Taking a Cue From Paul, He Counsels Strongly Against Divorce

In an ancientamer culture, marriage had much to do with social status and property rights. In a culture where physical and emotional abuse was the norm, paul counsels against any form of harshness from a husband to a wife. During this time, women who were married were then offered a marriage based on mutuality, not hierarchy. Women who were single or widowed were cared for the church along the exact same lines that a married woman would receive security from her husband.