Let's remind ourselves of this:
And there lies the problem for Wisdom behaves in ways that would not be acceptable from a good Jewish daughter or wife of the time. This is not often said from the pulpit but think about this line for a while:
We might say but Wisdom only givers herself to those worthy of her but that is really only to say that wisdom is not a whore but a courtly lover. But she is most definitely a lover. A sexual lover.
(By the way, if CS Lewis and others would continue to claim that courtly love is a hothouse phenomenon that only happens briefly in the early late-medieval and early Renaissance periods would do well to look at this passage.)
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (Second Timothy 3:16)And then let's read the first reading from the Lectionary for today:
Resplendent and unfading is wisdom,The first thing about that that should strike us is that it is a sexualized account. Wisdom is a woman. And what a woman!
and she is readily perceived by those who love her,
and found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire;
Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed,
for he shall find her sitting by his gate.
For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence,
and whoever for her sake keeps vigil
shall quickly be free from care;
because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her,
and graciously appears to them in the ways,
and meets them with all solicitude. (Wisdom 6: 12-16)
And there lies the problem for Wisdom behaves in ways that would not be acceptable from a good Jewish daughter or wife of the time. This is not often said from the pulpit but think about this line for a while:
She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desireAnd then think about the next two:
Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed,Any Jewish girl of the time who behaved like that would have found herself deeply shamed by her friends and family and quite possibly thrown out of her home.
for he shall find her sitting by his gate.
We might say but Wisdom only givers herself to those worthy of her but that is really only to say that wisdom is not a whore but a courtly lover. But she is most definitely a lover. A sexual lover.
(By the way, if CS Lewis and others would continue to claim that courtly love is a hothouse phenomenon that only happens briefly in the early late-medieval and early Renaissance periods would do well to look at this passage.)
"Supposing truth is a woman-- what then?"
ReplyDeleteI suppose better that truth be a woman than fate should be:-)
ReplyDeleteThat aside, that we should approach truth with reverence and respect but with a strong sense of desiring her.
Whoops, I should have said, "better that truth should be a woman than that fortune should be". Serves me right for trying to be clever.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first line of Beyond Good and Evil, where Nietzsche says philosophers are boring and bad at talking to women. I just happened to be reading this the day before and it seemed to fit really well!
ReplyDeleteYes, I know.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to be clever by contrasting it with Machiavelli who insists that fortune is a woman. That didn't quite come off. What I was trying to get at was that the way we think of women should change dramatically if we imagine them characterizing truth as opposed to if we imagine them characterizing fortune. When I read Nietzsche, I wonder if he got that.
Does Woman-truth reveal herself to us like a woman who knows we will desire her or is does Woman-fortune need to be conquered as Machiavelli insisted?
If we think of Nietzsche's other questions, "Why truth? Why not lies?" then it seems to me that the characterization of truth as a woman necessarily implies and requires a reverence for her. If you think of truth on analogy to a desirable woman, you've already answered the question "Why truth?" but not in a way that would satisfy a philosopher with a strong commitment to rationalism.
haha, I shouldn't have even questioned that you got the reference... sadly, I wasn't even following the one to Machiavelli.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right, it is a kind of strange progression to go from truth as a woman that philosophers (fail to) seduce, to asking why truth at all...
I only got it because Beyond Good and Evil is favourite read of mine as is Genealogy of Morals, which I like even more. Lots of good stuff there—even if we disagree, we'll want to figure out an answer. And, like Rousseau, Nietzsche is such a magnificent writer that he is always worth reading.
ReplyDelete