When Did Polygamy End Within The Jewish Culture? Christians? Islam?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

The Tanakh (Old Testament), of Judaism  reflects, without recommending, a polygamous society.  However, the household of Isaac, son of Abraham of the 2nd millennium BCE, regarded as a model in later Jewish tradition, was monogamous.  His wife was Rebecca and she was the daughter of Bethuel and mother of the twins,  Esau and Jacob. Rebecca is regarded as the ideal type of Jewish womanhood.  

                                                                    

Polygamy became general in the luxurious courts of the 1st Jewish kings of Saul, David and Solomon.  King Solomon's number of concubines is recorded which were pretty outstanding, even for a king in those days.  According to the biblical account, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The wives were described as foreign princesses, including Pharaoh's daughter and women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon and of the Hittites.

I can't help but think about Abram and Sarai when Sari wanted to get pregnant and it wasn't happening.  She actually gave her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to Abram,, hoping she would conceive.  Hagar bore Abram Ishmael.  Later, much later, Sarai finally conceived, said to be at age 90,  Isaac.  Since she died at age 127, I would think Isaac was a menopausel baby.  This long time frame is what may lead to a menopause baby. During the time when the female body is not having a menstrual cycle, the body may still be releasing those last few eggs. If the egg is released and there is a viable sperm waiting to fertilize the egg, you can, and will, get pregnant.

This did not make for a happy polygamous situation for the children or for the 2 women.  Ishmael teased Isaac.  Jealousy  took place between the women..  Hagar took Ishmael and left.  

                                                                       

 Solomon's  marriage to Pharaoh's daughter appears to have cemented a political alliance with Egypt, whereas he clung to his other wives and concubines "in love." The Message, a biblical paraphrase, says that Solomon was "obsessed with women".

The only wife mentioned by name is Naamah the Ammonite, mother of Solomon's son and successor, Rehoboam. The biblical narrative notes with disapproval that Solomon permitted his foreign wives to import their national deities, building temples to Ashtoreth and Milcom.  The Ammonites were a people nearby  in Ammon, which was later known as Transjordan, today's Jordan and were also a Semitic people, related to the Israelites (Gen.19:38).  That's all it took in those days to keep the peace, marry a daughter of the king.  Solomon had a lot of enemies surrounding him, thus that many wives, one would think.                                                     

Polygynous marriage: A man would leave his family of origin and join with his first wife. Then, as finances allowed, he would marry as many additional women as he desired and could afford. The new wives would join the man and his other wives in an already established household. Polygyny -- the marriage of one man and multiple women -- was practiced by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, until the practice was suspended, a least temporarily, in the late 19^th century. It is still practiced by separated fundamentalist Mormon groups which have left and been excommunicated from the main Mormon church.          

                                          Buying a slave

A man, one or more wives, and some concubines: A man could keep numerous concubines, in addition to one or more wives. These women held an even lower status than a wife.  As implied in Genesis 21:10, a concubine could be dismissed when no longer wanted. According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, "A concubine would generally be either (1) a Hebrew girl bought...[from] her father; (2) a Gentile captive taken in war; (3) a foreign slave bought; or (4) a Canaanitish woman, bond or free." ₂ They would probably be brought into an already-established household. Abraham had two concubines; Gideon: at least 1; Nahor: 1; Jacob: 1; Eliphaz: 1; Gideon: 1; Caleb: 2; Manassah: 1; Saul: 1; David: at least 10; Rehoboam: 60; Solomon: 300; an unidentified Levite: 1; Belshazzar: more than 1.

                                                                 

    King Abdullah II of Jordan and his Queen Rania on their 10th anniversary. 

King Abdullah II of Jordan did that very thing  to keep the peace by marrying a beautiful Palestinian lady on June 10, 1993, at least it worked out that way.  He fell in love with a Palestinian.    Black September, when Palestinian Arabs attacked Jordan, happened   between 16 and 27 September 1970, with certain aspects of the conflict continuing until 17 July 1971.  Black September (Arabic: أيلول الأسود‎; Aylūl Al-Aswad), also known as the Jordanian Civil War was a conflict fought in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan between the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF), under the leadership of King Hussein, Abdulla's father, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), under the leadership of Yasser Arafat.   They are not practicing Polygamy, though. 

The ideal picture of the housewife in Proverbs 31 of Solomon seems to picture a monogamous household.  The society reflected in the Talmud is essentially monogamous, only a handful of rabbis being recorded as having more than one wife.  This ideal governed Jewish life thereafter.  

