Biblical Polygyny in History and the Scriptures

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TITLE: A HISTORY OF THE CONTROVERSY OF POLYGYNY IN THECHRISTIAN CHURCH AND IN THE SCRIPTURES

QUOTES ON POLYGAMY, POLYGYNY, CONCUBINES, & JESUS;

Another Look for Christians.COPYRIGHT JANUARY 14, 1995 All rightsreserved.Copyright 01/14/'95; 01/12/'96, 01/14/2003 (Revised)Thisfile, in its entirety, may be posted on or copied off of computernetworks like Internet or WWW by anyone so inclined.By L. Tyler

oldservant8@aol.comJabez1Chr4@aol.comelkanahtyler@gmail.comTheBible, Centuries 16th through 20th AD and Polygyny>>>"Monogamy isimplicit in the story of Adam and Eve, since God created only one wifefor Adam. Yet polygamy is adopted from the time of Lamech (Gn. iv.19), and is not forbidden in Scripture." >n132[Footnote: >..n132 TheNew Bible Dictionary, J.D. Douglas Ph.D; p.787.]>>>TODAY:***TITLE:Can Mr. Mombasa Keep All his Wives?AUTHOR: Tim StaffordSOURCE:Christianity Today, 35:33-34 Feb 11, 1991This article deals with aconflict in the Christian church in Kenya, where many blacks who areconverted have several wives. Originally the church would not baptizethem, but allowed them to participate in the church.Later, the churchand some members broke away from their leadership and beganbaptizing black polygamous men.>>>TODAY:Eugene Nida's (AmericanBible Society) book Customs and Cultures>.29 . . documents thecurrent practice of polygyny by Christians in non Western countries,and how it is still practiced in China, SE Asia, India, Africa and parts ofSouth America. Eugene Nida points out that when polygamists becomeChristians they are told of their limitations in church offices and areasked not to take any additional wives because it stumbles westernChristians(Rom 14, l Cor. 8 and 10). They are not usually asked toabandon their other wives to a premature widowhood because of lCor>. 7:1-15.[Footnote: >.29 CUSTOMS AND CULTURES, 1954, Harper&Brothers, New York]>>>TODAY:I understand that Rev. Joseph ConradWold>*, a Lutheran missionary in Liberia, maintains the followingpoints:1. Some missionaries have become like the Pharisees,knitpicking legalists;2. For unbelievers it is more of a question of who is oris not a polygamist rather than who is and who isn't a Christian;3.Rejecting polygamy has become the rejecting of polygamists; 4.If

Cornelious>45 could be born again without circumcision, then surelypolygamists should be able to be born again without cutting away theirwives, breaking their solemn promises and forcing their beloved andfaithful wives into adultery for survival; 5 Let the polygamist be lostbecause he refused to love and obey Jesus,rather than because heloved his wives too much to cause them to suffer, or was to virtuous tobe a hypocrite.>70 He makes such an impassioned case I hope youtake the time to read the original.Truly the commandments of men,

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condemning as sin and forbidding polygamy, make of no effect thecommandments of God for so many.[Footnote: >*GOD'S IMPATIENCE INLIBERIA, Rev. Joseph Conrad Wold, pp. 179ff. >45 (Acts 10 & 11).@>.@70 Trobisch,MY WIFE MADE ME>>>TODAY:"Some Christianchurches in Africa today allow polygamy. A pastor in Cameroon stated:

`People have no right to condemn polygamy which even Christ did notcondemn in the case of Abraham'."(pg.214, ***After Polygamy WasMade A Sin: The Social History of Christian PolygamyJohn Cairncross,1974Published by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, London)>>>TODAY:"Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in Moslem, Hindu,Buddhist, Asian, Oriental,and African countries." >25[>25 IVCF, EditorJ.D.Douglas; 1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing,p.787]>>>TODAY: "InSpain, Italy,m and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it doesstill among the Jews in Mohammedan counties".DICTIONARY OF THEBIBLE, J. Hastings (Selbie, Lambert,Mathews), Hendrickson Publishers,1989; p.584>>>1800's:***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The Social

History of Christian PolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974Published byRoutledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, LondonIn the nineteenth century,Protestant missions were expanding rapidly, and missionaries aroundthe globe were confronting polygamy among their new converts. In1844,a conference of missionaries of variousdenominations"unanimously agreed that `if a convert, beforebecoming aChristian, has married more than wives than one, he shallbe permitted to keep them all; but such a person shall not be eligibleto any office in the church'." (pg.198)>>>1700's:***After PolygamyWas Made A Sin:The Social History of Christian PolygamyJohnCairncross, 1974Published by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, London

"Between about 1680 and 1750, the campaign for polygamy(inEngland) was in full swing, and plural marriage was almost asvigorously canvassedas in Germany during the same period." (pg. 126)>>>EUROPEAN ROYALTY: "In modern Europe polygamy disappearedfrom Jewish domestic life while among Christians it remained atolerated privilege of royalty until very late times. . . . "CHARLES A.RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., Jewish Life in theMiddle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History of Human Marriage(1901);Spencer, H., Principles of Sociology idem, Descriptive Sociology;Lay, Wilfrid, A Plea for Monogamy (1923)>>>1650's:Milton, authorof Paradise Lost, wrote a manuscript in the 1650s, "Da Doctrina", a

lengthy theological document. It was lost until 1825, when it wasdiscovered and translated, creating a pre-Victorian uproar inLondon.The famous author had dared to justify polygamy! Hisarguments are lucid and concise: " Polygamy is prohibited to no one,even under the gospel." Milton "administers the coup degrade to hisopponents when he observed that God himself (in Ezekiel 23:4)represents Himself as having `espoused two wives' which would havebeen unthinkable had `the practice been dishonourable or shameful'.

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On the contrary, he maintains,polygamy is `lawful and honourable'."(pg.129, ***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The Social History ofChristian PolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974 Published by Routledge &Kegan Paul Ltd,London)>>>REFORMATION: "In the New TestamentJesus neither condemns polygamous unions nor advocates a change in

the system.From this noninterference attitude Luther, as late as the16th cent.,arrived at the conclusion that he could not forbid the takingof more than one wife."CHARLES A. RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., Jewish Life in the Middle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History of Human Marriage (1901);Spencer, H.,Principles of Sociology idem, Descriptive Sociology;>>>1500's:***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The Social History of ChristianPolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974Published by Routledge & Kegan PaulLtd, LondonThe Italian Ochino, a Franciscan until the age of 55, wasa fiery orator, and a "man distinguished by the sanctity of his life, of avast culture, venerable, white-haired, and tall, of a majestic bearing". It

was only when Ochino left the Catholic church and "fled to Switzerlandwhere he becamea Calvinist that the move towards Anabaptismbegan". (pg.65-66) He wrote a brilliant thesis on polygamy that was"effervescent, witty, and convincing." He was eventually exiled for histeachings, along with his four children, during winter 1563, by the CityFathers of Zurich. Three of his children died as a result. (Chapter 4)>>>REFORMATION: "In the New Testament Jesus neither condemnspolygamous unions nor advocates a change in the system.From thisnoninterference attitude Luther, as late as the 16th cent.,arrived at theconclusion that he could not forbid the taking of more than one wife."CHARLES A. RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., Jewish

