cessation of that obligation according to vv. 39-40 later in this chapter.) So even at this early stage the Church knows at least one exception to the general rule handed down from the Lord. 3. terms "Unchastity" in the texts of Matthew translates the Greek porneia, which can refer to sexual offences generally or to particular sexual sins such as prostitution. Sometimes it denotes fornication or even adultery. In the above texts the specific Greek term for adultery (moicheia) is used to name the offence that may follow upon divorce. That Matthew uses moicheia for adultery in this passage suggests that porneia here does not refer specifically to adultery. 4. Are the "exception clauses" original? The so-called "exception clauses" in Matthew, translated above as "except for unchastity" and "except on the ground of unchastity", have occupied much scholarly attention. Most contemporary commentators, however they interpret the clauses, conclude that they probably were added by the author of the first gospel and were not part of the original tradition coming from Jesus. Were they part of the original tradition, it would be difficult to explain why Mark and Luke have omitted what seems to be an important qualification of the master's teaching. In Matthew, the exception has the appearance of a foreign element in an otherwise unqualified rejection of divorce. The evangelist may have added a qualifier to forestall a misunderstanding of Jesus' words that could arise in the particular milieu of the first readers of this gospel. III. THE BASIS FOR MARRIAGE PERMANENCE When Jesus makes his surprising appeal beyond the Mosaic provision for divorce he is not so much innovating as calling the people back to God's original purpose. The Genesis story of the creation of Adam and Eve is recalled and even in part quoted.
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