The qualifications for pastors and deacons in the Pastoral Epistles place significant emphasis on marriage and family. Three times, Paul uses the phrase μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα (1 Tim 3:2, 12; Tit 1:6), yet its precise meaning remains widely debated. Scholars primarily interpret the phrase in quantitative terms, focusing on the number of wives a man may have to meet the qualification. The traditional view holds that it requires a man to have been married only once. In contrast, the more widely accepted position interprets the phrase as an idiomatic expression denoting marital faithfulness, thus including men who have been divorced and remarried, provided they are faithful to their current wife. However, both positions have largely overlooked the conceptual link between μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα and the μίαν σάρκα (“one flesh”) union established in Genesis 2:24.
The paper contends that μίαν σάρκα serves as a significant explanatory framework for understanding μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα. Paul’s view of the ontological “one flesh” union that he derives from Gen. 2:24 and the teachings of Jesus in Matt 19:4-6 undergirds his own teachings on marriage. Paul explicitly references the “one flesh” union in 1 Cor 6:12-20 and Eph. 5:21-21 and alludes to it in 1 Cor. 7-10-16. If μίαν σάρκα underlies Paul’s teaching of marriage, why would this not have any bearing on the interpretation μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα?
By reframing the debate around 1 Tim. 3:2 in light of the ontological reality of the one-flesh union, this study offers a fresh contribution to pastoral qualification discourse. The creational and theological nature of the one-flesh bond carries greater significance for pastoral eligibility. It also raises broader ecclesiological questions regarding how churches assess marital qualifications for ministry in light of the one-flesh paradigm.