medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Rosemary Hayes wrote:
>
> But you might not know whether the person you were fornicating with
> was married or not - thus you might commit adultery unconsciously -
> surely the meaning of the definitition. Or have I missed another
> joke?
Possibly. The point I was making was that under English Civil and Canon
Law, and, as far as we are aware, mediaeval Canon Law, you can only commit
adultery if you are married. It seems to be only under modern US criminal
law, and Roman Catholic Canon Law since approximately the 17th century,
whereby the unmarried can commit adultery.
John Briggs
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