Can Hands of God be dual wielded?

Hello there

So I want to use the Hands of God on my first playthrough. And I want to use them on both hands. I've read you can get them very early on by killing Blacksmith Boldwin. I have a few other questions though.

  1. When I tested killing Boldwin I couldn't dual wield the Hands of God. Was that because I didn't have the right stats yet? Or do I actually need two copies of the weapon?

  2. Is killing Blodwin the "right choice" considering I can't use the weapon right away and have to level up to use it. Also I know there is another blacksmith called Ed who can upgrade and repair your stuff but how far into the game is he?

  3. I've read the weapon itself isn't that good but the moveset looks cool, what should be my primary leveling strat if I choose to do this? Also what armour should I use (heavy, medium, light)