Link, I am glad you finally see marriage as covenantal.

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Link limps,

About your Jewish commentary on the man giving his virgin, I do not think that necessarily applies. I Corinthians was probably written primarily to Gentiles. It does not even contain asides directed just to Jews as the book of Romans does. I would suspect the Gentiles did not follow Jewish customs in regard to courtship and marriage.
Jews were certainly included in the citizenry of Corinth. According to Carson, Moo, and Morris, archeology even unearthed inscriptions with the words, “Synagogue of the Hebrews” there. However, the Scripture is our highest authority! It says in Acts 18:1-8:

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After these things he departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome: and he came unto them; and because he was of the same trade, he abode with them, and they wrought, for by their trade they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was constrained by the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook out his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and went into the house of a certain man named Titus Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
Paul preached to the Jews in Cointh, as 1 Cor 1:22-24 states, "Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Now, are you sure 1 Corinthians was primarily written to the Gentiles? I think we can safely say he wrote to both, however, from what position would Paul have been writing from? See below.

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Link limps,

And the Jewish custom (which you do not show goes back to the first century) of using a friend or relative could still occur in a form of arranged marriage. It sounds similar to some Korean customs, and Koreans who get married that way are considered to have an 'arranged marriage.'
So we are to read upon the Scripture what the Koreans do/did? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/drop.gif" alt="" /> If you would like read the Talmud and/or the Mishna (Nashim) for more on Jewish marriage please do so. However, the opposition to coerced marriages was prevalent in Abraham's family even before Judaism. In the Torah's account of Isaac's marriage (Genesis 24), when Abraham's servant Eliezer proposes to take Rebecca back to Canaan to marry Isaac, he is told by Rebecca's family (who were not into his new religion): "Let us ask the maiden” (Gen 24:57-58). From here the Jews derived that no one may be married against their choice. This indeed has always been the practice within the Jewish community since its inception. Now what would Paul a Jew think? Would he enforce his Roman citizenship beliefs upon Christ's Church or speak the Word?

Reformed and Always Reforming,