The Dark Side of Beauty in the Old Testament

334 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

AMES

LFRED

OADER

NIVERSITY OF

IENNA AND

NISA

)

ABSTRACT

Speaking of the dark side of beauty implies a bright side as well and

therefore points to an ambivalence in the concept of beauty. Where-

as this can perhaps be most clearly seen in the nineteenth-century

romanticist idea of the

beauty

repugnance,

ancient

Israel

never

regarded

“the

ugly”

as beautiful. But she could and did consider as

straight-forwardly beautiful that which conventional Western imag-

would

regard

failing

beauty

(e.g.

the

decay

old

age). While

this serves as a reminder of the historical and cross-cultural relativ-

ity of the topic, Israelites did find a dark side in what they them-

selves found beautiful. The focus of this article is on this ambiva-

lence experienced by Israel itself. What it could delight in, could al-

so be fearsome and what it could celebrate, could simultaneously

have a dangerous dark side. This is investigated from several an-

gles: as the moral danger of erotic beauty, the religious danger of

cultic beauty, the gloomy and even terrorising mental effect of beau-

ty, and the transience of beauty. Although the usual claim that an-

cient Israel had no abstract concept of beauty is not challenged, it is

concluded that beauty was not regarded as a mere “concrete” thing

either. Rather, beauty is the image(s) of an ominous force behind it.

The images can manifest the threatening character of that lurking

energy just as strongly or even more than its gratifying effects.

A INTRODUCTION

When we speak of the dark side of beauty, we imply that it has a bright side as

well. This of course means that beauty is ambivalent, having two contradictory

sides. The phenomenon has been explored from a romanticist perspective by

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) in his anthology with the clear but deeply am-

bivalent title, Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil).

In the opening poetic

address to the reader he breaks up the most conventional iambic metre by the

less conventional amphibrach to make a starkly unconventional statement for

nineteenth-century Europe:

Aux objets répugnants / nous trouvons des appas.

In repugnant objects we find the attractive.

Charles Baudelaire, “Au Lecteur (Préface),” in Les Fleurs du Mal (ed. Jacques

Crépet; Paris: Louis Conard, [1857] 1922), 6; cf. Jeffrey B. Russell, Mephistopheles:

The Devil in the Modern World (New York: Cornell University Press, 1986), 205-

206.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

335

Finding the repulsive attractive because it is disgusting is not only deep-

ly ambivalent, but also laden with the tensions of inner contradiction. However,

ambivalent beauty does not necessarily have to mean that the ugly is found

beautiful because of its revulsion. It can mean several other things. Negatively,

beauty may remain beauty but may at the same time be fraught with all kinds of

danger so that one could paraphrase this as a lurking nemesis in the most beau-

tiful things. Moreover, what popular present-day Western perceptions may see

as decaying or at best loss of beauty, may on the contrary be experienced posi-

tively as a mark of beauty – for instance, to the one who lovingly shares its his-

tory a body worn down by old age can reveal the beauty of a lifetime of to-

getherness.

Ancient Israelite literature shows no evidence of being attracted to re-

vulsion in Baudelaire’s sense, but both the latter forms of beauty’s “other side”

often occur in the Old Testament. A prime example is the ancient image of old

age, which is time and again presented as a sign of blessing.

Its physical mani-

festation must therefore be beautiful.

This can be seen quite clearly in the de-

scription of the old and failing David who, despite not even being able to “be-

come warm” anymore, was still the beautiful one par excellence (2 Sam 23:1).

He is:

the man exalted high,

the anointed one of the God of Jacob,

the beautiful one in the songs of Israel.

Another instance is the Israelite perception of fat bodies as a sign of

blessing and good physical condition. This is a foriori even more so in the case

of extreme obesity. If fat is beautiful because of prosperity, then extreme fat

must be extremely beautiful because of extreme prosperity, as can be seen in

the picture painted of such people by Ps 73:4-5, 7:

Surely, they feel no pain; their bellies are healthy and fat.

They have no human toil; they are not plagued like others…

Their eyes bulge with fatness...

