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Thursday, July 29, 2021

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 19th 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 1971Black 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

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/











4 comments:

  1. hi nadene, this is andre'. been playing some catch up again. you have been quite busy ;) and glad you are.
    i wanted to tell you that though there are many christian denominations (i have lost count) mormon is not one of them. it is not christian it is it's own version unlike any other (and there are many i don't agree with on some levels) but mormonism is truly not christian it is a cult. it uses Jesus Christ's name but it is not based on the Bible when you look more closely, it has it's own book and not a message that corresponds to the christian new testament (though they try to rip off some things from it). i have looked into this and nadene, mormonism is actually quite a whole lot like islam! which is a knock off version of judiasm and christianity both. it is fake just like islam so is mormonism is a contemporary cousin to the muslim "faith". the similarities btw mormon belief and islam makes a long list, i was amazed at how much in what i learned about it.
    i personally know a young woman in her early twenties who attended our church a couple of years ago but has since moved away. she was originally from utah and a mormon. the very fundamentalist version. in fact her own family is related to the mormon leader warren steed jeffs who is currently serving prison time. 2 of her sisters were warren jeffs "wives" and he was going for a 3rd from her family. her own dad had two wives so she is from a blended family and her dad is now divorced from her mother after the lid was blown off of the warren jeffs affair. what a tangled web that is! and this young girl has left that cult and become a believer in Jesus and now knows the vast difference btw mormonism (fundamentalist and otherwise) and new testament christianity. she has some pretty deep scars because of what happened to her own family so polygamy was devastating personally for her and her many siblings. she is a very sweet young woman who is learning to be free from the many traps and oppressive rules built into that way of life and i am so blessed that i know her. her own 92 yr old grandmother in the nursing home wants nothing to do with her or her family because they left the cult. she is so sad about that but knows she can never go back to that belief system. it was built on lies, lie after lie, and the effects will be felt for a long long time. i am so proud of her and other members of her family as they are learning a new way to live. she loves her parents and is trying to cope as they are too..all of them...i pray Godspeed upon this family as they untangle themselves from something that was not a godly way to live though it "sounded" so biblical. lots of heartache out there nadene. people need healing and love......you never know what people may be trying to overcome. thanks for the good reading!

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  2. Ah, I thought we were divided between the Jews, Christians and Muslims, and others such as Hindus, etc, but didn't realize Mormons were out on a limb; but a branch of Christianity. Who do they pray to? Being Jesus is included in their story, thought it was he. It did evolve from Christianity but took a sharp short-cut, I guess must have been their thinking. Thanks, Andre. They sure liked to borrow the concept of polygamy, though. I remember seeing a TV program about one man's polygamous family about their cultural habits. One problem we Jews have had with them is using our names to add them to theirs in making them Mormons to enter something or other in their religion. They've been told not to do that to us. The dead are not to be trifled with or used.

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    1. forgot to say, yes, I know about that book; they even have a Book to the Jews; and I read it a long time ago, amazed at how they were trying to win us over. I lived in Eastern Oregon, Mormon area, and a lot of the people I knew were Mormons; very nice people.

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  3. my doctor here in town is an excellent doctor and a mormon. i know some very nice folks among them...but when it come to belief in God have bought a counterfeit. they borrowed then twisted from the jews but also from christianity too. they name drop names but doesn't make what they teach legit. i have looked into this topic with enough depth to see how much their beliefs are comparable to islam and i was amazed at the similarities. the young lady i told you about was so thankful to take that gorilla (no mere monkey) off of her back of the rules and regulations to that religion. that doesn't enter in until you are committed to them. their beliefs of baptizing for the dead and many other things they teach are bizarre. the Bible is a launch to get in your door, then the book of mormon comes out. they have come to my home and we have had discussion and that was exactly the case. it was a civil conversation and was sounding like what i believe...till we went deeper. it was a civil discussion that went to stalemate because i found many holes in what they said pointed it out and they had no answer for. their archaeology doesn't work either. you know the bible can back itself up--the jewish people have a history that can be traced. but there is no history to the places they claim in their book.
    it is heavily mormon in spots in my state too. definitely nice people. almost too nice...i found that manipulative.

    andre'

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