Essay on Polygamy

Polygamy is that state, in which a man has two or more wives, or a woman has two or more husbands, at the same time. The question to be answered is this, «Was polygamy lawful under the Old Dispensation?» As the Old Dispensation embraced two periods—the Patriarchal, and the Levitical—this inquiry naturally resolves itself into two others: (1) Was polygamy lawful to the Patriarchs? and (2) Was polygamy lawful under the Levitical Code? Each of these questions claims, and shall receive, a distinct answer through this essay.