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Dhammapada · narration sample

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De Conjugio (On Marriage) · 9 of 25

To One Man One Wife

43.TO ONE MAN ONE WIFE. In the Christian world, where interior things of the church are revealed, and where the Lord is worshiped, and it is known that from Him is heaven and the church, and the church is conjoined with Him, as a wife with a husband, and that there is but one church, and that with those who are of that church there will be the conjunction of good and truth, it is not allowed to take several wives, for this would be to pervert the spiritual which is, or can be in marriage. Wherefore, if a Christian man should take several wives, it would be as if he had with himself two churches; also as if truth should take its essence from two goods, with which marriage is not given; for good is the esse of truth, and the esse or essence of one truth from two goods is not given. Whence it is that love truly conjugial can by no means be given in the case of one man with several wives, for thus it would be lasciviousness that would enter; besides, love cannot be divided, since it is from the affection of one, which is of the will, concordant with the thought of another, which is of the understanding, and this unanimity and cohabitation, which makes the essence of conjugial love, cannot be given (in the case of several wives). In a word, with them there is not the Christian Church, wherefore when an angel in heaven only thinks of several wives, the celestial and angelic perishes, and joy as well as wisdom with him, and he falls from heaven.

44.There have been seen those from Christians who have confirmed themselves about polygamy, they were several thousands in one society; for those who are alike as to love form a society, and conjugial love is the fundamental of all, and when the Last Judgment took place, that region appeared as if swallowed up by hell, and afterwards it was said that they knew nothing about their members of generation, just as if they had been without them; they had confirmed themselves in this from the Judaism of the Old Testament, because it was then lawful to take several wives; but it is lawful in Mohammedanism everywhere. It was permitted to the Jews because the Jews were external men, inwardly idolaters, with whom the interiors of the church were not, nor were opened; wherefore they did not recognize the Lord. What it is with Mohammedans shall be told hereafter.

45.In a word, several consorts and one husband cannot become one flesh, that is, one mind, which consists of will and understanding, the marriage of which, as far as relates to the mind in its existence, presents a marriage; for all things in the universe relate to the marriage of good and truth; thus to marriage, in order that they may be anything, and produce anything, and marriage itself in its very form and its very essence, is presented in man with his compeer; likewise in an angel.

46.A PLURALITY OF WIVES AMONG MOHAMMEDANS. I have spoken with Mohammedans about the spiritual marriage, that it is the marriage of good and truth, and that good loves truth, like two consorts, and that they desire to be conjoined, and to produce goods and truths, like daughters and sons, and to procreate families as it were. This they understood well, and also that conjugial love descends from that spiritual origin, and that all the spiritual with man undergoes a change, so that it may scarcely be recognized when it descends into the natural, but is known only by correspondences. From which it appears that those who have several wives conceded to them from their religion, cannot have love truly conjugial; and it is said that a plurality of wives was conceded to them, or polygamy was permitted, because those who are in warm countries, more than those who are in cold countries, burn with libidinous heat; therefore if polygamy had not been permitted them, many of them would rush into adulteries more than Europeans, and would thus act contrary to their religious persuasion, and to act contrary to that is to profane what is holy. It was shown further that all their love of marriage is lascivious, thus not spiritual, and cannot become spiritual unless they acknowledge the Lord.

47.The lot of those in the other life is such, that first, as in the world they there take several wives besides concubines [pellices]; but because in the spiritual world the conjunction is of souls, and they are of different souls, they cannot be together, but separate from each other spontaneously, and are finally conjoined to a woman who is of similar soul; thus gradually they separate from their women, and thus finally are united with one with whom their soul accords; moreover, they who persist in polygamy, in the course of time become so feeble and impotent that they are disgusted with marriage, for lasciviousness brings this with itself.

48.Those of them who are in their heaven have but one wife, and have rejected more, for there is a Mohammedan heaven distinct from the Christian heaven; but they who at last, as do many, acknowledge the Lord as one with the Father, are separated into heavens, which communicate with the Christian heavens, and with them there is conjugial love.

49.They have heard from the angels conjugial love described as to its delights and pleasantnesses, and that it endures to eternity with an infinite variety of delights and pleasantnesses, and they wondered, many of them therefore received faith in the Lord, and were sent among the angels of the Christian heavens, and instructed concerning the Lord and in the doctrine of love and faith towards Him.