Jesus’s words in Matthew 19:12 follow discussions with the disciples about marriage.

They ask him whether it is better not to marry and, after describing reasons why men may be celibate, Jesus states ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω.

This phrase is usually translated as, “The one who can accept this should accept it”, but the correct translation is, “The one who accepts this, I accept.”

That turns the assertion that Jesus preferred celibacy to marriage on its head.

Marriage in Jewish tradition

In traditional Judaism, marriage was regarded as a sacred bond between a man and a woman. The couple were seen as merging into one soul.

A person was considered incomplete if not married.

Regarding celibacy, the concept of renouncing marriage was anathema to Judaism. In the Old Testament, anyone who could not marry or have children was not allowed into the congregation of the children of Israel and could not become a priest.

If the Jewish thinking of the day, using the correct translation, is applied to the discourse on marriage in Matthew, it becomes apparent that Jesus upholds the traditional Jewish view on marriage.

He states that celibacy is acceptable in small numbers for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. He accepts celibacy as a vocation but does not mandate it.

Celibacy’s early origins

In the early Church, most priests were married. This is evident in the description of the role’s requirements in 1 Timothy.

Furthermore, St Clement of Alexandria [Stromata Book 3 (2nd century)] writes that both Peter and Phillip were married with children.

The concept of a celibate priesthood originated in a gnostic idea and grew after the emergence of monasticism. Celibacy was advocated by theologians [Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine] and became more prominent in the West than in the East.

Eventually, the Western idea that celibacy should be compulsory became a factor in the East-West Schism of 1054.

After that, Pope Gregory VII mandated celibacy, while the Orthodox continued to ordain married men.

Discipline, not dogma

The Vatican states that celibacy is a discipline rather than a dogma, but gives spurious reasons for its existence, such as that it enhances “spiritual growth.”

In recent years, this claim has been attacked by priests themselves who have either left the priesthood or remained under duress.

They state that mandatory celibacy can cause sexual frustration, psychological maladjustment and abuse.

A crisis in vocations

In addition, people today are more sexually and psychologically aware, and therefore the practice has led to a nosedive in vocations.

Priests today are dwindling in numbers and often have four or five parishes.

If the practice is not reversed, these priests may very well be the last Catholic priests in England.

• Debra Maria Flint is a Catholic writer whose books include ‘No Place for a Woman’ and ‘The Sins of Mandatory Celibacy’ (co-authored with Paul Murphy Sanderson).