Life in the Middle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History of HumanMarriage (1901);Spencer, H., Principles of Sociology idem, DescriptiveSociology;>>>1500's *******Martin LutherMartin Luther wrote in DeWette, II, p. 459, "I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marryseveral wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishesto marry more than one wife, he should be asked whether he issatisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with theword of God. In such a case, the civil authority has nothing to do insuch a matter." >>>From "An Introduction to the Geneva Bible"A lookat the Puritan's Bible." In March of 1540, after Martin Luther and otherprominent Protestant theologians had expressly approved polygamy

according to the Scriptures, Philip became Europe's best- knownbigamist.">>>1500's: ***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The SocialHistory of Christian PolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974Published byRoutledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, London"Phillip of Hesse felt impelledby his reverence for the sacraments to mend his first marriage bycontracting a second one even while his wife was alive. And he did sowith the sanction of the Fathers of the Reformation. The first palidin ofGerman Protestantism (Phillip) was,with Luther's and Melanchthon's

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permission, a bigamist.Protestant historians have never recovered fromthe shock."(pg.31) Phillip debated this issue with the Reformer's formany years before and after his (supposedly secret) 2nd marriage. "If,he asked, it should suddenly be possible to overthrow the celibacy ofthe clergy, why should the institution of bigamy be a priori excluded?

The only effective answer would have been that polygamy iscondemned by Christian doctrine. But this was a stand that Luther andhis colleagues never took - and for very good reasons. They could not.They themselves did not believe that polygamy was against divine ornatural law." (pg. 48) Luther did state that "A Christian,before adoptingpolygamy, must first have a calling from God."(pg. 49)>>>1500's:***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The Social History of ChristianPolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974Published by Routledge & Kegan PaulLtd, LondonThus it was that in 1534, the "German city of Munsterproclaimed polygamy as the ideal form of marriage. The event isunique in the history of Christian Europe, and the reaction to this

announcement explains why the experiment was never repeated. For itwas greeted with a unanimous revulsion and horror."(pg.1) theaccounts of this time are filled with vitriolic denunciations of theMusterites and their morals, "in fact,Munsterunder Anabaptist rule wasa centre of extremely austere morality. It's only crime, by orthodoxstandards, was to have introduced polygamy, and a highly Puritan typeat that!" (pg .24) While this episode was over quickly, "Puritanpolygamy was not extinguished under the ashes of the ruined city. Theinfluence of the Munsterite ideas was profound." (pg.27)>>>1500's:***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The Social History of ChristianPolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974Published by Routledge & Kegan Paul

Ltd, LondonThe Italian Ochino, a Franciscan until the age of 55, wasa fiery orator, and a "man distinguished by the sanctity of his life, of avast culture, venerable, white-haired, and tall, of a majestic bearing". Itwas only when Ochino left the Catholic church and "fled to Switzerlandwhere he becamea Calvinist that the move towards Anabaptismbegan". (pg.65-66) He wrote a brilliant thesis on polygamy that was"effervescent, witty, and convincing." He was eventually exiled for histeachings, along with his four children, during winter 1563, by the CityFathers of Zurich. Three of his children died as a result. (Chapter 4)>>>1000 - 1400's: "At a later period Maimonides in his Mishneh Torahmaintains, contrary to his personal opinion, that polygamous unions

from a strictly legal point of view are permissible. Eventually, however,they were proscribed under the authority of Rabbi Gershom (aboutl000), although cases of polygamy were found in Spain as late as the14th cent. . . . "CHARLES A. RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., Jewish Life in the Middle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E.,History of Human Marriage (1901);Spencer, H., Principles of Sociologyidem, Descriptive Sociology;Lay, Wilfrid, A Plea for Monogamy (1923)>>>600- 1000AD: "Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the

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Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at first only forFrance and Germany. In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for sometime longer, as it does still among the Jews in Mohammedancountries">41.[Footnote: (>.(40. Septuagint Lev. 21:13 "He shall takefor a wife a virgin of his own tribe.". .>41. DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE,

J.Hastings (Selbie, Lambert, Mathews), Hendrickson Publishers,1989;p.583ff.]>>>800s AD: "Herard of Tours, A.D. 858,declares any greaternumber of wives than two to be unlawful. . .Leo the Wise, Emperor ofConstantinople, was allowed to marry three wives without publicremonstrance, but was suspended from communion by the patriarchNicholas when he married a fourth.">75>.75 A Select Library of theNicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. V; p. 267.>>>600 AD: ***After Polygamy Was Made A Sin:The Social History ofChristian PolygamyJohn Cairncross, 1974Published by Routledge &Kegan Paul Ltd, London"Orthodoxy in Western Europe, or for thatmatter in the Christian world as a whole, has been fiercely opposed to

polygamy in any shape or form since at least A.D.600, and has shownitself particularly ruthless in suppressing the hated monster wheneverit raised its head in their own ranks. This constant opposition explainsboth why the Christian polygamists rarely put their views into practiceand why their writings are often to be found in scarce, or out-of-the-way editions." PREFACE>>>FOURTH CENTURY:St. Augustine (4thCentury AD) say about the practice of polygyny and concubinage?Consider the following:""But here there is no ground for a criminalaccusation: for a plurality of wives was no crime when it was thecustom; and it is a crime now, because it is no longer the custom.There are sins against nature, and sins against custom, and sins

against the laws. In which, then, of these senses did Jacob sin in havinga plurality of wives? As regards nature, he used the women not forsensual gratification, but for the procreation of children. For custom,this was the common practice at that time in those countries. And forthe laws, no prohibition existed. The only reason of its being a crimenow to do this, is because custom and the laws forbid it>1. . Whoeverdespises>2. these restraints, even though he uses his wives only toget children, still commits sin>3., and does an injury to human societyitself, for the sake of which it is that the procreation of children isrequired. In the present altered state of customs and laws, men canhave no pleasure in a plurality of wives>4. , except from an excess of

lust>5.; and so the mistake arises of supposing that no one could everhave had many wives but from sensuality and the vehemence of sinfuldesires. Unable to form an idea of men whose force of mind is beyondtheir conception, they compare themselves with themselves, as theapostle says [2 Cor. x. 12], and so make mistakes. Conscious that, intheir intercourse though with one wife only, they are often influencedby mere animal passion instead of an intelligent motive, they think itan obvious inference that, if the limits of moderation are not observed

