Medieval portrayals of the ideal woman

Abstract

The final twenty-two verses of the biblical book of Proverbs (31:10–31) are written in the form of a complete alphabetic acrostic from Aleph to Taw and offer a detailed description of the ideal woman, who is portrayed as a capable and industrious wife. This distinct literary unit had a particularly fruitful life in post-biblical times. In this essay, I offer a glimpse into the history of its interpretation, specifically focusing on late medieval readings of the passage. Scholarship in the field often describes the late medieval exegetical tradition on this section in particular—and on the book of Proverbs in general—as fossilized in Maimonides’ philosophical allegory. In addition, and probably as a result of the aforementioned assumption, scholars usually consider that medieval authors disregarded all aspects relating to women and women's lives, in favour of philosophical categories. The following pages question both of these commonly held views.