are they living on earth and can we see them
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Chapter 1 begins with an overview of some of the deployments of the bride of Christ in the early church, focusing mainly on Tertullian and his use of the metaphor as an instrument of control over consecrated virgins. The situation, as I see it, is extremely poignant because Tertullian, who was wont to extol virginity and disparage marriage, was reluctant to use this strategy: he was led to it by a literal reading of Genesis 6 and a fear of angelic miscegenation.
The second chapter examines the evolution of the consecrated virgin at the hands of the church fathers: her association with a very reclusive Virgin Mary (conflated with the bride of the Song of Songs), the different disciplines devised for the virgin, and the increasing focus on intact virginity. Patristic adulation of the sealed body not only justified legal restrictions on the woman's freedoms as protection of Christ's bride but, at least for some, validated suicide in the event that her virginity was imperiled.
Chapter 3 focuses on the successor states established in the wake of the Roman Empire's collapse and the conundrum of what to do with a would-be bride of Christ who is not a virgin. The English Aldhelm's initiatives to decenter female virginity include representing virginity primarily as a male virtue, in addition to extending its boundaries with instances of married chastity. By the same token, clerical authorities in the Frankish Empire struggle with polite ways of withholding the title sponsa Christi from Queen Radegund, who, although a member of a religious community and an important monastic foundress, was not a virgin. The chapter concludes with the examination of the life of the matron Rictrude and the hagiographer's projection of a rivalry between virginal and nonvirginal nuns.
The second chapter examines the evolution of the consecrated virgin at the hands of the church fathers: her association with a very reclusive Virgin Mary (conflated with the bride of the Song of Songs), the different disciplines devised for the virgin, and the increasing focus on intact virginity. Patristic adulation of the sealed body not only justified legal restrictions on the woman's freedoms as protection of Christ's bride but, at least for some, validated suicide in the event that her virginity was imperiled.
Chapter 3 focuses on the successor states established in the wake of the Roman Empire's collapse and the conundrum of what to do with a would-be bride of Christ who is not a virgin. The English Aldhelm's initiatives to decenter female virginity include representing virginity primarily as a male virtue, in addition to extending its boundaries with instances of married chastity. By the same token, clerical authorities in the Frankish Empire struggle with polite ways of withholding the title sponsa Christi from Queen Radegund, who, although a member of a religious community and an important monastic foundress, was not a virgin. The chapter concludes with the examination of the life of the matron Rictrude and the hagiographer's projection of a rivalry between virginal and nonvirginal nuns.
God has no fleshly bride because He is a Spirit, and according to the law of reproduction He set in Genesis 1, "Let every seed brings forth its own kind", a dog will only bring forth a dog, not another kind; a man brings forth a man, etc. God (Spirit) will only bring Gods (Spiritual bride), "Ye are Gods yet you die like men". "Let us make man after our own image", the image of God is not the flesh (the flesh is the image of your dad and mum; but the image of God is the spirit inside you, not the flesh). Therefore, the bride of Christ is a SPIRITUAL BRIDE, "henceforth, we know no one after the flesh"
- Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body the church ;he is the beginning and the first born from among the dead so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Christ is the head of the body.
- 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ,and each of you is a member of it.
Christians are the body of christ,
So Christ is the head {bridegroom} and the christians the body of Christ {bride of Christ}
The term "Bride of Christ" is a metaphorical phrase used in Christianity to refer to the church, which is seen as the collective body of believers in Jesus Christ. It is not a reference to a specific individual woman living on earth. Therefore, there is no real person who is identified as the Bride of Christ that can be seen or interacted with in a physical sense.
If you are referring to prophets, kings, and apostles from religious texts and traditions, they are historical figures who lived on Earth in the past. However, they are no longer alive in the present. We cannot see them in physical form as they existed in previous time periods.
In some religious beliefs, there may be teachings about the ongoing presence or influence of these figures in spiritual or divine realms. However, any interactions with them would be considered spiritual or metaphysical rather than physical encounters. These beliefs and practices vary among different religions and interpretations.
It is important to note that different religious traditions have different beliefs and perspectives regarding prophets, kings, and apostles. If you have a specific religion or tradition in mind, providing more information would allow for a more accurate and detailed response.
In some religious beliefs, there may be teachings about the ongoing presence or influence of these figures in spiritual or divine realms. However, any interactions with them would be considered spiritual or metaphysical rather than physical encounters. These beliefs and practices vary among different religions and interpretations.
It is important to note that different religious traditions have different beliefs and perspectives regarding prophets, kings, and apostles. If you have a specific religion or tradition in mind, providing more information would allow for a more accurate and detailed response.