Polygamy is not a practice limited to Islam, the truth is that it was already practiced in the People of the Book, that is to say, the Jews and Christians. It is only later in their history, their religious men began to disapprove and even banned. However, when studying the history of religion, we find that polygamy was originally considered an acceptable practice, and even encouraged.
Polygamy in Judaism
Polygamy existed among the Israelites before the time of Moses, who continued this practice without imposing any limit on the number of women a man could marry. The Jewish Encyclopedia writes:
"Nothing indicates that polyandry was never practiced in primitive Jewish society, polygamy but seems to have been an established institution, from a very remote period until relatively modern. "[1]
Another common practice was the taking of concubines. [2] Later, the Jerusalem Talmud restrained their number depending on the capacity of the husband to take care of his wives. Some rabbis, for their part, suggested that men can not marry more than four wives. Over time, polygamy was forbidden in Judaism by the rabbis, not God. Attributed to Rabbi Gershom ben Judah's ban on polygamy in the 11th century, making it illegal for 1000 years (the period which ended in 1987) the Jews of Eastern Europe (Ashkenazi). Mediterranean Jews (Sephardim), meanwhile, continued the practice. [3] Therefore, according to Will Durant, "polygamy was practiced by wealthy Jews living in Islamic lands, but was rare among those living in Christian lands" [4]. According to Joseph Ginat, professor of social and cultural anthropology at the University of Haifa, it is a common practice, more and more widespread among 180,000 Bedouin in Israel. It is also common among the Jews living in Yemen, their rabbis allowing them to marry up to four women. [5] In Israel today, if a woman is sterile or suffers from mental illness, the rabbis give a husband permission marry a second wife without divorcing the first. [6]
Polygamy in Christianity
Jesus, who never married, can not be taken as a model for marriage. According to Father Eugene Hillman, "there is nowhere in the New Testament of explicit command to the effect that marriage should be monogamous or that polygamy is prohibited. "[7] The Roman Catholic Church banned polygamy in order to conform to the Greco-Roman culture which prescribed only one legal wife while tolerating concubinage and prostitution. [8]
The Roman Emperor Valentinian first, that reigned in the fourth century, Christians allowed to marry two women. In the eighth century, Charlemagne, who reigned in both the Church and the State, himself practiced polygamy, having six wives (or nine according to some). [9] Joseph Ginat, Polygamous author of Families in Contemporary Society (Polygamous families in contemporary society), the Catholic Church disapproved of the practice, while allowing it to provide an opportunity for politicians. [10]
Augustine seems to have seen this in practice no intrinsic immorality or sin. He also said that polygamy was not a crime when it was clearly legal in one country. [11] In his book Marriage, he writes that polygamy ...
"... Was lawful among the ancestors. As to whether it is lawful today, I prefer not to say too hastily. Because it is not as essential to beget children, today it was their time, even when women were children, he was allowed to marry other women to have more numerous progeny, which is legal now. '
He refused to judge the ancestors, but did not conclude that practices polygamy was still acceptable at the time. Elsewhere he wrote: "Today, and in accordance with Roman custom, it is no longer possible to take a second wife, so as to have more than one wife living. "[12]
During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther said: "As far as I am concerned, I agree that if a man wishes to marry two or more women, I can not forbid him, because it does not go against Scripture . "He also advised Philip of Hesse to keep secret his second marriage to avoid a public scandal. [13] one of the greatest English-language poets and famous English Puritan John Milton (1608-1674) wrote "I did not say" marriage between a man and a woman "for fear that it suggests that I take the blame on our holy ancestors and pillars of our faith, Abraham and others, who had more one wife at a time, and I accuse them of sin and fear, too, to see myself forced to exclude from the sanctuary of God all progeny descended from them, yea, every son of Israel, for whom the sanctuary itself was established. For it is said in Deuteronomy (23:2): "He who comes from an illicit union shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD, even to his tenth generation shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. "[14] On 14 February 1650, the Parliament of Nuremberg ruled that given the large number of men who died in the thirty years war, each man would now have the right to marry up to ten women. [ 15]
African churches have long recognized polygamy. They said at the Lambeth Conference in 1988: "It has long been recognized in the Anglican Communion, in some parts of Africa, polygamy, such as marriage, it actually bears the characteristics of loyalty and virtue. "[16] Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya Christian whose victory was attributed to" the hand of God "by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, is himself a polygamist. [17] And since it is no longer under the domination of white Christians in South Africa post-apartheid has also legalized polygamy. [18]
During the first period of its history, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) practiced polygamy in the United States. Later, in order to continue the practice, splinter groups left the church after the latter had banned. Even today, these groups practice polygamy in Utah, in other neighboring states and in scattered colonies, and individuals not affiliated with an organized church practice it also.
United States, polygamy is illegal, but it exists unofficially, the number of polygamists is estimated at between 30 000 and 80 000. Most of the time, it is fundamentalist Mormon families or groups of Christians who argue that polygamy is a biblical practice, time-honored. [19]
Before pointing the finger at Islam and Muslims when it comes to polygamy, it would be good to gain some knowledge of the subject and its history. No one should judge, with the narrow spirit of the modern world, practices that have always been considered acceptable. Everyone should study the subject in depth to understand the divine wisdom behind this practice.
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