Opinia Koheleta o kobietach jako echo perypetii małżeńskich Salomona

Abstract

Some passages of Ecclesiastes reveal his aversion to women, since they were thought not to seek wisdom. This article analyzes these motifs on the wisdom background. By linking to the allegory of a woman-wisdom and woman-stupidity, Ecclesiastes directs the reader’s attention to the proper meaning of these passages. They idealize Solomon and claim that, although he departed from God, deceived by his Gentile wives, in old age he returned to wisdom and found that none of them followed his footsteps. Such an approach is already prefigured in the chronicle tradition, silent about the stupidity of Solomon and his numerous marriages. In Ecclesiastes, it results from the need to present the wise Solomon as a model for society, which discusses the religious and social reforms which required dismissal of pagan wives.