Marriage Lawful, But Not Polygamy. - ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second

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Marriage Lawful, But Not Polygamy.
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Chapter II.—Marriage Lawful, But Not Polygamy.

We do not indeed forbid the union of man and woman, blest by God as the seminary of the human race, and devised for the replenishment of the earth³⁵¹

³⁵¹ Orbi. Gen. i. 28.
and the furnishing of the world,³⁵²

³⁵² Sæculo.
and therefore permitted, yet singly. For Adam was the one husband of Eve, and Eve his one wife, one woman, one rib.³⁵³

³⁵³ Gen. ii. 21, 22.
We grant,³⁵⁴

³⁵⁴ Sane.
that among our ancestors, and the patriarchs themselves, it was lawful³⁵⁵

³⁵⁵ “Fas,” strictly divine law, opp. to “jus,” human law; thus “lawful,” as opp. to “legal.”
not only to marry, but even to multiply wives.³⁵⁶

³⁵⁶ Plurifariam matrimoniis uti. The neut. pl. “matrimonia” is sometimes used for “wives.” Comp. c. v. ad fin. and de Pæn., c. xii. ad fin.
There were concubines, too, (in those days.) But although the Church did come in figuratively in the synagogue, yet (to interpret simply) it was necessary to institute (certain things) which should afterward deserve to be either lopped off or modified. For the Law was (in due time) to supervene. (Nor was that enough:) for it was meet that causes for making up the deficiencies of the Law should have forerun (Him who was to supply those deficiencies). And so to the Law presently had to succeed the Word³⁵⁷

³⁵⁷ Sermo, i.e., probably the personal Word. Comp. de Or., c. i. ad init.
of God introducing the spiritual circumcision.³⁵⁸

³⁵⁸ Rom. ii. 28, 29; Phil. iii. 3; Col. ii. 11.
Therefore, by means of the wide licence of those days, materials for subsequent emendations were furnished beforehand, of which materials the Lord by His Gospel, and then the apostle in the last days of the (Jewish) age,³⁵⁹

³⁵⁹ Sæculi. The meaning here seems clearly to be, as in the text, “the Jewish age” or dispensation; as in the passages referred to—1 Cor. x. 11, where it is τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων; and Heb. ix. 26, where again it is τῶν αἰώνων, the Jewish and all preceding ages being intended.
either cut off the redundancies or regulated the disorders.
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