Matrimonium Economicus

In today's Wall St. Journal there was an interesting review of The Price of Everything. The author of this book has an economic theory to explain the increased prevalence of monogamy over the past 2000 years. But the reviewer demurs:

There was, however, an important noneconomic event 2,000 years ago that spread the Jewish view—unusual at the time—of marriage as a monogamous institution: the birth of Christianity.

This gave me pause, for 2 reasons.

1) Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations viewed marriage as a monogamous institution.

2) Biblical Jewish civilization allowed for multiple wives.

It is even reported that:

Jewish polygamy clashed with Roman monogamy at the time of the early church

Thus, the idea that monogamy came into Western culture from Jewish civilization seems just wrong.

So is marriage a matter of body or spirit or economics? Yes!

Two shall become one flesh,
and their pocketbooks shall mesh.