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where there is only one wife, the infirmity must be aggravated wherethere are more than one.">.80[Tyler Footnotes: >1. Whose custom andwhose laws? The customs of men and the laws of men, not thecustoms and laws of God. But God tells us to obey the law and customsof our society (Rom.13), so in America it is illegal to have more than

one legally recognized wife publicly and with official civil recognition.>2. One would despise the legal restraints by disobeying them.Todespise the monogynous marriage laws of America by trying to havepublicly and with official civil recognition two wives simultaneously(bigamy) is a crime punishable under the laws of America.>3. It is a sinto disobey the laws of one's society that are not in conflict with theWord of God.A child of God must obey the Laws of the Kingdom of Godwhen the laws of the kingdom of man are in conflict.>4. A godly mancan have no pleasure in peace before God when he disobeys God.Since it is against the laws of America and so contrary to God's will inAmerica for a man to try to have more than wife publicly and with

official civil recognition at any one time, God's chastening and thesword of God's public servants would put a quick end to such a man'sefforts to have pleasure in illegal polygamy.>5. Lust, in the Word, is thedesire for that which is forbidden by God. Polygyny is not forbidden byGod, but God instructs His children to obey the laws of man aboutpolygyny. It would be lust, the desire for the forbidden, to desire tohave more than one wife publicly and with official civil recognition inthe USA. >80 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers ofThe Christian Church, Vol. iv; pp.289ff.]>>>FOURTH CENTURY:Consider the following from St. Augustine:"That the good purpose ofmarriage, however, is better promoted by one husband with one wife,

than by a husband with several wives, is shown plainly enough by thevery first union of a married pair, which was made by the Divine BeingHimself, with the intention of marriages taking their beginningtherefrom, and of its affording to them a more honorable precedent. Inthe advance, however, of the human race, it came to pass that tocertain good men were united a plurality of good wives, --- many toeach; and from this it would seem that moderation sought rather unityon one side for dignity, while nature permitted plurality on the otherside for fecundity. For on natural principles it is more feasible for one tohave dominion over many, than for many to have dominion over one."[Footnote: >..34 2b A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene

Fathers of The Christian Church; Vol. V; p. 267]>>>FOURTH CENTURY:Consider St. Augustine's point in the following:" . . . no one doubts .. .who reads with careful attention what use they made of their wives, ata time when also it was allowed one man to have several,whom he hadwith more chastity than any now has his one wife .. .But then theymarried even several without any blame . . ">65[Footnotes:>.64Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL LAW, by R. Rushdonney, p.364. >30 (Deut. 21:15,16). >31 (Ex.21:10). >32 (Genesis 30 and 2

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Samuel 7). >..65 St.Augustin: On The Trinity; p. 406.]>>>FOURTHCENTURY: St. Basil (4th Cent. AD) wrote "On polygamy the Fathers aresilent, as being brutish and altogether inhuman.The sins seems to meworse than fornication.">74 "Herard of Tours, A.D. 858,declares anygreater number of wives than two to be unlawful. . .Leo the Wise,

Emperor of Constantinople, was allowed to marry three wives withoutpublic remonstrance, but was suspended from communion by thepatriarch Nicholas when he married a fourth.">75 St.Augustine (4thCent. AD) indicates that the Roman Catholic Church was the powerbehind the move to not allow polygyny or concubinage among thechurch members of his time..>76 So even in the early church we find awide diversity of reactions to the polygyny and concubinage of theBible. This, in its own way, bears witness to the fact that there is noclear scriptural teaching against polygyny and concubinage. Theyobviously fall in the category of things discussed in Rom. 14, 1 Cor. 8and 1 Cor 10.[Footnote: >.74 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-

Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. VIII; p. 258. >.75 A SelectLibrary of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church,Vol. V; p. 267. >76 St. Augustin: On The Trinity; p. 402.]>>>AD 347:In the case of trigamy and polygamy they laid down the same rule, inproportion, as in the case of digamy; namely one year for digamy(some authorities say two years); for trigamy men are separatedfor three and often for four years; but this is no longerdescribed as marriage at all, but as polygamy; nay rather aslimited fornication. . . . In cases of trigamy we have accepted aseclusion of five years, not by the canons, but following the precept ofour predecessors. Such offenders ought not to be altogether prohibited

from the privileges of the Church; they should be considereddeserving of hearing after two or three years, and afterwards ofbeing permitted to stand in their place; but they must be kept fromthe communion of the good gift, and only restored to the placeof communion after showing some fruit of repentance. [ANF:(CanonicaPrima.)To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons. LetterCLXXXVIII written c.347.] >>>The Council of Neocaesarea a.d. 315(circa) refers to a 'purification period' for polygamists. By that time,sinners had to 'sit out' of Church activities until they had demonstratedreformation. If a sin showed up on this list of canons, it was considereda 'bad sin'--and polygamy shows up here: "Ancient Epitome of Canon

III.The time (for doing penance and purification) ofpolygamists iswell known. A zeal for penance may shorten it." [ANF] >>>AD 300The Pseudo-Clementine Literature boasts about how St. Thomas taughtthe Parthians [i.e., an Iranian culture] to abandon polygamy: "But Ishall give a still stronger proof of the matters in hand. For, behold, . . .all nations coming to Judaea, and moved both by the signs andmiracles Which they saw, . . ; and then going back to their owncountries, they rejected the lawless rites of the Gentiles, and their

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incestuous marriages. In short, among the Parthians - as Thomas,who is preaching the Gospel amongst them, has written to us -not many now are addicted to polygamy; nor among the Medesdo many throw their dead to dogs; nor are the Persians pleased withintercourse with their mothers, or incestuous marriages with their

daughters; nor do the Susian women practise the adulteries that wereallowed them; nor has Genesis been able to force those into crimeswhom the teaching of religion restrained. (ANF 8: "Book IX: ChapterXXIX.-The Gospel More Powerful Than 'Genesis.'"] >>>Irenaeus (c.180)condemns the Gnostics for, among other things, polygamy: "Others,again, following upon Basilides and Carpocrates, have introducedpromiscuous intercourse and a plurality of wives..." [ANF, vol. 1,p.353] >>>Justin Martyr (c.160) rebukes the Jews for allowingpolygamy: "Your imprudent and blind masters [i.e., Jewishteachers] even until this time permit each man to have four or fivewives. And if anyone sees a beautiful woman and desires to have her,

they quote the doings of Jacob." [ANF, vol. 1, p. 266] >>>100 AD:Tacitus, who died in 117 A.D., was a Roman historian who provided uswith one of the earliest detailed descriptions of the Germans and theirGermanic tribes, which later migrated into western Europe andincluded the English and the French. >30 These Germans of his timewere unique. They strictly observed the marital tie and were generallycontent with one wife for each husband, in marked contrast to most ofthe "barbarians" of the time who often practiced polygyny. The fewexceptions to this Germanic monogyny was when they were sought fora polygynous marriage because of their high birth>31[Footnotes:>30Source: Tr. Maurice Hutton, in Tacitus: Dialogus,Agricola, Germania,

Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1914).WOMEN'S LIVES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE- A SOURCE BOOK; p. 36.;>31WOMEN'S LIVES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE - A SOURCE BOOK; p. 37.]>>>http://www.apuritansmind.com/Pastoral/McMahonElderAndDivorce.htmThe Elder & DivorceAre divorced men expelled from the ministry?That depends...The Elder and Divorce: by C. Matthew McMahonhttp://www.apuritansmind.com/Pastoral/McMahonElderAndDivorce.htm"Rome was laden with polygamy and disorderliness. Concubines,wives, and undisciplined children could be seen from the Caesarshouse down to its subjects. The ill-ordered household was in contemptin the eyes of the Christian.">>>THE FIRST CENTURY ADPolygamy was

practiced somewhat in 1st century Palestinian Judaism (by thegovernment/aristocratic leaders): "In the Second Temple period,Jewish society was, at least theoretically, polygamous, like otheroriental societies of the time but in contrast to the neighboringGreek and Roman societies...."[HI:JWGRP:85] "There is evidence ofthe practice of polygamy in Palestinian Judaism in NT times (cf.J. Jeremias,Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus: An Investigation intoEconomic and Social Conditions during the New Testament Period,

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1969, 90, 93, 369f.). Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.) had ten wives(Josephus,Ant. 17, 19f.; War1,562) and a considerable harem (War1,511). Polygamy and concubinage among the aristocracy isattested by Josephus,Ant. 12, 186ff.; 13, 380; War1, 97. Thecontinued practice of levirate marriage (Yeb. 15b) evidently led to

polygamy, which was countenanced by the school of Shammai but notby that of Hillel. [NIDNTT:s.v. "Marriage, adultery, bride, bridegroom"]>>>APOSTOLIC TIMES: "In Roman law, marriage was precisely definedas monogamous; concubinage was tolerated, but the concubine'sstatus was inferior to that of a legal wife. Her children had certainrights, including support by the father and legitimacy in the event ofthe marriage of the parents".[Footnote: >27 1986, Funk & WagnallsNEW ENCYCLOPEDIA.]>>>APOSTOLIC TIMES: In the SecondCommonwealth polygamy is far from general (cf. Tobit and Susanna).Yet it survived far into the Christian era. In the New Testament Jesusneither condemns polygamous unions nor advocates a change in the

system."CHARLES A. RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams,1., Jewish Life in the Middle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History ofHuman Marriage (1901);Spencer, H., Principles of Sociology idem,Descriptive Sociology;Lay, Wilfrid, A Plea for Monogamy (1923)>>>APOSTOLIC TIMES: "Herod had nine wives at once. . .Its possibilityis implied by the technical continuance of the Levirate law, [Deut. 25:5-10] and is proved by the early interpretation of 1 Ti 3, whether corrector not. Justin reproaches the Jews of his day [A.D.] with having 'four oreven five wives,'and marrying 'as they wish, or as many as they wish.'The evidence of the Talmud shows that in this case at least thereproach had some foundation. ">41.[Footnote: (>.(40. Septuagint Lev.

21:13 "He shall take for a wife a virgin of his own tribe.". .>41.DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, J.Hastings (Selbie, Lambert, Mathews),Hendrickson Publishers,1989;p.583ff.]>>>APOSTOLIC TIMESAmongthe Jews, it was not accepted by the prestigious school ofHillel(above), nor by the strict Dead Sea Sect (Qumran), and was notwidely practiced, esp. among the rabbi's: "But even if polygamywas permitted by tannaitic halakhah, other halakhic systemscounseled otherwise. During the Second Temple period, monogamywas preferred even on the conceptual plane by, above all, the DeadSea Sect whose halakhahexplicitly prohibited polygamy. In thereworked version of the statutes of the king in the Temple Scroll, it is

stated: "he shall not take another wife in addition to her, for shealone shall be with him all the days of her life" (LVII 17-8). In theDamascus Covenant, criticism is leveled against the 'builders of thewall' (Pharisees?) in the following terms: 'they shall be caught infornication twice; once by taking a second wife while the firstis still alive...' [HI:JWGRP:85] "it was known in Jewish society asrepresented in rabbinic literature, polygamy was not widespread inpractice, especially not among the sages themselves."

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[HI:JWGRP:86] >>>A.D. 50s Jesus polygynists not allowed to beofficials in local assemblies. ++++***1 Timothy 3: 1* Faithful [is] theword: If anyone reaches out to overseership, he desires a good work.2* Then it behooves the overseer to be without reproach, husband ofonly^ one wife, temperate, sensible, well-ordered, hospitable, apt at

teaching, . . . 8 Likewise the deacons [are to be] reverent, notdouble-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of ill gain, . . .12Let the deacons be the husbands of only^ one wife, ruling [their]children and households well.[^ Strong's: mia; adj; only one;J.B.Phillips: "he must be married to one wife only . . . . TEV, WMS, NCV:"he must have only one wife" . . . NASB, NIV: "the husband of one wife,. ."BER: "one wife's husband . . ."NEB: "faithful to his one wife . . ." TheAmerican Bible (Catholic): "a bishop must be . . . married only once . . "MOF: "he must be married only once . . ."Complete Jewish Bible: "hemust be faithful to his wife"TCNT:The Presiding-Officer should be . . . afaithful husband; . .WEY: A minister then must be . . . true to his one

wife, . . CEV:" . . officials must be . . . faithful in marriage . . ."MESSAGE:"A leader must be . . . committed to his wife . . ."] This makes it clearthat official leaders and official officersof a local assembly of Jesusbelievers should not be polygynous.This leaves polygynous Jesusbelievers free to be unofficialvisiting Bible teachers, missionaries,evangelists and counselorsserving local assemblies in unofficialministry.****Titus 1: 6 if anyone is blameless, husband of one wife,having believing children, not accused of loose behavior, ordisobedient. 7 For an overseer must be blameless, as a steward of God,not self-willed, not full of passion, not given to wine, not quarrelsome,not greedy for ill gain; 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, discreet, just,

holy, temperate 9 holding fast the faithful word according to thedoctrine, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and toconvict the gainsayers. Are these requirements only forelders,overseers and deacons, or are they for all of us in Christ? Aren'twe all supposed to be without reproach, temperate, sensible, well-ordered, not drinkers, not quarrelsome, not greedy of ill gain, butgentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, reverent, not double-tongued,not given to much wine, having the mystery of the faith in a pureconscience, being blameless, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in allthings. having a good report from those on the outside? But doesn't 1Corinth. 12 and Ephes. 4 make it plain that we all have different gifts

so that some [but not all] are hospitable, some [but not all] are able toteach, some [but not all] rule their own house well, some [but not all]have their children in subjection with all honor, (For if one does notknow to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church ofGod?)? Since novices are not expected to be able or qualified to be anelder, overseer or deacon, doesn't that also mean that they aretherefore not expected to be monogynous? Since all believers are notrequired to have the gift of hospitality, of teaching, of ruling well and

