tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post6522664770531899053..comments2024-03-24T11:03:03.106-07:00Comments on Just Genesis : Wisdom! Let Us Attend.Alice C. Linsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post-16228908033190547682015-07-14T14:41:45.753-07:002015-07-14T14:41:45.753-07:00The Woman of Proverbs 31 is the ideal wife of a ru...The Woman of Proverbs 31 is the ideal wife of a ruler-priest.<br /><br />The Proverbs 31 Woman is presented as a model of the virtuous or godly woman. She was the wife of a city elder (like Ruth) and a respected figure in her own right (like Deborah and Anna, the Prophetess). Her responsibilities include buying and selling merchandise, which means that she was a business woman (like Phoebe). The Proverbs 31 Woman “makes herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple” (like Lydia). <br /><br />In other words, the Virtuous Woman is a composite of the industrious, self-disciplined and faithful woman. Such a woman would have been a great asset to her husband. The King James Bible expresses her worth in these words: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” We wonder if this image of the woman is from the husband’s perspective more than from the woman’s perspective. From the woman’s perspective, this life was one of constant duty to family, household and community. And while her husband and children respect and honor her, this image doesn’t portray much warmth or intimacy.<br /><br />For thousands of years, Jewish women recited Proverbs 31 when they lighted the Sabbath candles at dusk on Friday. Jesus’ mother would have had this poem about the Virtuous Woman in mind from earliest childhood. <br /><br />Although Proverbs 31 is held up as a model of the virtuous woman, what we actually have is a general template of faithfulness to God. The same qualities would be expected of a godly man. The woman described in Proverbs is a portrait of ideal womanhood, but the focus of this portrait is a woman’s relationship with God, not her abilities or her efficiency as a homemaker. The Proverbs 31 woman realizes that her strength and her value come from God.<br />Alice C. Linsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post-89726472875391343622015-07-14T11:28:19.078-07:002015-07-14T11:28:19.078-07:00Is there a relationship between the 'she' ...Is there a relationship between the 'she' of Proverbs 31, and the 'she' of Proverbs 8 / Sirach 24. I know they aren't the same, 'she' .. just curious if there is a typology in play. For example the distinguishing of land from water during Creation could be like the distinguishing of the Pr 31 Woman's household from everyone else's. Also, in both cases it seems like an awful lot of work is being done. <br /><br />(Probably not stating this very well)..J Eppinganoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post-5414948910858154452015-07-10T14:46:52.581-07:002015-07-10T14:46:52.581-07:00Borno is in the region of Lake Chad. In Cain's...Borno is in the region of Lake Chad. In Cain's time that lake was much larger.<br /><br />I enjoy reading your comments!Alice C. Linsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post-7207624995870888742015-07-10T11:06:04.800-07:002015-07-10T11:06:04.800-07:00RE: "West"
Boy, did I flub that one! ...RE: "West"<br /><br />Boy, did I flub that one! I bet this is why my high school football coaches never encouraged me to try out for quarterback. I might have tossed the ball to the other team!<br /><br />Come to think of it - if I ever take up hunting again, I'm using the Buddy-System. No doubt about it. <br /><br />I do enjoy reading this blog. J Eppinganoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post-45492024267496120382015-07-09T15:09:04.784-07:002015-07-09T15:09:04.784-07:00Borno would be west of Elephantine Island, called ...Borno would be west of Elephantine Island, called "Yebu" by the ancient Nilotes. It was a holy place where the priests were said to hold back the chaos, probably a reference to the Mega White Nile and the Sudd that it flows through. The Sudd is a great swamp covering an area the size of Florida. Almost impenetrable, the Sudd hampers navigation and is full of crocodiles, and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The White Nile spreads out as it flows through the lower elevation Sudd so what little land has been prepared for cultivation invariably floods. Malaria is a big problem here.<br /><br />In Yebu theology, the sun at noon over the Nile represented the temporal and spatial sacred center. This is pictured on ancient Egyptian papyri showing of two lions facing opposite directions on the east and west banks of the Nile and the Sun rests in the center between them. See this: http://biblicalanthropology.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-lion-and-judah.html<br /><br />BTY, the original name of Jerusalem was also Yebu/Jebu.<br /><br />Alice C. Linsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13069827354696169270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-688820610845171516.post-38082193213259848432015-07-09T11:37:27.276-07:002015-07-09T11:37:27.276-07:00So, Yebu was a boundary of sorts for those people ...So, Yebu was a boundary of sorts for those people along the Nile. I wonder .. South of Yebu is Borno and probably also where our friend Cain might have been.. Could the boundary at Yebu be a way of addressing fears of things that had actually happened to the south of Yebu? Kind of in a, "Beyond this point, there be dragons," sort of way, or treating that entire region as haunted. <br /><br />Interesting post. I hadn't thought of the boundaries aspect of Proverbs 8. Avoids some of the scarier pitfalls of the text, to be sure. J Eppinganoreply@blogger.com