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The following will discuss first Christian views, first biblical references concerning marriage, marriage as a sacrament in the Catholic religion, then interpretations of them particularly that of the Protestants, particularly Luther and Calvin. Marriage has existed since atleast 3,000 B.C., although it most likely existed (or a form of it) around the time when cave dwelling became common. This was about a quarter of a million years ago and about the time civilizations began to form. Prior to that it is believed by many that the human species was promiscuous (Tannahill, 1980). With that, if one were to trace the history of marriage one would likely start at the root of his or hers own beliefs and look at the structure that has evolved, yet for every structure there is a foundation. That is, marriage existed sometime before the modern religions and had some benefit other than religious purposes. This is evident in most ancient societies. A secure environment was needed for the continuation of the species and a system of rules to handle the granting of property rights. The institution of marriage handled both of these needs (Tannahill, 1980). Thus, heirs could be produced without any confusion as to which male p