The bride of Christ or the lamb's wife is a metaphor used in reference to a group of related verses in the Christian Bible, specifically the New Testament – in the Gospels, the Book of Revelation, the Epistles, with related verses in the Old Testament.
The identity of the bride is generally considered within Christian theology to be the church, with Jesus as the bridegroom; Ephesians 5:22–33 in particular compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. It is a favorite ecclesial image. Interpretations of metaphor's usage vary from church to church, with most believing that it always refers to the church.
Christ as a bridegroom
The Gospel of John speaks of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom and mentions the bride:
In the Gospels, when Jesus is asked why his disciples do not fast, but the followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees do, Jesus answers:
In Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19 and Luke 5:34, the Apostles are referred to as the friends, guests, or children – depending on the translation – of the bridegroom commonly accepted to be Jesus Christ.
The bridegroom is also mentioned in the Parable of the Ten Virgins:
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation repeatedly mentions the appearance of the Bride:
In the above passages, John, the author of the Revelation, speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as the New Jerusalem, first mentioned in Revelation 3:12. The bride is mentioned again in Revelation 22:17:
The Greek word used for 'bride' is , as in Revelation 21:2, 9, (cf., 18:23; 22:17). This word, , is understood to mean 'a son's wife,' or 'daughter-in-law,' -'bride.' Revelation 19:7, which has , means 'wife' or 'woman'; despite the potential translation of the term in Revelation 19:7 as 'woman', the context of the verse is marriage, and numerous Bible translations (such as the New International Version, New Living Translation, English Standard Version, etc.) are consistent in translating as 'bride' in this instance.
Comparing the church to a bride
In Ephesians 5:22–33, the author compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church. The central theme of the whole Ephesians letter is reconciliation of the alienated within the unity of the church. Ephesians 5 begins by calling on Christians to imitate God and Christ, who gave himself up for them with love. Verses 1–21 of the same chapter contain a rather strong warning against foolishness and letting down one's guard against evil. Rather, the author encourages the readers to constantly give thanks with song in their hearts because of what God has done for all in Christ. The prelude to the subject's text takes up again the theme of loving submission that began with the example of Christ in Ephesians 5:2: "Be submissive to one another out of reverence for Christ." It implies that the "Bride" is the body of believers that comprise the universal Christian (; Church).
The is never explicitly called "the bride of Christ" in the New Testament. That is approached in Ephesians 5:22–33. A major analogy is that of the body. Just as husband and wife are to be "one flesh", this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and . Husbands were exhorted to love their wives "just as Christ loved the " and gave himself for it. When Christ nourishes and cherishes the , he nourishes and cherishes his own flesh, just as the husband, when he loves his wife, is loving his own flesh. Members of the are "members of his own body", interpreting Genesis 2:24 – "and the two shall become one flesh" – through the lens of the New Testament view of Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:32, Paul quotes the Genesis passage as what has been called a "divine postscript".
In writing to the Church of Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul writes to warn the community of false teachers who would teach of another Christ, and to confess his concern that they will believe someone who teaches a false Christ, other than Christ Jesus of Nazareth whom he preached; Paul referred to the Church in Corinth as being espoused to Christ:
In the writing to the Church in Rome, Paul writes, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7, King James Version). Here, Paul seems to suggest that the Church is to be married to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was raised from the dead.