Cf. John D. Peters, “Beauty’s Veils: The Ambivalent Iconoclasm of Kierkegaard

and Benjamin,” in The Image in Dispute: Art and Cinema in the Age of Photography

(ed. Sally Shafto and Dudley Andrew; Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997), 12.

Cf. the expression, “and he died old and full [satisfied] of days” (Job 42:17, Gen

35:29, 1 Chron 23:1, cf. Gen 15:15, 1 Chron 29:28). Cf. Johannes Pedersen, Israel: Its

Life and Culture (vol. I-II; London: OUP, [1926] 1959), 327-328, and Martin Leuen-

berger, “Segen/Segnen (AT),” Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (2008

Edition), n.p. [cited 13 April 2011], (ed. Michaela Bauks and Klaus Koenen). Online:

http://www.bibelwissenschaft.de/nc/wibilex/das-bibellexikon/details/quelle/WIBI/

zeichen/s/referenz/27583/cache/cd3d9c7a59538d940d82766fa3a4866d/.

Cf. Claus Westermann, “Das Schöne im Alten Testament,” in Erträge der

Forschung am Alten Testament: Gesammelte Studien (vol. 3; ed. Claus Westermann;

München: Chr. Kaiser Verlag, 1984), 119-137.

336 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

Beauty remains beauty and is appreciated as such within culture-specific

aesthetic codes. So it is not only in the eye of the beholder, it is also on the

macula of the culture in question. However, what is common in the Old Testa-

ment, is the motif of danger as an aspect of the dark side of beauty, which is at

least as prominent as Homer’s use of ominous beauty, such as that of the beau-

tiful Calypso, resisted and nevertheless accepted by Odysseus (Odyssey Book

V) or the fatefully attractive Sirens whose beautiful singing among the flowers

is mortally dangerous to passers-by (Odyssey Book XII). In the Old Testament

the motif of the femme fatale is accompanied by similar features. For our pur-

pose these are of central significance, but need to be preceded by some general

remarks on dark beauty.

B THE

ASPECTS

DARK

BEAUTY

In the Old Testament different texts are found that contain different sides of

beauty respectively, but when they are compared poise these sides against each

other. For example, there are hymns on the beauty of nature and other hymns

on the danger of nature. But there are also texts that demonstrate the danger of

beauty within themselves, even reflecting on the inner constitution of beauty

and the germ of undoing inherent in beauty itself. After a basic consideration of

dark beauty in the latter sense, we shall investigate five aspects that can be

summarised by the keywords “erotic,” “cultic,” “resignation,” “terror” and

“transience.”

1 The dark side of beauty in general

If beauty is not only that which pleases, but also that which evokes awe

–

which it is because both are manifestations of the overwhelming impressive-

ness with which the beautiful takes hold of the beholder – then the potential

danger of the beautiful is always there in principle. Since the primeval narra-

tives in the Book of Genesis are about such fundamental forces, it is hardly

surprising to find that the fundamental text for our topic in the Old Testament

as well as its reception is to be found in the early chapters of this book, notably

in the Paradise Narrative, more specifically its second part in Genesis 3. For

our purpose the seminal statement of the story is v. 6:

And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat from and that is

was a pleasure to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to acquire

wisdom. So she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave to her

husband with her, and he ate.

The beautiful is expressly identified with the awesome in Ps 139:14; cf. James

Alfred Loader, “The Pleasing and the Awesome,” Old Testament Essays 24/3 (2011):

661 (section 1e).

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

337

According to v. 6a, Eve saw that the fruit of the forbidden tree was good

(bwj) to eat, a pleasure (hwat) to behold and desirable (dmxn). Each of these words

expresses the aesthetic aspect of the fruit and together they underline it. Now it

is undeniable that the first humans wanted to become like God, which is clearly

prepared by the Serpent’s enticing remark to this effect (v. 5) and the woman’s

ensuing observation on wisdom that could be expected as a result (v. 6b). But

this is founded upon the threefold formulation

aesthetic

desire.

the

real

rea-

son

for

their

disobedience

and

rebellion

against God was their inclination to-

wards the beautiful. Their yearning for the beauty (root bwj) of the fruit was

stronger than their fear of God’s prohibition. Therefore they could not resist the

temptation of their desire and became guilty. Consequently, sin itself and all

ensuing misery result from the effect of the enrapturing lure of the beautiful

fruit. For this reason Augustine of Hippo is not really off target in his interpre-

tation of the first sin as desire or concupiscence (concupiscentia) as well as

hybris (superbia). To him the latter is the sin of the mind and the former is the

sin of the senses that rules the mind.