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effectively their children, and since all believers are novices at onepoint in their spiritual lives, then isn't it obvious that not all believershave the gift (1 Cor. 7) of monogyny? If these standards (especiallymonogyny) are to be required of all believers, then what about thosebelievers Paul encourages to never marry at all so that they can wait

on God without distraction in times of persecution? Isn't it clear thatthese requirements are required only of those who seek to qualify forsuch positions? Husband of one wife: Yes! Definitely! Anelder/overseer/bishop/superintendent of a church must be the husbandof only one wife. Are we all elders/overseers/bishops/ superintendents?Clearly not. The unmarried are not. The married who have unrulychildren are not. Husbands with disrespectful, uncooperative anddefiant wives andchildren are not. The married and unmarried who areunable to teach are not. All novices are not. Those with a badreputation, earned or unearned, among the unsaved through slanderor misunderstandings are not. Those who dont want a church

leadership position are not. That includes most of us, and most of usare not covered by the injunction to be the husband of only one wife.>>>A.D. 50s Polygynists called in polygyny to remain inpolygyny+++++++++****1 CORINTH. 7:7 Now I wish all men to beeven as myself: but every one has his own gift of God: one man thus,and another thus. 8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It isgood for them that they remain [unmarried] even as I. 9 But if they arenot having continuing control over themselves [to keep from sinningsexually once in a while], THEY SHOULD MARRY; for it is better tomarry than to burn. . . 17 But as God has distributed to each one, asthe Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all

churches. 18 [Was] any called having been circumcised? Do not beuncircumcised. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? Do not becircumcised. . . . 20 Let each one remain in the calling in which he wascalled. 21 Were you called as a slave? It does not matter to you, but ifyou are able to become free, use [it] rather. . . . 24 Each in whateverway he was called, brothers, in this remain with God.The applicationwould be something like this:' But as God has distributed to eachone, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain inall churches. 18 [Was] any called in polygyny/concubinage? Do notbecome monogynous. . . . . . 20 Let each one remain in the calling inwhich he was called.' Yes, that means if they were called in polygyny,

they remain in polygyny unless their polygyny violates the law>48 ofthe land they are called in. If the law of the land prohibits theirpolygyny, they cannot dump their wives since they are bound by Godto them in marriage since Gods Laws take precedence over the laws ofman>49 , so they must change their formal polygyny to informalconcubinage to live without offense>50 .[Footnote: >48 Romans13.>49 (Moses & Pharaoh, Daniel and the lions, Shedrach and the fieryfurnace, Acts 4). >50 Romans 14.] Yes, that means that if they were

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called in concubinage, they remain in concubinage unless (1) theirinformal concubinage should become formal polygyny so as not tooffend or stumble the Church >51 , or (2) their open and publicconcubinage must become personal, private, discrete andsecretive>52 so as not to stumble or offend the saints.[Footnote: >51

Romans 14 & 15. >52 Romans 14 & 15, 1 Cor. 8 & 10]>>>A.D. 50sMarital fidelity and polygynous fidelity emphasized.++++++++++++***1Cor.7:2's . . . ..each [man] is commanded to be having his ownwife, and each [woman] is commanded to be having her own husband. How can this be an argument for monogamy as most Christianleaders maintain>62? Whenever Abraham had Sarah, he had his ownwife; and whenever Abraham had Hagar, he had his own wife, notsomeone else's wife,right? When David had Ahinoam, didn't he havehis own wife? When David had Abigail, didn't he have his own wife?When David had Maacah, didn't he have his own wife? When David hadHaggith, didn't he have his own wife, instead of having another's wife?

When David had Abital, didn't he have his own wife? When he hadEglah, didn't he have his own wife, not someone else's wife? Each timeJacob, Joash or Gideon had one of their own wives in polygyny, wasn'the having his own wife/concubine? Wasn't each wife/concubine ofthese polygamists having her own polygamous husband? Isn 't thisalso true of a man and his concubine with whom he has maritallycovenanted>22 honorably before God? Doesn't each polygynist havehis own wife, and have each one of them intimately and each one is hisown wife? Doesn't each of the polygynist's wives have her ownhusband and have him intimately in their marriage. How does thepassage above rebuke, demean or condemn polygyny? Doesn't the

passage address marital faithfulness and exclude adultery, whichinvolves a husband having anothers wife and a wife having one who isnot her own husband? Doesn't it restrict sexual having to marriagewith ones own mate in monogyny or polygyny? . . . ..let each manhave his own wife, and let each wife have her own husband is not anargument for monogamy as most Christian leaders maintain>62 .Whenever Abraham, David, Jacob, Joash or Gideon had one of theirown wives, he was having his own wife/concubine; and eachwife/concubine of these polygamists had her own polygamoushusband. This is also true of a man and his concubine with whom hehas maritally covenanted>22 honorably before God. David had his own

Abigail and Abigail had her own David. David had his own Abigail andBathsheeba, and Bathsheeba and Abigail both had their own David.The polygynist has his own wife, and has each one of them intimatelyand each one is his own wife. Each of the polygynist's wives has herown husband and has him intimately in their marriage. This passagedoes not rebuke, demean or condemn polygyny. The passageaddresses marital faithfulness and excludes adultery, which involves ahusband having anothers wife and a wife having one who is not her

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own husband. It restricts sexual having to marriage with ones ownmate.[Footnotes:>.62 Please see THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL LAW, byR. Rushdonney, p. 363. >22 Ezek. 16:8; Malachi 2:10-17; Neh. 9:38with 1 Sam. 20:3-17; As in Matt. 1:18-24 and Luke 1 & 2, she was his"wife" by their covenant even before their actual formal wedding.]

>>>AD 50s Jesus Jews keeping the Law and Jesus nonJews not keepingthe Law+++++***ACTS 21:17 And when we arrived at Jerusalem thebrethren gladly received us. 18 And on the morrow Paul went in with usto James, and all the elders came there. 19 And having saluted them,he related one by one the things which God had wrought among thenations by his ministry. 20 And they having heard itglorified God, andsaid to him, "YOU SEE, BROTHER, HOW MANY MYRIADS THERE ARE OFTHE JEWS WHO HAVE BELIEVED, AND ALL ARE ZEALOUS OF THE LAW.21 AND THEY HAVE BEEN INFORMED CONCERNING YOU, THAT YOUTEACH ALL THE JEWS AMONG THE NATIONS APOSTASY FROM MOSES,SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD NOT CIRCUMCISE THEIR CHILDREN, NOR

WALK IN THE CUSTOMS.22 What is it then? a multitude mustnecessarily come together, for they will hear that thou art come. 23This do therefore that we say to thee: We have four men who have avow on them; 24 TAKE THESE AND BE PURIFIED WITH THEM, AND PAYTHEIR EXPENSES, THAT THEY MAY HAVE THEIR HEADS SHAVED; ANDALL WILL KNOW THAT WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN INFORMED ABOUT YOUIS NOTHING, BUT THAT YOU YOURSELF ALSO WALK ORDERLY, KEEPINGTHE LAW. 25 But concerning those ofthe nations who have believed,we have written, deciding that they should observe no such thing, onlyto keep themselves both from things offered to idols, and from blood,and from things strangled, and from fornication. 26 THEN PAUL, TAKING

