James Donald.
WOLF.— See Animals in vol. i. p. 65*.
WOMAN. — The relation of Christ to woman is one of the most interesting and one of the most difficult topics in the Gospels. In order to estimate it aright it will be necessary to say something of the position of woman at the time when our Lord was born. In the East generally, the penal code of Babylon well describes her abject humiliation : ' If a husband say unto his wife, Thou art not my wife, he shall pay half a mina and be free. But if a woman repudiate her husband, she shall be drowned in the river. ' And her position was not much better in Judoea, where any, even the most frivolous, pretext could be given for divorce. ' The Jewish Law unquestionably allowed divorce on almost any ground ' (Edersheim, Life and Times, ii. 333). The school of Hillel declared it a sufficient ground for divorce if a woman had spoiled her hus- band's dinner. In Greece the dignity of married life was very inadequately appreciated ; even Socrates invites the courtesan Aspasia to talk with him ' as to how she might ply her occupation with most profit.' In Rome there were signs of better things. There was always a halo over the old Roman matron, and though time dissipated tliis, and divorce Avas so common that Seneca tells us
WOMAN
WOMAN
835
that ladies reckoned their a<'es not by the consuls, but by the number of their husbands,* yet women were gradually acquiring more and more influence and being more widely educated. In parts of the Roman Empire, especially in Macedonia, ' her social position was higher than in most parts of the civilized world. At Philippi, at Thessalonica and Beroea, the women— in some cases certainly, in all probably, ladies of birth and rank — take an active part with the Apostle (Paul). . . . The extant Macedonian inscriptions seem to assign to the sex a higher social influence than is common among the civilized nations of antiquity. 't But however this position might vary in ditterent parts of the Empire, it was clearly exceptional for the relation of woman to man to be other than a degrading one. The many exceptions only draw attention to the pre- vailing feeling.
This relation was necessarily profoundly modified by our Lord's birth of the Virgin Mother. This fact, though it could have been known to only a very few during His lifetime, had nevertheless its o\vn particular bearing. It brought Mary into a prominence which otherwise would have been un- accountable. It is true that Joseph may have died when our Lord was a child or before He began His ministry, but even this does not fully account for the position the mother occupies in the Gospels. It is not much we learn, for we know it was her habit to ponder over and keep to herself the secrets connected with His early life (Lk 2^^- "), but that one scene at the village wedding (Jn 2) is sufficient to give us a clear conception of her importance. She alone knew how great He was, and how wonderful the destiny that was promised Him. And yet she was not so overwhelmed by its greatness as to lose her own personality. The ordinary Oriental mother would not have presumed to guide or direct the life of one so mysteriously born and whose future was so infinitely great. But she has so long been accustomed to suggest, if not to direct, that it is natural for her, when she sees an opportunity for the display of His power and the satisfaction of a need, to point it out. The reply, seemingly so harsh to us, only marks out her position the more clearly. The words, ' Woman, what have I to do with thee ? mine hour is not yet come,' could not have been said to one who had occupied but a subservient position in the home ; on the contrary, they suggest that for many years she had been accus- tomed to speak freely as to her wishes for Him, and that this time was now over. From this it may be inferred that our Lord rejoiced in the true development of womanhood, was glad that the mother should not be a mere drudge or slave, but one occupying a definite position with definite duties and responsibilities. Further, it is clear from her question that He had not checked her interest in the wider events of the world and the Kingdom of God. A veil will always rest over the frequent communings between the Mother and the Son, but it is quite clear from the use of the ex- pression ' mine hour,' that she had been led to think of and desire that time of manifestation when His Personality should be revealed. From the beginning, even before His birth, her mind had often been occupied with that revelation from the spiritual world in which the angel had spoken of a ' throne ' and a ' kingdom ' (Lk P^- **). Her mind, then, was not to be confined to the limited sphere of the household duties of the peasant's home. At the same time, it is clear that the natural desire, even in one so humble and lowly as she was, to have some share in the events which would lead to the bringing in of the Kingdom, was not to be