In earthly beauty Augustine sees a trap

that can alienate humans from God.

In the biblical text this desire for beauty is

not of a sexual nature, but a whole series of instances spread over several Old

Testament genres do confirm that beauty can be a pitfall

for

humans

both

erotic

and

other

senses.

This

seems

consistent

with

Augustine’s basic observa-

tion.

2 The Threat of Erotic Beauty

Even though the temptation by beauty leading to catastrophe is not of a sexual

nature in the Paradise Narrative, the dangers of erotic beauty are well attested

in the rest of the Old Testament.

Adolph von Harnack, Die Entwicklung des kirchlichen Dogmas II/III (vol. 3 of

Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte; 4th ed.; Darmstadt, WBG, [1909] 1980), 210. No

wonder therefore, that concupiscence plays such a major part in the Confessions of

Augustine (cf. Confessiones 10, 35, PL 32:802-803). In my opinion this remains true

irrespective of whether Leo Scheffzcyk, Urstand, Fall und Erbsünde: Von der Schrift

bis Augustinus (Handbuch der Dogmengeschichte vol. II/3a; Freiburg: Herder 1982),

219, 221, is right in his dissenting view that original sin and concupiscence are to be

kept apart in Augustine’s theology. This may be true as far as an inner and an outer

conceptual component of original sin may be distinguished, but it does not impact on

the fact that Augustine realised that, according to the biblical text, human rebellion

sprang from human desire (I would add: for the beautiful).

Patrick J. Sherry, “Schönheit II: Christlich-trinitarisch,” TRE 30: 241; cf.

Confessiones 3,6. PL 32:686-688.

338 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

2a Narrative Texts

In the narrative texts, we find several stories not only carrying the motif, but

even hinging on it. Especially in the abandonment stories

of the Book of Gen-

esis, but also the David narratives and in several of the Old Testament’s

“Jeanne d’Arc” stories,

this feature is central. Especially for men, but also for

the beautiful women themselves their beauty can be dangerous. At first sight

surprisingly, but actually quite representative of the Old Testament’s critical

perspective of Israel’s own past, the first man to be exposed to the danger of a

beautiful woman, is the patriarch of all Israel. On his way to Egypt the coward-

ly Abram tells his wife to say that she is his sister, because her beauty is such

that the Egyptians will kill him to get hold of her (Gen 12:11-13):

When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, I am

aware that you are a woman of beautiful appearance;

when the

Egyptians see you, they will say, She is his wife, and they will kill

me, but let you live.

Say you are my sister, so that it may go well

with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your ac-

count.

The same happens in Gerar (Gen 20:2) and is emulated by his son Isaac

(Gen 26:7).

So both husbands already knew beforehand how dangerous it

could be for themselves to have a beautiful wife. So dangerous in fact, that they

were quite willing to abandon the honour of their wives and their wives person-

ally in order to save themselves. Sarai’s / Sarah’s captors in turn get to experi-

ence the danger of this woman, but now as a consequence of divine interven-

tion to protect the honour of the beautiful woman at the peril of those who de-

sire her (Gen 12:17, 20:3). Nevertheless, in all three cases the women them-

selves are threatened by their own beauty.

The story of David and Bathsheba is also about a king who simply helps

himself to the captivating beauty of another man’s wife (2 Sam 11). Rising in

the evening as befits the lion of Judah, David stalks an “exceedingly pretty”

woman from the palace roof and watches her take a bath. Like the heathen

kings of Genesis, he orders his courtiers to find out about her and bring her to

Cf. Irmtraud Fischer, Die Erzeltern Israels: Feministisch-theologische Studien zu

Genesis 12-36 (BZAW 222; Berlin/New York: De Gruyter, 1994), 190-192.

