, translations and additional research. Its goal is not to provide a quick set of rules, but to create a space for attentive conversation about marriage as a serious human and spiritual path.
The project is conceived as multilingual. Language versions of individual materials will be published only after translation, subtitles or voice-over have been prepared. A particular language version cannot be guaranteed in advance.
Conversations about marriage are often either too formal or too superficial. A gap often remains between church tradition, psychology, personal experience, and modern questions about love, intimacy, and responsibility. This project matters as an attempt to return depth to the topic of marriage and to show that family life can be understood not as a routine duty, but as a serious human and spiritual path.
Structured categories for future project reporting:
Confirmed information about income and expenses will be published once it is available and verified.
The research framework, first article and selected conversations are being prepared.
If you would like to support the development of the project, please use the support page of Stromata e.V. The possibility of designated support and the wording of the payment purpose will be clarified separately.
Support PageHere you can browse other areas of Stromata and open the individual project pages.
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