On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 13:07:25 +0100, "Peter Duncanson [BrE]"
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 03:10:37 +0000 (UTC), Lewis
wrote:

In message
S Viemeister wrote:
On 10/18/2012 8:56 PM, Arcadian Rises wrote:

Wasn't a brother supposed to take care, even marry, the widow of his
deceased brother?

In the Old Testament, yes. Not all that long ago in the UK, it was
against the law to marry your deceased spouse's sibling.

That doesn't seem very Christian

I don't know the origin of that law but it almost certainly derived from
church law.

A law against marrying your deceased spouse's sibling would have been a
deterent to, what shall we call it, "managed decease" of your spouse.

I've always assumed, without enquiry, that it was the "husband and
wife are one flesh" thing. You can't marry your sibling.

--
Mike.