Despite the doubts of George Bernard Shaw, Saint Joan: A Chronicle Play in Six

Scenes and an Epilogue (London: Penguin Books, [1924]2001), 11, it is clear that

Jeanne also fulfilled this feature of the ideal female saviour: first, the remarks of her

companions that “she was beautiful and well-formed,” cf. Stephen W. Richey, Joan of

Arc: The Warrior Saint (Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2003), 112, and second, the

scores of imaginary portraits showing that through the centuries she was regarded as

such.

Sarai is called harm tpy and Rebecca harm tbwj.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

339

him. As often in the Succession Narrative, the superb story teller allows us to

wonder whether it really was so simple as David prowling on rooftops to see

naked women bathing, or whether perhaps Bathsheba knew exactly what could

be expected from peep-showing her beauty in full view of royal voyeurs peer-

ing from palace roofs. In any event, in their case it again took two to tango and

both had to bear the punishment for their adultery, since the child conceived

from the apparently safely timed one night stand died (2 Sam 12:18-19).

There can also be a positive twist in stories of women who have to battle

with their beauty. The beautiful Susanna is molested because of her beauty, but

then saved as a reward for her virtue (Additions to the Book of Daniel 1). Often

this kind of heroine however saves her people by her beauty or rather, by the

disastrous effect of her beauty on the enemies of her people. The archetypical

examples of this are Esther and Judith. Both are beautiful, reach a position of

power because of their beauty and use that position to bring ruin on an enemy

of their people. In the case of the wealthy widow Judith her beauty is beyond

doubt (Jdt 8:[6]7, 10:1-7, 11:16), and her moral use of its power is emphasised,

but nevertheless costs the powerful general Holofernes his life (Jdt 12:10-13:8).

In Esther’s case, her beauty is highlighted by a number of literary features

(such as being chosen from a huge female population as beautiful enough for

the king (Esth 2:7-8), being preferentially treated with cosmetics and prepared

by the eunuchs (Esth 2:9) for charming the king, and for depending on this

power by repeatedly tempting fate in using it to this end (Esth 5:1-4 and 8, 7:2-

3). When its terrible effect sets in, it is not her lover/husband, but Haman the

enemy of the Jews who is punished for ostensibly trying to take absurd sexual

advantage of the beautiful queen (Esth 7:8). Afterwards she coolly has its dead-

ly effect extended to thousands of other anti-Jews (Esth 9:12-16.).

Another example is the story of Jael from the Book of Judges (Jdg 4) as

told by Pseudo-Philo. Whereas the Hebrew text does not explicitly mention her

beauty, Pseudo-Philo (Ps.-Philo 31:3) does, calling her “very beautiful.” When

the enemy general, Sisera (or, in this text, Sisara), boasts of taking beautiful

Israelite women as war spoils to become his concubines, the most beautiful

puts on her jewellery and uses her fatal attraction to lure him to her rose-decked

bed. Having intoxicated him, she then rather roughly works him off the bed and

finishes him off straight away.

There is also a story about the danger posed by male beauty for the man

blessed with it, namely the famous story of Joseph and the wife of Potiphar

(Gen 39). Joseph is called beautiful in similar terms as his grandmother Rebec-

ca and his great-grandmother Sarah (harm hpy, Gen 39:6). When the wife of his

master “looked up at him” and desired him sexually (Gen 39:7), Joseph de-

Cf. Matthias Augustin, Der schöne Mensch im Alten Testament und im

hellenistischen Judentum (BEAT 3; Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1983), 211-212.

340 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

clined giving in as a “great sin” and did so several times. But then disaster

struck as could be expected from a woman scorned in lust. She turned the ta-

bles and staged a rape scene, which saw Joseph punished with imprisonment.

Although this too ended to the benefit of Israel by providing the avenue to the

royal court needed to later save his people from starvation, the motif of the self-

threatening danger of male beauty remains the same

so that one could still

call Potiphar’s wife a femme fatale of sorts, even if the man in the story does

not fall for her.

