The Pathologization of Singleness in Protestant Churches: Doctrinal Developments From the Patristic Period to the Reformation

This study examines the historical-theological trajectory of Christian singleness in the West, from the Patristic period to the Protestant Reformation, investigating how doctrinal developments contributed to its pathologization in contemporary Protestant churches. Methodologically, it employs a historical-theological analysis of patristic sources, medieval documents, and Reformation writings, articulated in dialogue with specialized secondary literature. The investigation demonstrates that Paul grounded singleness in an eschatological perspective (1 Cor 7), understanding it as an anticipation of the heavenly reality. The Patristic era consolidated this view through the exaltation of virginity, albeit generating tensions by forming a “perfect class.” The Middle Ages institutionalized this hierarchy through the formula of rewards (a hundredfold, sixtyfold, thirtyfold) and mandatory clerical celibacy, witnessing a gradual decline in eschatological focus. The Protestant Reformation brought about a radical rupture by rehabilitating marriage as an anthropological norm, grounding it in the ethics of Creation rather than in Pauline eschatological relativization. This transformation produced significant pastoral consequences, manifested in the current pathologization of singleness, identified by traits of deficiency, aberration, and incompleteness. The investigation reveals that the Reformation’s break with Pauline eschatological ethics established the theological foundations for the present pastoral marginalization of singleness, demonstrating the need to recover the original eschatological perspective.