In Praise of Wool-Makers in Every Age

 

10 A woman of strength who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; he brings her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household
    and tasks for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

                    Proverbs 31:10-17 NRSVue 

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

                   Romans 16:1-2 NRSVue 

Our Trenton United study group on the book Finding Phoebe : What New Testament Women Were Really Like has been a massive eye-opener for me, and I think for the participants as well. The writer, scholar Susan Hylen, persuasively challenges many of the assumptions and myths about the lives of first century women. She offers information about relationships, employment, education, divorce, retention of wealth, civic leadership which challenge what we've thought we knew. 

While the surviving sources provide more material for Greek, Roman, and Egyptian societies Hylen ties each chapter to the women of the New Testament, with Phoebe, mentioned briefly at the end of the apostle Paul's letter to the Romans as the principle figure she returns to throughout the book. 

Hylen includes some of the lengthy inscriptions of praise by husbands on the memorials to their deceased wives. They are literally carved in stone, and often follow a formula in naming the virtues of partners, although there are certainly variations.

Marble imitations of wicker baskets that served as cinerary urns were popular in Rome in the Early Imperial period. They were often associated with female burials, and it is attractive to see this example as representing the weaving basket that the deceased may have used in life. Weaving was regarded as one of the activities that a virtuous Roman matron should pursue.

One of the common virtues named is "wool-making" which is included even if the well-to-do woman might not actually be involved in shearing sheep, spinning yarn, and creating garments. It was more likely a commonly understood catch-phrase for a virtuous woman who was generally skilled in looking out to the interests of her household. While this might seem a bit odd, we have traditionally described individuals as "bear for work" or a dependable "bread winner." No one who hears these phrases thinks that the person is actually ursine, or only brings home baked goods!

I so appreciate deepening my understanding of the milieu in which Christian scriptures took form and being able to do so with a group of people who have a hunger for knowledge, an openness to new insights, and good senses of humour. One of the participants actually worked at her knitting during our time together. 

I hope our friends at Topsy Farms, a sheep farm on Amherst Island, read today's blog. Their halos may be at a jaunty angle but they are impressive wool-makers of the 21st century, literally and figuratively. 

                                                     The Wool Shed, Topsy Farms, Amherst Island