Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
21
features,forinstance“Blessedisthemanthathathavirtuouswife,forthenumber
ofhisdaysshallbedouble”(Eccl.26,1)or“Thegraceofawifedelightethher
husband,andherdiscretionwillfattenhisbones”(Eccl.26,13).
Instructionsofthisdidacticbookaredirectedtoaveryconcreteaddressee:a
youngapprenticelearningwisdomfromamaster.Themaster’sinstructionsare
toteachtheyouthhowtobehavetowardswomen.Theauthorofthebookcate-
goriseswomenwithwhomamaninteracts;eachofthoserelationshipscarries
differentdutiesandbringsdifferentresults.Thecategoriesareasfollows:
1.
Womenwhomaydistractamanfromthepathofwisdom,especiallyharlots
andothermen’swives(Eccl.9,3,Eccl.9,9);
2.
Womenwhomaybeeitherhelpfulorharmfultohim:wives(Eccl.25and26);
3.
Womenwhomheowescertainduties:orphansandwidows(Eccl.4,10and
35,15-22);
4.
Womenwhoareasourceofconstanttroubletoaman:daughters(Eccl.22,3
and42,9-12).
Theman’sdutiestowardsthethirdgroupareregulatedbythelawsofGod,
whereashisattitudetotheothercategoriesofwomenisassessedaccordingtothe
criterionlinkedtothecharacterofthemale–femalerelationship,somainly
whetherthecontactwiththegivenwomanshallhelphimorbringhimharm.To
theauthorofthebook,“strangewomen”thosewhodonotbelongtoaman’s
houseareaharlot,asinger,amaid,abeautyandawomanmarriedtoanother.
Theyaretobeavoided,becausecontactwiththemcanonlybeinjurioustohim:
“Sitnotatallwithanotherman’swife,norsitdownwithherinthinearms,and
spendnotthymoneywithheratthewine;lestthineheartinclineuntoher,and
sothroughthydesirethoufallintodestruction”(Eccl.9,9).
InstructionsfoundintheBookofEcclesiastesclearlystresstheman’srespon-
sibilityforhisownactionsnotalltheblameislaidonthewoman.Alsoin
otherareasofexistencehisbehaviouristobeguidedbyhisownrestraint,mod-
erationinspeechandthought,andgoodconduct(Eccl.23,2-6).Curiously,al-
thoughthebookisarguablyhostiletowomen,notoncea“strangewoman”is
therecalled“wicked”.Notmuchseemstohavechangedinmaleattitudessince
thosetimes,becausethecaseisquitedifferentwiththewives.Theauthorvery
clearlydividesthemintothe“wicked”and“good”ones,andthereisnoother
estimation.
Thevirtuesofagoodwifeareasfollows:sherespectsherhusband,isobedi-
enttohim,sheis“ahelplikeuntohimself,andapillarofrest”(Eccl.36,24).
Restraintinspeechisoneofhergreatestvirtues:“Asilentandlovingwomanis
agiftoftheLord;andthereisnothingsomuchworthasamindwellinstructed”
(Eccl.26,14).Sheisawomanofunderstanding,aswellasgraceful(Eccl.25,8