THE MEN, ON THE NEXT DAY, HAVING BEEN PURIFIED, ENTERED WITHTHEM INTO THE TEMPLE, SIGNIFYING THE TIME THE DAYS OFPURIFICATION WOULD BE FULFILLED, UNTIL THE OFFERING WASOFFERED FOR EVERY ONE OF THEM. This means that the marriageand morality teachings of 1 Thess. 4 ; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 5, 6 and7 were written before the time of Acts 21:16 while Paul and thebelieving Jews, including the apostles, were still obeying and teachingthe marriage and morality laws of the Law of Moses, discussed atlength above including the laws regulating the practice of polygyny (Ex21:7-11; Deut 21:15,16; Dt 25:5-11) . Christian elders agree thatduring Jesus' physical and visible walk on earth, the Jews practiced

polygamy>24.[Footnote: >24. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME. . P. 23. ;HASTING'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.584. ; A Select Library of theNicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. V, p. 267.;A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The ChristianChurch, Vol. iv, p.290.; A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers of The Christian Church, Vol. VIII, p. 258. ; St. Augustin: On TheTrinity, p. 402.; HASTING'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.259, 583ff.]>>>A.D. 30s Jesus commands obedience to Torah

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Law+++++++++++Jesus made it very clear that the Israelites whofollowedHim were to observe the Sinai Covenant, Torah.***Mat 5: 17 Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I amnot come to make void, but to fulfil. 18* For verily I say unto you, Untilthe heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no

wise pass from the law till all come to pass. 19 Whosoever then shalldo away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach menso, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoevershall practise and teach them, *he* shall be called great in thekingdom of the heavens.***Matt 23: 1 Then Jesus spoke to thecrowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, The scribes and the Phariseeshave set themselves down in Moses seat: 3 all things therefore,whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works,for they say and do not, . . >>>A.D. 30s - 50s Polygyny and adulteryare not the same. ADULTERY FOR THE WOMAN:***1. "Whoevermarries a woman who is divorced commits adultery">144. The reason

being that she is still bound to him as wife.>145.[Footnote: >144 Mat.5:32; 19:9; Luke 16:18; except in the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12-15,39; 1 Tim.5:14. >145. 1 Cor. 7:10, 11, 39; Romans 7:1-3. ] ***2. The husband"causes her to commit adultery" when he divorces her for any reasonother than sexual immorality>146. The reason being that she is stillbound to him as wife.>147 In 1 Corinth. 7:5 we see that her husband"causes her to commit adultery" because her husband is failing tomeet her marital needs and the enemy of her soul tempts in herburning need. (On the other hand: The wife is not said to cause herhusband to commit adultery when she divorces him for any otherreason than sexual immorality, probably because he is free to be a

polygynist.)[Footnote: >146. Matt. 5:32; 19:9. >147 1 Cor. 7:10, 11,39; Romans 7:1-3.]***3. "And if a woman divorces her husband andmarries another, she commits adultery.">148. The adultery consists ofboth divorce AND remarriage. The reason being that she is still boundto him as wife.>149.[Footnotes:>148. Mark 10:12. >149. 1 Cor. 7:10,11, 39; Romans 7:1-3.]***4. "if, while her husband lives, she marriesanother man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies,she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she hasmarried another man.">150[Footnote: >150. Romans 7:3.] ADULTERY AND THE MAN***1. "Whoever marries a woman who isdivorced commits adultery", obviously because she still is bound to the

husband from whom she is divorced.[>.^151. Mat. 5:32; 19:9; exceptin the cases of 1 Cor. 7:12-15,39; 1 Tim. 5:14.]***2. "Whoever divorceshis wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commitsadultery." The adultery consists of divorcing his wife for something elsebesides sexual immorality AND then remarrying. If he stayed marriedto his wife and married another, he became a polygynist. On the otherhand, it is implied here that if he divorces his wife for sexual immoralityand marries another, he does not commit adultery. His divorcing her

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does not cause her to commit adultery because she is alreadyimmorally sexually involved with someone else. His refusal to meet hersexual needs (1 Cor 7:2-5) does not cause her to be immoral becauseshe is already being immoral. He is commanded not to be intimate withher (1Cor.5:11) but his lack of her intimacy will cause him to be

tempted (1 Cor.7:5). If the temptations overcome him and he is failingto control himself, burning with marital desire, he comes undercommand to marry (1Cor.7:9) and so remarries in the Lord. [Footnote:>152. Matt 19: 9: Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18.152.]***3. "You shall notcovet your neighbor's wife.">153. "You shall not lie carnally with yourneighbor's wife>154. "For this is the will of God. . . ..that no oneshould take advantage of and defraud/cheat his brother in thismatter.>155. A genuine Christian wife is bound to her husband aslong as he lives and she becomes an adulteress when she marriesanother while he still lives.[Footnotes:>153. Exod. 20:17. >154.Leviticus18:20. >155. 1 Thess. 4:3-6.] Adultery for the female is

sexual intimacy with anyone else besides her own husband/mate.Adultery for the male is when (1) he is married to a new wife and hadleft/rejected/divorced his former wife in order to marry this newwife>99 . ; or (2) is sexually intimate with some one elses wife. It isthis double standard that allowed Abraham, Jacob, David and Joash tobe godly polygamists, but declared a woman to be an adulteress if shewas intimate with anyone but her own mate. It is a double standard forthe man and the woman, just like polygyny was/is a double standardfor the man and the woman. The same sin is defined differently for thewoman and differently for the man. See more on this below.[Footnotes:>99 It is the combination of divorcing one's mate in order

to marry another and then marrying that other. If he both dutifullykeeps his own wife and then marries another woman, it is polygynyand not adultery. If the wife dutifully keeps her own husband andmarries another it is adultery (Romans 7:3) The double standard isclearly laid out in Matt. 5:32 and 19:6-9; Mark 10:1-11; Luke 16:18; 1Thess. 4:4-6 and Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinth. 7:39] It is this doublestandard that results from the man being the designated the head ofthe family (Gen 2; 1Cor. 11), that results in what appears to be anotherinequity. In Mt. 5:32 Jesus apparently allows the genuinely believinghusband to divorce his wife because she is snared in sexual immorality.Not only is he allowed to divorce her, he is allowed to remarry. If she is

genuinely saved, she is still bound maritally to him as wife before theLord, even though she is snared in sex sin and Jesus hasn't finished hisMat. 18;15-18 & 1 Cor. 5:5-11 work with her yet. He remarries with afree-in-the-Lord-to-marry genuinely believing woman and is now boundbefore the Lord to two wives. If the one involved in sex sin survives 1Cor . 5 and repents according to 2 Cor. 2 & 7, he must accept her backas his wife along with his new wife, being bound to both as long as heand they all live. >>>OT POST EXILEJEHOVAH AND HIS TWO

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WIVES+++++++++++EZEK 23: 1 And the word of Jehovah cameunto me, saying, 2 Son of man, there were two women, daughters ofone mother. 3 And they committed whoredom in Egypt; theycommitted whoredom in their youth: there were their breasts pressed,and there were handled the teats of their virginity. 4 And their names

were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they were mine,and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Samaria isOholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah. 5 And Oholah played the harlot whenshe was mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians herneighbours, . . . . . >>>OT POST EXILE:"However, if polygamy was notforbidden it was not directly sanctioned. It was a heritage from the pastand it was left undisturbed. . . . In the Second Commonwealthpolygamy is far from general (cf. To bit and Susanna)."CHARLES A.RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., Jewish Life in theMiddle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History of Human Marriage(1901);Spencer, H., Principles of Sociology idem, Descriptive Sociology;