2b Sapiential Literature

The motif of beauty in the story of Joseph, showing strong influence of wisdom

literature, tallies quite well with the number of occurrences found in the Book

of Proverbs. Even if the Book of Proverbs ends with the thought that beauty is

no more than a puff of emptiness (lbh), such trivial female beauty is neverthe-

less dangerous enough to warrant warning young men against it repeatedly. In

this genre only the danger of female beauty features and only young men are

perceived to be in danger of falling into the trap.

When the proverbial femme fatale is called hrz hXya or hyrkn, she is “the

other” woman, that is, a married woman belonging to another man. Without

going into the debate about her identity

or the textual criticism of v. 18, it is

clear that she poses a sexual threat to the young man being addressed. Accord-

ing to Prov 2:16-19 wisdom in a youngster’s heart will have the effect

to save you from the strange woman,

from the alien woman speaking smooth words,

who forsakes the mate of her youth

who forgets the covenant of her God;

for her house

sinks to death,

and her paths to the shades;

who goes to her does not come back,

or reach the paths of life.

The “smooth words” are clearly erotically suggestive and this woman is

therefore the type who uses feminine charm for the purposes of seducing

youngsters. The danger is quite literally fatal, since this use of beauty leads

straight down to death.

Cf. Otto Kaiser, “Von der Schönheit des Menschen als Gabe Gottes,” in Verbin-

dungslinien: Festschrift für Werner H. Schmidt zum 65. Geburtstag (ed. Axel

Graupner, Holger Delkurt and Alexander B. Ernst; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener

Verlag, 2000), 156.

For a survey, cf. Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9: A New Translation with Intro-

duction and Commentary (AB 18A; New York: Doubleday, 2000), 134-141.

Often htbytn “her paths” is read instead of htyb, “her house,” which makes good

sense parallelismi causa, but is not supported by textual evidence.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

341

The same motif is developed at length in Prov 5:1-23 and 7:1-27.

Again we encounter the strange woman, again we hear of her seductive talk

and again the young man is warned that falling for this kind of eroticism is a

road to death. In the first case a positive encouragement to marital fidelity is

added (Prov 5:15-19): nothing against enjoying the beauty of the young man’s

own femme and even becoming intoxicated by it, but everything against the

other, fatal one. In the second case the warning against her beguiling talk, sug-

gestive clothing and lips also includes a description of her decorated bed (Prov

7:16f.) somewhat like the Pseudo-Philonic Jael referred to above (who used

rose flavour instead of myrrh).

Quite another kind of beauty is also classified in the dark category,

namely that of the dumb brunette. A beautiful but stupid woman is made veri-

tably ludicrous in Prov 11:22:

A golden ring in a pig’s snout –

a beautiful woman without discretion.

Whether the woman is the decorated pig (Waltke

) or whether she is the

ring (Fox

) need not be decided here. What is clear is that the beauty of a

woman without sense is not merely worthless, but actually absurdly wasted.

This severely relativises the beauty of such a woman as unclean and downright

filthy. The un-emended Hebrew text of Prov 11:16, may state that honour for a

woman with (only) beauty is as misplaced as wealth for violence, but it may

also be a cynically negative comment on the use of beauty by a pretty woman

to attain honour. In this case the parallelism as it stands would suggest that

beauty used for this purpose is as dangerous and wicked as violence used for

acquiring wealth.

2c Prophetic texts

Although the danger inherent in human beauty – both female and male – does

not occur as often in the prophetic books of the Old Testament as they do in the

narrative and sapiential literature, it is also among the prophets. As can be ex-

A shorter variation on the same theme is to be found in Prov 6:23-25, where the

description of a beautiful seductress’s coquetry focuses on her tongue and eyelids as

well as the result of poverty for the young man. Cf. also Prov 29:3 (where the theme

of prostitution implicitly contains the motif that interests us) and, somewhat more

indirectly, Prov 9:13-18 where Lady Folly entices the simpleton in terms reminiscent

of the femme fatale – which she in fact is, although in the metaphorical sense. She

may be pictured somewhat like the golden ring in the pig’s snout (Prov 11:22, see

below), although her beauty is not an expressly developed motif.

Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs Chapters 1-15 (NICOT; Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 2004), 503-504.

Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 10-31: A New Translation with Introduction and Com-

mentary (AYB [= AB] 18B; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), 540.

342 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

pected, the concept is not used for its own sake, but always in the service of the

overarching message of the particular prophetic passage.

But that in itself is

valuable, since in this way the motif is not used contentiously as far as its aes-

thetic make-up is concerned.

In Isa 3:16-24 feminine beauty is depicted lucidly. The body pose, co-

quetry, clothes and jewellery of the daughters of Zion are described in unri-

valled detail so that this passage is both a treasure trove for cultural historians

and a terror for young people studying Hebrew for the ministry. But there are

other reasons for noticing the idea of danger in this beauty. In the passage fe-

male beauty and its extravagant expression is a metaphor for the arrogance of

Israel. Since the metaphor can only work if the motif is credible within the

sphere whence it comes, that kind of beauty of which the pretty woman is

overbearingly conscious must be meant. The downfall to which it leads is also

described in aesthetic terms. The beautiful woman will be made ugly (Isa 3:24):

Instead of spice there will be bad odour;

and instead of a girdle, a rope;

and instead of hair make-up, baldness;

and instead of a rich robe, a bound sack;

instead of beauty, shame.

We may compare Isa 5:1-7, where the relationship between God and his

people is depicted by the motif of the beautiful garden as metaphor for the be-

loved (dydy and dwd) though sinful people. Here too the motif of beauty is re-

versed to become its own opposite. This instance is interesting because the

beauty, carried as it is by the metaphor of the garden known from biblical erotic

poetry (e.g. Cant 4:12-16, 5:1), envisages human beauty as such and not just

female beauty.

Even without the motif of coquetry the same idea of beauty mixed with

sin and therefore leading to catastrophe is also found in the Book of Jeremiah.

In this case beauty is closely associated with the criticised attitude to be pun-

ished, to result in the loss of beauty (Jer 11:15-17). Here it is not the beauty

itself which is dangerous to the beautiful or to the lover of the beautiful. Never-

theless, the metaphor of a tree is used for the beloved in the same way as in

ancient love poetry (cf. Cant 2:3, 7:9), the lover is called dydy and the the normal

beauty terminology is used.

In this context the metaphor of marriage for the relationship between God and

Israel as found in the Book of Jeremiah (cf. Jer 3:20) and especially in the Book of

Hosea (cf. Hos 1:2, 2:4, 3:1) where the motif of fidelity and not that of beauty as is at

stake, is not included.

Jer 11:15-17; the terms hpy and rat belong to the normal aesthetic terminology; cf.

Loader, “The Pleasing and the Awesome,” 652, footnote 4.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

343

Related use is made of the beauty motif by the prophet Ezekiel. Here the

woman who combines her beauty with pride is brought to a fall precisely for

this reason. In Ezek 27:3ff. Tyre is chastised in the second person feminine sin-

gular for boasting about her own beauty (ypy) and for regarding it as “perfect”

(lylk). Therefore she will lose this very beauty as her punishment (Ezek

27:27ff.).

Male beauty captivating the lust of women – somewhat like Joseph in

the company of Potiphar’s wife – is used by Ezekiel in quite another context as

well (Ezek 23:14f). In negative terms he shows the effect of that which struck

people as beautiful all the more forcefully by using it to fuel his criticism. The

passage is about the effect of mural art:

She looked at men portrayed on the wall,

images of Chaldeans engraved in red colour,

belts girded around their waists, flowing turbans on their heads, all

with the appearance of officers,

the picture of Babylonians

whose land of birth is Chaldea.

It is therefore clear that, albeit mostly in metaphorical or metonymical

functions, the prophets did not only know the concept of beauty, but they also

used it as an established motif in prophetic judgement texts. For this reason we

have to disagree with Claus Westermann who denies that the concept is even

found in prophetic criticism.

