Abstract
Wisdom and wickedness as a ‘Woman’ have always attracted much discussion, especially in the ways images of the female are employed in wisdom literature. This article focuses on two Qumran texts that fall into the category of wisdom literature, namely 4Q184 and 4Q185, and the metaphorical appropriation of the woman as a figure of wisdom or a figure of wickedness. By combining a number of traditions in certain forms, sages tried to establish an education for their learners on how to obtain wisdom with the ultimate purpose of creating harmony. The ultimate purpose of the wisdom teachings of the sages was to confirm the harmony in the universe, and these teachings were also conveyed to their learners. In their instructions, they often employed binary opposites such as ‘wise’ and ‘fool’ according to which someone was characterised, or rather stereotyped. The result of such binary stereotyping was that the ‘whore’ and the ‘holy one’ represented opposite poles, and became fixed images in Judaism. According to feminist exegetes, these images typify the concept of cultural stereotyping. This article aims to illustrate that two Qumran texts, 4Q184 and 4Q185, regarded as wisdom texts, employ the female stereotypes that were known in the wisdom literature of Judaism.
Highlights
Wisdom and wickedness as a ‘Woman’ have always attracted much discussion, especially in the ways that images of the female are presented in wisdom literature.1 The Qumran texts of 4Q184 and 4Q185, regarded as wisdom texts, make use of these images, and employ them in a metaphorical manner
There is no clear indication whether the female figure(s) in 4Q184 or 4Q185 are physical women or personified wisdom, but most scholars are of the opinion that they are metaphors applied by sages to convey a message
Most scholars agree that the image in 4Q185 is personified wisdom as we find it in Proverbs
Summary
Wisdom and wickedness as a ‘Woman’ have always attracted much discussion, especially in the ways that images of the female are presented in wisdom literature. The Qumran texts of 4Q184 and 4Q185, regarded as wisdom texts, make use of these images, and employ them in a metaphorical manner. Fontaine (2002:12) refers to female stereotypes in the wisdom texts. The moment that women enter the discourse, the symbolic representation becomes confused because a woman cannot have ‘the same symbolic relation to herself that she does to a man’ (Newsom 1989:155) These images of women appear in all wisdom texts and are covered by studies on personified wisdom and its counterpart, namely wickedness or folly. That ‘[o]ther as a chiffre connotes something mysterious and at the same time nonnormative’ (Maier 2012:264) These androcentric texts originated in an androcentric society where men played a dominant role. On the more positive side, she has the power to prevent ruination (Proverbs 1:26–33)
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