Lay, Wilfrid, A Plea for Monogamy (1923)>>>5th CENTURY B.C.:POLYGYNOUS QUEEN ESTHER++++++++++++++Es 4:13 AndMordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thoushalt escape in the kings house, more than all the Jews. 14 For if thoualtogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise reliefand deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thyfathers house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art not cometo the kingdom for such a time as this? 15 And Esther bade to answerMordecai: 16* Go, gather together all the Jews that are found inShushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night orday: I also and my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go in unto

the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish. 17And Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther hadcommanded him.Es 9: 29 And Esther the queen, the daughter ofAbihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm thissecond letter of Purim. 30 And he sent the letters to all the Jews, to thehundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus,[with] words of peace and truth, 31 in order to confirm these days ofPurim in their [set] times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Estherthe queen had ordered them, and as they had decreed for themselvesand for their seed the matters of the fastings and of their cry. 32 Andthe order of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim. And it was

written in the book.>>>OT Kings:The marriage figure applied to theunion of God and Israel. . . ..implied monogamy as the ideal state.Polygamy is, in fact,always an unnatural development from the point ofview both to religion and of anthropology; 'monogamy is by far themost common form of human marriage; it was so also amongst theancient peoples of whom we have any direct knowledge'(Westermarck, Hum. Marr.p.459). Being, however, apparently legalized,and having the advantage of precedent, it was long before polygamy

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was formally forbidden in Hebrew society >n130 , though practically itfell into disuse; the feeling of the Rabbis was strongly againstit.">n131[Footnotes:>.n129 Always? What about the divorce statisticsin our modern and monogamous America? Also, Solomon and theShulamite seemed to have a great deal of domestic happiness in their

polygamy according to the Song of Solomon 6. >.n130"Polygamy wasnot definitely forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c.A.d. 1000), and then at first only for France and Germany. In Spain,Italy, and the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does stillamong the Jews in Mohammedan counties". DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE,J. Hastings (Selbie,Lambert, Mathews), Hendrickson Publishers,1989;p.584.>..n131 Loc Cit Dictionary of the Bible, Hastings: pp. 583-587.]>>>OT Kings: "The gradual evolution in the OT of monogamy asthe ideal is therefore of the highest interest. The earliest codes attemptin various ways to regulate the custom of polygyny. The Deut. code inparticular actually forbids kings to multiply wives (Dt 17.17); this is the

fruit, apparently of the experience of Solomon'sreign.">n133[Footnote: >.n133 DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, J.Hastings(Selbie, Lambert, Mathews), Hendrickson Publishers,1989;p.259..]>>>OT KINGS: God's Law forbade a king from"multiplying"wives>.75 to himself without making such a command towe non kings. It appears from later scripture about Godly and Godblessed kings of Israel that God makes a distinction betweenMULTIPLYING wives & horses to yourself and adding wives & horses toyourself. None of us object to King David having more than one horsebut many object to King David having more than one wife, yet it is thesame command"he shall not multiply hoses . . . wives to himself." By 2

Samuel 5-12 God had "given" him seven wives plus a number ofconcubines.We see His implied blessing on David's polygyny . Thisimplied blessing of his polygyny would have to mean that David, withconcubines and seven wives, had not yet violated the prohibitionagainst a king multiplying wives and horses to himself.[Footnotes:>75De 17:15 "You shall only set him king over you whom Jehovah your Godwill choose: from among your brethren shall you set a king over you; . .. 16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, . . . 17 Neither shallhe multiply wives to himself,that his heart turn not away; neither shallhe greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." NO PROHIBITION FROMHAVING SOME HORSES , SOME WIVES and some gold]>>>OT Kings:

"Polygamy meets us as a fact: e.g. Abraham, Jacob,the Judges,David,Solomon; 1 Ch 7:4 is evidence of its prevalence in Issachar;Elkanah (1Sam.1:1ff) is significant as belonging to the middle class;Jehoida (2 Ch24:3) as a priest. . .Legislation . . . safe guarded the rights of variouswives, slave or free; and according to the Rabbinical interpretation ofLv 21:13>40. . . .the high priest was not allowed to be a bigamist. . .The marriage figure applied to the union of God and Israel . . . impliedmonogamy as the ideal state. . . "[Footnote: (>.(40. Septuagint Lev.

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21:13 "He shall take for a wife a virgin of his own tribe.". .>41.DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, J.Hastings (Selbie, Lambert, Mathews),Hendrickson Publishers,1989; p.583ff.]>>>835+/- B.C.: JEHOIDA ANDJOASH AND THEIR RIGHT POLYGYNY++++++++++++++++2 CHRON24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he

reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah ofBeer-sheba. 2 And Joash did what was right in the sight of Jehovah allthe days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives;and he begot sons and daughters.>>>848 B.C. +/-JEHORAM++++++++++++2 CHRON 21:12 And there came awriting to him from Elijah the prophet saying, Thus saith Jehovah, theGod of David thy father: Because thou hast not walked in the ways ofJehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, . . .14behold, Jehovah will smite with a great stroke thy people, and thychildren, and thy wives, and all thy substance, >>>870 B.C. +/-AHAB++++++++++++++1 KINGS 20: 1 And Ben-Hadad king of

Syria assembled all his host; and there were thirty-two kings with him,and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, andfought against it. 2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel intothe city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3 Thy silver and thygold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, the goodliest, are mine. .. 7 And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said,Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeks mischief; for he sent tome for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for mygold; and I denied him not. 8 And all the elders and all the people saidto him, Hearken not, nor consent>>>913 B.C. +/-ABIJAH+++++++++2 CHRON 13: 20 And Jeroboam did not recover

strength again in the days of Abijah; and Jehovah smote him, and hedied. 21 But Abijah strengthened himself, and took fourteen wives, andbegot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 And the rest of theacts of Abijah, and his ways and his sayings, are written in the treatiseof the prophet Iddo.>>>931 B.C.: REHOBOAM+++++++++++++++2 CHRON 11:17 And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, andmade Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong three years; for duringthree years they walked in the way of David and Solomon. 18 AndRehoboam took Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David aswife, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. 19 And shebore him children: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 And after her

he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah,and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 And Rehoboam loved Maachahthe daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for hehad taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.>>>971 B.C. +/-: POLYGYNOUSSOLOMON'S SIN OF MARRYING UNBELIEVERS1 KINGS 11:4 And it cameto pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heartafter other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God,

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as the heart of David his father. 5 And Solomon went after Ashtoreththe goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of theAmmonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of Jehovah, andfollowed not fully Jehovah, as David his father. 7 Then did Solomonbuild a high place for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, on

the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of thechildren of Ammon. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, whoburned incense and sacrificed to their gods.Song of Solomon 6: 4 Omy love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, asinspiring as an army with banners. 5 Turn away your eyes from Me, forthey have overcome Me; your hair is like a flock of goats that appearsfrom Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes which go up from thewashing; they all are bearing twins, and a barren one is not amongthem. 7 Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate.8 There are sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and virgins withoutnumber. 9 But My dove, My undefiled is one alone. She is the only one

of her mother. She is the choice of her who bore her. The daughterssaw her and blessed her; the queens and the concubines saw her, andthey praised her. >>>1003 B.C. +/-: KING DAVID BLESSED BY GODWITH EVEN MORE WIVES IN HIS POLYGYNY++++++++2 Sam.12: 7And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man! Thus saith Jehovah theGod of Israel: I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee outof the hand of Saul; 8 and I gave thee thy masters house, and thymasters wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel andof Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have givenunto thee such and such things. 1 Chron. 3: 1 And these are the sonsof David, who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, of

