Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Gender of Virtue

Gendered language can be really interesting.  The English word for Virtue comes from the Latin word Virtus.  It literally means "the way of the man".  Vir is the Latin word for man, and of course, its gender construct is masculine.  However, virtus is constructed as a feminine noun.

Sapientia is the Latin word for wisdom, and it is also a feminine construct.

I do not know the Hebrew or Aramiac word for wisdom, but because my translation of the Bible pairs it with a feminine pronoun, the Hebrew/Aramiac word for wisdom must also be a feminine construct.  Throughout the first several proverbs, wisdom is referenced as a powerful and almighty woman.

The concept of wisdom as a woman shows a more complex and nuanced view of gender relations in these old patriarchal societies.

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