Besides not realizing that the archetype of Lady Wisdom is relevant to women, the second mistake made when looking at Proverbs is concluding that the highest aim of women is not the archetype of Wisdom, but of the Wife/Mother role. Augustine’s pairing of the harlot with the ‘godly’ archetype of wife and mother 1,500 years ago has significantly shaped modern women’s idea of what it means to be godly. It still seems foreign to us that the type of wisdom is directly relevant to us as women doesn’t it? It was actually quite freeing for me to realize that the Bible doesn’t say that the chief achievement of women is her role in the family. (The Catholic Church still officially maintains that motherhood is the pinnacle of womanhood, and many Christians still either believe or are influenced by this misconception.)
It is important to understand that this idea is one that has been passed down from a respected philosopher/theologian and not a strong message that you naturally get from just reading the Bible. It is true that Augustine was a good theologian, and that this idea has been embraced by the church for over a thousand years. But just because someone is wise dos not mean they are infallible, and just because an idea is old does not mean that it is true; there were ancient sects that crept into Christianity before the Bible was even finished, so antiquity cannot be a reason to believe anything.
It is important to understand that this idea is one that has been passed down from a respected philosopher/theologian and not a strong message that you naturally get from just reading the Bible. It is true that Augustine was a good theologian, and that this idea has been embraced by the church for over a thousand years. But just because someone is wise dos not mean they are infallible, and just because an idea is old does not mean that it is true; there were ancient sects that crept into Christianity before the Bible was even finished, so antiquity cannot be a reason to believe anything.
Essential to all conversations is the ‘so what’ question. Why would it matter that a woman’s pinnacle of meaning isn’t motherhood, but rather the archetypes of the Bride of Christ and of Lady Wisdom? The most obvious reason, is that if woman was primarily made for man, than her identity, purpose, and worth would be intrinsically tied to the male figures in her life. Because of poverty and cultural reasons, this has been the case through most of history, though it is neither Biblical, nor ideal. Women bring glory and joy to the heart of God first- for all things have been created for His glory and renown. Surely if the whole of nature was made for this purpose then women would not be the only excluded creation. Isaiah 43:6-7 says: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory.” And God has said in the chapter before: “I am the LORD, that is my name; I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
1 comment:
I'm not sure you can say tha tLady Wisdom represents the "pinnacle" of womanhood. You are absolutely right that woman's (just like man's) highest aim is to "glorify God and enjoy him forever," but I don't think that you can call Lady Wisdom that pinnacle any more than motherhood is. But I do understand what you are saying. Our "pinnacle" cannot be described as a role, because not all women can fulfill all roles. Not all women are mothers; not all women are seen as physically lovely; not all women are wives or pastors or shepherdesses. All women can, however, grow closer to that ideal of a woman seeking after God, the woman that Lady Wisdom portrays as the opposite to spiritual adultery and idolatry. This is not a role we fulfill, but rather soemthing that we grow into through and within our different roles. This is where cultural differences come in: through institutions, customs, gender roles, etc., we are brought taway from or toward God.
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