The theology of the body is a term used in Christian theology to refer to the teaching of various Christian denominations on the human body as it relates to God and the church. Church Fathers The Early Church Fathers wrote extensively on the theology of the body, especially Christian marriage. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (died A.D. 108) taught that "It is right for men and women who marry to be united with the bishop's approval. In that way their marriage will follow God's will and not the promotings of lust. Let everything be done so as to advance God's honor." He emphasized marriage as a component of the baptismal commitments of Christian couples. The Shepherd of Hermas, authored in the second century, forbids spouses to remarry after a divorce has occurred. It furthermore encouraged reconciliation among divorced spouses in cases of adultery. While permitting marriage after the death of a spouse, it taught that a widow/widower who remained single "gains...more extraordinary honor and great glory with the Lord." Saint Justin Martyr (A.D. 100 - A.D. 165) distinguished between the sexual promiscuity of the pagan Romans and "the behavior of Christians whom he said only marry for the sake of bringing up children." Christians who did not wish to have children "renounced marriage" and lived in "perfect continence". Saint Athenagoras of Athens (A.D. 133 - A.D. 190) taught that "According to our laws, each of us thinks of the woman he has married as his wife only for the purpose of bearing children. For as the farmer casts his seed on the soul and awaits the harvest without sowing over it, so we limit the pleasure of intercourse to bearing children." The views held by Saint Justin Martyr and Saint Athenagoras of Athens were held by the early Christians, who held that the purpose of marriage "was the procreation and education of children", opposing "engaging in sexual activity for the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure." Teaching by Christian denomination Catholicism In Catholic theology, "God intends for sex to express the mutual self-giving of a man and woman joined in marriage." Pope John Paul II, in his Theology of the Body, taught that the Bible encourages Christians to "experience the joys of physical union as a sign of the deeper spiritual union of marriage". Lutheranism The Lutheran Churches emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit, who has sanctified the bodies of Christians to