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 visual frame
Visual Frame of the Project
The first visual reference point for the future conversation series on marriage, faith and family maturity.
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.
conversation series · planned
A series of conversations is planned on marriage, church wedding, family life and the Christian understanding of married life. Some meetings may take place in German; translation and subtitles will be clarified separately.
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 directions will be the preparation of a conversation series with Fr. Ilya Limberger, a priest and psychologist. These conversations will 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.
One of the first directions of the project will be the recording of conversations with Fr. Ilya Limberger, a priest and psychologist. These meetings will focus on the Christian understanding of marriage, the meaning of church wedding, biblical images of married life, responsibility, intimacy, crises and the spiritual maturity of family life.
Special attention will be given to biblical images and stories of couples and families: through these narratives, themes of covenant, fidelity, responsibility, love, trials and spiritual growth are explored.
Several meetings are planned, some of which may take place in German. The possibility of Russian, Ukrainian and English translations, subtitles or voice-over will depend on the resources and technical capacities of the project.
First conversation
first half of the day
Second conversation
second half of the day
Third conversation
first half of the day
Location: Münster. The main language of the conversations is German. Possible translations, subtitles or voice-over will depend on the project’s resources.
The project is conceived as multilingual from the outset: materials may appear in Russian, German, English and Ukrainian. Video materials will be published in the language versions for which translation, subtitles or voice-over can be prepared.
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 conversation series 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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