3 The danger of cultic objects

At least one narrative, the story of the attempted transfer of the Ark of the Cov-

enant to Jerusalem (1Sam 6:19; 2 Sam 6), shows that quite another kind of

beauty can also bear the germ of danger within itself. Artefacts for cultic use

are regarded as objects of aesthetic beauty.

All the striking objects of metal,

gems and wood destined for use in the Tabernacle were created at the com-

mand and by the inspiration of God himself

. Therefore such objects have to

be approached carefully, subject to specific rules for their handling (Num 4:15).

Cf. Loader, “The Pleasing and the Awesome,” 656-658.

Westermann, “Das Schöne im Alten Testament,” 120.

Cf. James Alfred Loader, “Making Things from the Heart: On Works of Beauty in

the Old Testament,” Old Testament Essays 25/1 (2012), 104-105.

Exodus 31:1-6: “And Yahweh spoke to Moses: See, I have called by name Bezalel

son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the spirit of

God, with wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all kinds of craft, to devise artis-

tic designs, to work in gold, silver, and copper, cutting stones for setting and carving

wood, for working in all kinds of craft. And see, I have appointed with him Oholiab

son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given wisdom in the hearts of all the

skilful, to make all that I have commanded you.” Cf. also Exod 35-36.

344 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

When this does not happen, even with the best of intentions, the danger of the

beauty lashes out (2 Sam 6:6f.):

When

they

came

the

threshing

floor

Nachon,

Uzzah

reached out

his hand to the ark of God and held on to it, for the oxen let it drop.

The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck

him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and he died

there beside the ark of God.

This instance shows how close the aspects of the pleasing and the awe-

some in the concept of beauty really are. The holy object is beautiful and, by

virtue of its inner substance as a religious artefact, is also awe-inspiring. There-

fore its dangerous quality is necessarily always near at hand.

4 Beauty that leads to resignation

Three interrelated elements in the Book of Qohelet are not only dominant in

that book, but also indicate forcefully how intensely the phenomenon of awe-

someness was perceived in the beautiful. These are Qohelet’s view of nature,

youth and joy.

The opening reflection (Eccl 1:2-11), framing the book on the one side,

is filled with awe at the wonders of nature. However, the impenetrability of

these marvels – such as the observation that all the rivers continuously flow to

the sea without the sea ever filling up – does not imbue him with enjoyment,

but with an “unspeakably” pessimistic resignation (v 8):

All things are so wearisome,

more than one can say;

the eye cannot see enough,

nor does the ear have its fill of hearing.

Therefore this reflection, as all the others in the book, stands under the

motto of senselessness (lbh, “puff of air” and xwr tw[r, “striving after wind”

)

and no gain for any human being in life (vv. 2-3).

At the other end of the book he likewise frames his work with similar

thoughts (Eccl 11:7 - 12:8). Here the sun is again featured, this time specifical-

ly under the aspect of its beauty (Eccl 11:7). This is developed into his advice

that youth, its pleasures and beauty should be enjoyed, but under the aspect of

the decay of old age and death that are unstoppable in their approach. Therefore

the book ends as it began, with the declaration that all is a senseless chase after

the nothingness of wind. As far as I can see, this is the only place in the Old

Testament where old age is not seen as beautiful or a blessing, but as the coun-

ter-pole of the beauty of youth. To me that is not surprising, since in Qohelet’s

Cf. for example Eccl 1:2, 2:21, 3:19, 12:8 as well as 1:14, 2:17, 4:16, 7:13.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

345

view this perspective of degeneration goes for everything in life: lbh lkh means

that all, not just some things, are empty (and, as he often adds, mere chasing

wind). Therefore the beauty of youth as well as the beauty of enjoyment is only

a matter of carpe diem – a chance to grab its enjoyment as long as it holds. And

the one thing that is certain, is that it will not endure. For reasons like these I

have for almost forty years now found myself profoundly unimpressed by en-

deavours to use the concept of beauty/joy to wring a “positive” message from

the thrust of the Book of Qohelet.

