THE SLOW ROAD TO MONOGAMY|
paper will begin with a brief discussion of restrictions on sexuality and then concentrate on the major obstacles to monogamy.
SEXUAL PROHIBITIONS
The sexual prohibitions of the Torah were limited to sexual relations with animals(bestiality),? between men(homosexuality),’| with a series of close relatives(incest), and with someone already| married(adultery).|
Although the unfaithful wife was a frequent image of the| prophetic literature, and the Book of Proverbs made recommendations about marriage, there was no discussion of legal marriage in the Bible after the Torah . Issues surrounding sexuality and marriage were important to the scholars of the Talmud , as we can see from four very large tractates(Kiddushin, Ketubot, Niddah, and Yebamot) that dealt almost exclusively with these subjects, as well as Gittin, which treated divorce. These matters were often considered extensively in other tractates as well. The rabbinic literature extended the detailed prohibitions of consanguinity to ascending and descending familial lines or through logical extension.® It also defined the relationships that were recognized as marriages.
The tractate Kiddushin described three ways of creating 4 legally effective marriage. The most common was a deed witnessed by two competent individuals and handed by the groom to the bride. This has remained an essential part of weddings through the ages.’ The document was a contract stipulating specific obligations for both bride and groom, and grounds for divorce existed when these obligations were ignored or violated.
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