Ahinoam the Jizreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess;2 the third, Absalom the son of Maachah, daughter of Talmai king ofGeshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3 the fifth, Shephatiahof Abital; the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah his wife: 4 six were born to him inHebron. And there he reigned seven years and six months. And inJerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 5 And these were born to himin Jerusalem: Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, ofBath-shua the daughter of Ammiel; 6 and Ibhar, and Elishama, andEliphelet, 7 and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, 8 and Elishama, andEliada, and Eliphelet, nine: 9 all were sons of David, besides the sons ofthe concubines; and Tamar was their sister.2 Sam 7: 4 And it came to

pass that night that the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, saying, 5 Goand say to my servant, to David, Thus saith Jehovah: . . . I took theefrom the pasture-grounds, from following the sheep, to be prince overmy people, over Israel; 9 and I have been with thee whithersoever thouwentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and havemade thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that areon the earth. . . 16 And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made firmfor ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 17

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According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so didNathan speak to David.>>>1011 B.C. +/-: KING SAUL AND HISCONCUBINE++++++++++++****2 Samuel 3: 7 And Saul had aconcubine whose name [was] Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah.>>>OTJUDGES:"The relative positions of wives and concubines were

determined mainly by the husband's favour. The children of the wifeclaimed the greater part, or the whole, of the inheritance; otherwisethere does not seem to have been any inferiority in the position of theconcubine as compared with that of the wife, nor was any idea ofillegitimacy, in our sense of the word, connected with her children. . . .The female slaves were in every respect the property of their master,and became his concubines; except in certain cases, when they seemto have belonged exclusively to their mistress, and could not beappropriated by the man except by her suggestion orconsent(Gn16:2,3). The slave-concubines were obtained as booty intime of war (Jg 5:30), or bought from poverty-stricken parents (Ex

21:7);or,possibly, in the ordinary slave traffic with foreign nations.">12[Footnote: >12. DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, J. Hastings(Selbie,Lambert, Mathews), Hendrickson Publishers, 1989; p.259.]>>>OT Law and the Prophets: CONCUBINAGE, "Refers to thecohabitation of a man and a woman without sanction of legal marriage.Specifically, concubinage is a form of polygyny in which the primarymatrimonial relationship is supplemented by one or more secondarysexual relationships. Concubinage was a legally sanctioned and sociallyacceptable practice in ancient cultures,including that of the Hebrews;concubines, however, were denied the protection to which a legal wifewas entitled".[Footnote: >27 1986, Funk & Wagnalls NEW

ENCYCLOPEDIA.]>>>THE LEVITE AND HIS CONCUBINE-------Aconcubine had a HUSBAND who was the SON-IN-LAW of her father, theFATHER-IN-LAW of the husband:Jud 19:1 And it came to pass in thosedays, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite, sojourningon the further side of mount Ephraim, took him a CONCUBINE out ofBethlehem-Judah. . . 3 And her HUSBAND rose up and went after her,to speak kindly to her, . . . 4 And his FATHER-IN-LAW, the damselsfather, retained him, and he abode with him three days; . . . 5 And itcame to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning,and he rose up to depart; and the damsels father said to his SON-IN-LAW, . . . . . >>>OT Law and the Prophets: Eerdmans' Douglas' New

Bible Dictionary: "Concubine. A secondary wife acquired by purchase oras a war captive, and allowed in polygamous society such as existed inthe Middle east in biblical times....Where marriages produced no heir,wives presented a slave concubine too their husbands in order to raisean heir (Gen. 16).Handmaidens, given as a marriage gift, were oftenconcubines(Gen.29:24,29). Concubines were protected under Mosaiclaw (Exod.21:7-11; Dt. 21:10-14), though they were distinguished fromwives(Jdg.8:31) and were more easily divorced (Gen.21:10-14)"

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[Footnote: >26 IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas; 1962,W. B. EerdmansPublishing.]>>>OT Law and the Prophets: ". . Elkanah, the husband ofHannah and Peninnah, is an interesting example of a man of noparticular position who nevertheless had more than one wife;this maybe an indication that bigamy, at least, if not polygamy, was not

confined to the very wealthy and exalted. At all events, polygyny wasan established and recognized institution from the earliest oftimes.">39[Footnote: >39. DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, J.Hastings(Selbie, Lambert, Mathews), Hendrickson Publishers,1989;p.259.]>>>1100 B.C. +/-: HANNAH BLESSED BY GOD IN HERPOLYGYNY++++++++++++++1 SAM. 1: 1 And there was a certainman of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name wasElkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the sonof Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 And he had two wives: the name of the onewas Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah hadchildren, but Hannah had no children. . . 10 and she was in bitterness

of soul, and prayed to Jehovah, and wept much. 11 And she vowed avow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on theaffliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thyhandmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will givehim to Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor comeupon his head. 12 And it came to pass as she continued praying beforeJehovah, that Eli noticed her mouth. . . . 17 And Eli answered and said,Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition which thouhast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thy bondwoman find grace inthy sight. And the woman went her way, and did eat, and hercountenance was no more as before.19 And they rose up early in the

morning and worshipped before Jehovah, and returned and came totheir house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Jehovahremembered her. 20 And it came to pass when the time was comeabout after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son, and called hisname Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of Jehovah.>>>GIDEON, HIS WIVES AND CONCUBINE++++++++++++JUDGES8: 29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his house. 30Now Gideon had seventy sons who had come out of his loins, for hehad many wives. 31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she alsobore him a son, and he gave him the name of Abimelech.>>>OT Lawand the Prophets: "Polygamy was such a well established part of the

social system that Mosaic law is not even critical of it. . . . .the highpriest could have only one wife and that a king in Israel should nothave too many wives (Lev. 21:13; Deut. 17:17;Ex. 21:10). . . . "CHARLES A. RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., JewishLife in the Middle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History of HumanMarriage (1901);>>>OT TALMUD: "According to the Talmud the right toa plurality of wives is conceded, but the number of legitimate wives, asin the Koran, is limited to four. The taking of additional wives is held as

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sufficient ground for divorce for a woman who had previously been thesole wife. Where a polygamous union exists, provision must be madefor adequate maintenance of each wife as well as a separate domicile.Throughout the Talmudic age not one rabbi is known to have had morethan one wife. Monogamy was held to be the only ideal legal union;

plurality of wives was a concession to time and condition."CHARLES A.RUBENSTEIN-----------------Bibliography:Abrahams, 1., Jewish Life in theMiddle Ages (1917);Westermarck, E., History of Human Marriage(1901);Spencer, H., Principles o