I think Jesus put it back to the original, so no, the early church did not do polygamy. Also, two Christians could not divorce one another. 1 Cor. 7 (This is why my ex-husband was the last man I ever kissed in 2001.
Why the requirement for "
husband of one wife" if polygamy was not present?
I don't think the scripture you posted below prohibited divorce.
But it did clarify the consequences.
Unfortunately, there are victims today.
How many Christians have been "disqualified" for ministry
when a spouse divorced them against their will?
I am now the founding member of The Eunuch's Club!
Do you have a chapter in Ethiopia? - LOL
Mt. 19
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
I posted this on another topic. Thought you might find it interesting.
It addresses divorce specifically, but could apply to polygamy.
Let me know your thoughts, thanks.
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I'm glad you brought up Matthew chapter 19.
It contains a perfect example of what I am saying about
how we imprint our western values on the Bible.
What does the church say is the ONLY grounds for divorce? Adultery, right?
Compare Matthew 19:9 in both the NIV with the KJV below. Notice anything different? (fornication)
Jesus said "except it be for
fornication, not
adultery. (as the church claims)
The NIV gets this wrong, the KJV gets this right. Check the NT Greek.
See Deuteronomy 22:13-18 below to see what the law says about this.
This is what Jesus was referring to.
All this to say that our western Christian social views do not always coincide with the Bible.
Notice that the bride is treated like bad merchandise in Deuteronomy 22:13-18. Property of her parents.
Matthew 19:9
NIV
I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual
immorality,
and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 19:9
KJV
And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication,
and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Deuteronomy 22:13-18 NIV
If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her
14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying,
“I married this woman, but when I approached her,
I did not find proof of her virginity,”
15 then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring
to the town elders at the gate proof that she was a virgin.
16 Her father will say to the elders,
“
I gave my daughter in marriage to this man,
but he dislikes her.
17
Now he has slandered her and said,
‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’
But
here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.”
Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town,
18 and the elders shall take the man and punish him.
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