And we aren't talking about 2 Co 11:2, either.
Paul did not present the church as the Bride of Christ in Eph. 5 because in Eph. 5, the church is not YET the Bride of Christ...The church is still a 'Chaste Virgin'...
I would hope that every bride is a chaste virgin. The two are definitely not mutually exclusive.
There are no contradictory passages here...There are no contradictory passages anywhere in the bible...
I never said there were. However, you pitted 2 Co 11:2 against Ephesians 5:21-33 as if one contradicted the other.
At Corinth, Paul told the people that the church was espoused
"Espoused" is synonymous with "engaged" and "betrothed" which means that the Church is not yet married to Christ, but is His bride.
Sorry, but a 'bride' is a new wife...I don't know of any female who considered herself a 'bride' at the moment she accepted a man's request for marriage...