From Contempt to Idealization: The Image of Woman in the Book of Sirach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/BPTh.2015.010Keywords
The Biblical Theology, The Book of Ben Sira, WomenAbstract
The Book of the Son of Sirach contains a number of admonitions concerning everyday life and interpersonal relations. The wise man also refers to women, presenting their image in an ambivalent way. The woman is perceived as good or bad according to the assessment given to her by a man. Those opinions, expressed in an emotional way, raise a question of their legitimacy and of the real image of woman in the book. The analysis of several metaphors in negative (Sir 15:1–2; 26:16–18; 36:24–25) and positive (Sri 15:1–2; 26:16–18; 36:24–25) statements by Sirach in the context of other texts by the wise man makes it possible to understand their meaning. While instructing his listeners, Sirach offers strong opinions both on men and women, even though the texts criticizing male vices are much more numerous. When we read the texts by the wise man from such perspective, an inclination to misogyny is hard to trace. The emotional tension present in the texts about women signifies their great value as well as their influence and effect on men’s life.
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