                                                                   

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character: Read To Wife on Shabbat

1 A wife of noble character who can find?     She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her      and lacks nothing of value.  12 She brings him good, not harm,    all the days of her life.  13 She selects wool and flax     and works with eager hands.14 She is like the merchant ships,     bringing her food from afar.15 She gets up while it is still night;     she provides food for her family     and portions for her female servants. 16 She considers a field and buys it;    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.17 She sets about her work vigorously;    her arms are strong for her tasks.18 She sees that her trading is profitable,    and her lamp does not go out at night.19 In her hand she holds the distaff    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.20 She opens her arms to the poor    and extends her hands to the needy.21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.22 She makes coverings for her bed;    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.24 She makes linen garments and sells them,    and supplies the merchants with sashes.25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;    she can laugh at the days to come.26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.27 She watches over the affairs of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.28 Her children arise and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:29 “Many women do noble things,    but you surpass them all.”30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

The takkanah (Takkanah: "positive legislation", practices instituted by the rabbis not based (directly) on the commandments as such, e.g. rabbinical mitzvot) .of Rabbi Gershom Ben Judah aka (Rabbenu) 965=1028) born in Metz and lived in Mainz, Germany forbidding polygamy happened in about 1,000 CE, King Solomon died in 920 BCE, so this took place almost 2,000 years afterwards, meaning polygamy was occurring for 2,000 years.  One doesn't have a law against something unless it had been happening and was found to be out of favor in their eyes.  Thus, this gave formal sanction among Ashkenazi Jews to what was already generally accepted, .His legal decisions and regulations were accepted as binding  by European Jewry.    

Among the Sepharim (Spanish)  and Mizrachim (Oriental) Jews, on the other hand, polygamy continued to be legal, though by no means general.  In Italy, down to the 17th century, a person whose wife was barren was occasionally permitted by papal licence to take a 2nd wife.  With the Europeanization of many oriental communities in recent generations, polygamy  has become increasingly rare.  

In Israel, monogamy is  enforced by law, though existing polygamous marriages are recognized.  That would be occurrences among the Arabs.  I'm not sure if any Mormons are living in Israel, of which a branch of them still do practice polygamy, mainly in Mexico  as it is outlawed in other places.  

Religions have differing views on marriage and polygamy. For example, because Buddhism does not regard marriage as a sacrament and only a secular affair, forms of marriage vary by country. For example, Thailand legally recognized polygamy in 1955, and Myanmar outlawed polygyny in 2015.   Myanmar, Under Burmese Buddhist law, a man has the right to take more than one wife, but a wife cannot legally take more than one husband. A husband can commit adultery and face no risk of divorce or loss of property. ... Buddhist men no longer have the right to polygyny, yet neither are second wives protected by law.

In Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church condemns polygamy. The Lutheran Church accepts some polygamists. The Anglican Communion ruled that polygamy was permissible in certain circumstances in 1988. 

                                                            

 In Islam, a Muslim man may have more than one wife at the same time, up to four wives, according to Islamic marital jurisprudence.  Polygamy is legal for Muslim men according to Jordanian law. The Embassy can neither stop a man from taking a second, third, or fourth wife in Jordan, nor can it get such marriages dissolved.  Egypt is among Arab countries that allow Muslim men to marry more than one wife. ... Egypt's laws are said to be sharia-based, which means that they must conform to Islamic law. Nonetheless, Islam restricts polygamy by making it necessary for men who have more than one wife to treat each wife fairly and on equal footing.  The Salafists in Egypt are not happy about restricting  polygamy in a bill that would force the men to get the 1st wife's permission to take on a 2nd wife;   AND underage marriages.  A woman's rights group are active.   Tunisia banned polygamy in 1957.  Much of Africa allows polygamy.  The Salafists said the proposal oversteps the Islamic religion, which gives men the right to have four wives at one time.  “You cannot eliminate a licence that was given by God to men by man-made law,” said Salafist activist Sameh Abdel Hamid. “Laws are OK so long as they do not violate religious rules.”

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bibl0a.htm

https://thearabweekly.com/egyptian-salafists-uproar-over-bill-restricting-polygamy-underage-marriages-0#:~:text=Egypt%20is%20among%20Arab%20countries,marry%20more%20than%20one%20wife.&text=Egypt's%20laws%20are%20said%20to,fairly%20and%20on%20equal%20footing.

https://www.babymed.com/getting-pregnant-during-menopause#:~:text=The%20menopause%20baby&text=This%20long%20time%20frame%20is,%2C%20and%20will%2C%20get%20pregnant.

https://jo.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage-in-jordan/#:~:text=Multiple%20Marriages%2FPolygamy,it%20get%20such%20marriages%20dissolved.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Myanmar+law+about+polygamy&sxsrf=ALeKk01gfB7rvbFHGEgWSZVgULsHdxzc-Q%3A1627591404216&source=hp&ei=7BIDYeXNCqCs0PEP2de-2Ac&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYQMg_LWCOspzuMn3ao1A6xB3UOvtXkKa&oq=Myanmar+law+about+polygamy&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCAghEBYQHRAeOgQIABBDOgcILhCxAxBDOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToHCAAQyQMQQzoHCAAQQxCLAzoLCAAQgAQQsQMQiwM6DggAEIAEELEDEIMBEIsDOggIABCABBCxAzoFCAAQgAQ6BQguEIAEOgoIABCABBCHAhAUOggIABCABBDJAzoLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6BggAEBYQHjoFCAAQhgNQ6TJYiYABYLaFAWgBcAB4AIABdIgBrwuSAQQxOC4ymAEAoAECoAEBuAEC&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjl8_C7konyAhUgFjQIHdmrD3sQ4dUDCAo&uact=5

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Proverbs

https://www.womeninthebible.net/bible-archaeology/solomons-palace/