Abstract

This paper is a reevaluation of what Paul taught of marriage in consideration of polygamy and norms in leadership in the 1 st century. Our question is: Since Roman and Jewish society allowed a man to have more than one wife, what are we to make of the injunctions issued by Paul (e.g. mias gunaikos andra)? A comprehensive literature review (Patristic to modern) shows that there is a monogamy paradigm that is consistent in the Christian tradition. The Greek exegesis of 1 Cor 7, Eph 5, Rom 7-8, 1 Cor 11, and 1 Tim 3/Titus 1, exhibits words and metaphors used by Paul to indirectly prohibit polygamy: (each person) has his own wife, (one person) is in the flesh. Jews used to legally permit polygamy (Maimonides did permit polygamy[1]) and most Jews and all Romans had been one-wife marriages[2]. A bigamy was expressly prohibited by the leaders of the church (e.g. Tertullian). We claim that the demand of one-spouse norms was related to the stability of the congregations: polygyny is likely to cause jealousy and separation in the family[5], in monogamous leadership, the unity is achieved. We introduce a theoretical framework (flowchart), a comparison between sources and propose that the idea of one-woman man by Paul can be used in the modern churches, including polygamous ones, to foster healthy communities.