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ChapterI
and26,13),modest,beautiful,mindfulofthehouse(Eccl.26,15andfollowing).
Featuresofawickedwife,whoisappraisedveryharshlybytheauthorofthe
book,are,forinstance,lackofsubmissivenesstoherhusband,malice,resent-
ment(Eccl.25,13),talkativeness(Eccl.25,20),drunkenness(Eccl.26,8),im-
modesty(Eccl.26,9).Itisequally“wicked”forawomantopayforherhus-
band’smaintenance,because“Awoman,ifshemaintainherhusband,isfullof
anger,impudence,andmuchreproach”(Eccl.25,22).
Inthelucubrationsjustifyingtheattitudetothe“wicked”wifethereappears,
forthefirsttimeintheBible,aremarkthatlinksthefallofManwiththeiniq-
uityofEvealone:“Ofthewomancamethebeginningofsin,andthroughherwe
alldie”(Eccl.25,24).Thissentencehadveryfar-reachingandmostnegative
consequences,notonlyinthehistoryoftheologicalthoughtonwomen.Inthe
MiddleAges,aperiodmuchclosertooursthatthebiblicalAntiquity,itwillfind
aclearreflectionintheviewsonthenatureofwomen.
Alltheabovenegativeassessmentsofwomenoughttobeviewedinthecon-
textoftheconcurrentrealityofthesubjugationofwomentomen.Yet,andthisis
indeedsignificant,theydonotessentiallydifferfromattitudesandinteractions
observedinmanymarriagesofourowntimes,especiallyfromtheviewsheldby
perpetratorsofdomesticviolence,maleswhoareaggressivetowardstheirfemale
partners.Thedifferenceliesinthevocabulary,astheauthoroftheBookofEc-
clesiastesdescribestheminthelanguageofaptcomparisonandvividallegory.
Anexpertpsychologistortherapistusesdifferenttechniquesandmethods–and
perhapswithlessfierycommitmentthanthebiblicalauthor–buttheyaredirected
towardsthesamespheresofpersonality:theemotionalandthecognitive.
1.4Politicallyandreligiouslymotivatedhomicides
ThekillingofJezebelisanexampleofpoliticallyandreligiouslymotivated
homicide.Jezebel,wifeofKingAchab,wasaprincessofTyreandthusanalien.
Herinfluenceatthecourtwasobviouslygreat,andshewasfeared.Herpoliti-
callymotivatedmarriageispresentedagainstthebackgroundofagrowingreli-
giousconflict,inwhichthemainopponentwastheprophetElijahspreadingthe
cultofJehovah.Jezebel,afollowerofthecultofBaal,“slewtheprophetsofthe
Lord”(IKings,18,13).Jehu,thenewkingofIsrael,hadherthrownoutofthe
palacewindow(IIKings,9,33);thisispossiblythefirsteveraccountofadefe-
nestration.
Judith,inturn,hadaclearlysocio-politicalmotivationforkillingHolofernes.
Hername,YehudithinHebrew,meanssimply“awomanofJudea”,andthus,