MOTHER AND CHILD - WOMEN'S WORK

Woman and child, Hebron, photograph, late 1800's

If you want to imagine the real, historical Mary of Nazareth with her young son Jesus, look at this 19th century photograph of a woman from the city of Hebron in Palestine.

It is probably closer to reality than the thousands of paintings and statues created over the centuries.

WOMEN'S WORK - AN ANCIENT 'TO-DO' LIST

The modern view of women in the ancient Near East is that they were down-trodden, subservient to their husbands and burdened by many children.

This could not be further from the truth.

Women regarded the house as their kingdom. They ruled it. Men came and went from the house, but it was essentially the domain of the women.

It is true that they worked hard - but then so did the men.

Moreover, judging by the list of tasks performed by the 'Woman of Worth' described in Proverbs 31:10-31, they had aspirations we would regard as 'non-traditional'.

This is what they aimed for in their lives - their 'to-do' list:

• find a respected, well-educated and well-to-do man as a husband
• spin and weave cloth, to make the family's clothing and in the earlier period the tents they lived in
• make and sell finished items of clothing
• design and make suitable clothing for all members of the household, for both winter and summer
• dress well and attractively
• keeping physically and mentally strong and fit
• give religious instruction to the children: a mother was their first teacher
• gather food and assemble a varied and healthy diet for the members of the household
• administer the finances of the family and oversee the family business, with all the necessary skills 
• buy investment property wisely
• supervise investments and make a profit from them, then re-invest the profits
• perform charitable work and care for the poor
• organize and supervise the tasks of any servants in the household
• oversee the emotional and physical well-being of members of the household
• be available at all times to anyone who needed her.

The list hardly mentions children - but not because children were unimportant. They were the center of a woman's life, her crowning achievement and a great blessing given by God. Not having children was counted as a very great misfortune.

The household that a woman governed was centered on the maintenance of a healthy and happy extended family.