Digamists a term anciently used to designate persons twice married after baptism though legally and successively to two wives, one after the death of the other. The Montanists condemned all second marriages as unlawful; but, although this opinion did not prevail generally, it was the common practice to refuse ordination to men who had been twice married. Tertullian (De Monogam. chapter 11) condemned second marriages even in laymen; and Ambrose, Jerome, Epiphanius, and others assumed that the injunction of the apostle 1Ti 3:2, in which he directs that a bishop must be the husband of one wife, forbade an ecclesiastic to marry twice. Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others gave a contrary opinion, and interpreted the apostle's language of polygamists, or such as were married to many wives at the same time, and such as had causelessly put away their wives, and married others after divorcing the former. Numerous instances have been adduced to prove that second marriages were not an impediment to ordination, e.g. Tertullian (De Monogam. 12) admits that there were bishops who had been twice married. — Bingham, Org. Ecclesiastes book 4, chapter 5, § 1-4.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More