Literal and Figurative

When it comes to the archetypes of the Harlot and Lady Wisdom, it is important to understand their example in a literal and a figurative sense. Archetypes are, of course, figuratively relevant to the collective human race. As Rob Bell says, “This is often about that.” The example of the harlot we will be speaking of is not only a terrible tendency in women, but something that is true of every human heart. The connection between spiritual idolatry and spiritual adultery makes it clear that every heart rebels against the love of God. Lady Wisdom represents the life we desire to have and the love we grow into as we see God’s worth.

Wisdom’s example is often interpreted in a figurative sense, and because she is applied to mankind in general, we don’t think of her as being a relevant model to women specifically. On the other hand, the harlot is often thought of as a literal warning for women, and the broader warning for all of mankind is missed. But both the Harlot and Lady Wisdom are relevant archetypes for mankind as well as an example of a woman for women. The next several posts will look at each of these tendencies briefly.