Beauty and beautiful things like youth,

clothes, women and feasts are beautiful, but they carry within them the seeds of

decay and death. Qohelet can say that God “has made everything beautiful (hpy)

in its time” (Eccl 3:11) but then follows it up by filling another frame calling

for the enjoyment of beauty (vv. 12-13 and 22) with the darkest thoughts about

the death of humans holding no more than the death of animals (vv. 16-21).

Therefore beauty according to Qohelet is ambivalent in the absolute sense, that

is, it has a polar structure – two poles of valence, one of which is positive, the

other negative. The negative side necessarily has the upper hand, for in its in-

nermost self beauty is infested with its own opposite. Therefore the observation

of the beauty of life under the memento mori is perhaps the clearest and most

devastating expression of what we have found so often in both wisdom texts

and other genres: in beauty itself lurks a dark, deeply disturbing dimension.

Also Job resigns in the face of the beauty of creation. In one of the most

awesomely beautiful poems in the Bible (Job 38-39, 40*) the beauty of nature

is presented under the aspect of God’s awe-inspiring creative work – to such an

extent that the reader is under pressure to resign to God as Job did. But this res-

ignation, although sharing Qohelet’s experience of the beautiful world as inex-

plicable, is a resignation that resolves itself into a dew and does not petrify so

as to need a carpe diem like Qohelet.

5 The Terror of Nature’s Beauty

Several onomastic texts in the Book of Job list the wonderful aspects of nature

as terrible signs of danger and catastrophe. The first of these is Job 9:5-10,

which is a hymn-like description by Job of nature’s wonders. It consists of two

equally long strophes with a symmetrical structure in hymnic style, one on

God’s destructive power (vv. 5-7) and the other on his creative work (vv. 8-10).

Although the poem oozes marvel at the wonders (twalpn, v. 10) of creation, God

is not praised for it. The style of the hymn is used to express estrangement from

the awesome God who is active in nature and is just the kind of God Job in his

suffering does not feel the need of. The ironical anti-hymn clearly shows such

E.g., among others, Roger N. Whybray, Ecclesiastes (NCB; Grand Rapids: Eerd-

mans, 1989), passim, and Eben H. Scheffler, “Qohelet’s Positive Advice,” OTE 6

(1993): 248-271.

346 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

fear of the incalculable (rqx !ya) dark side of this wonderful creation that we

may call it a dark hymn.

In a similar quasi-hymn (Job 26:5-14) dark effects of terror and fear are

created through prefacing the second strophe on God’s inconceivable work on

inorganic nature by a first half on his power in the underworld. The effect of

the awesome beauty in creation itself is scaring enough, but in connection with

its corollary in the counter-world Job can only feel terror (lyx po‘lal, v. 5).

Two further onomastic texts occur in the speeches of Elihu, where they

are directly linked to each other, namely in Job 36:27-37:13 and in 37:14-24.

The same phenomenon is used by Elihu, only he is not lamenting the loss of a

personally immanent God as Job was doing. On the contrary, he confesses to

this kind of terribly beautiful God experienced in a terribly awesome nature.

Again the hymnic form is used together with a list-like enumeration of the en-

thralling wonders of God’s creation. The whole perspective of dark beauty is

formulated poignantly by the speaker in relation to God (vv. 21-22.):

Now, no one can even look on the light when it is bright in the skies,

when the wind has passed and cleared them.

Out of the north gold shines forth;

around God is terrible splendour.

Further than this no one can go in finding the beauty of God estranging.

Invisibility is as much the result of beautiful light as of darkness – that is the

ultimate darkness of beauty.

6 The Transience of beauty

The final negative aspect of beauty is its transience. We have already encoun-

tered this aspect above in the thoughts of Qohelet on beauty, youth and old age.

The beauty of youth and young life remains beautiful, but its putrid inner core

is clearly stated in the reminder of the final poem (Eccl 11:7-12:8). Joy and

enjoyment in the beautiful years, yes. But already at that stage one should think

about its temporary character (Eccl 11:8). The sun, consummate symbol of

beauty, and the radiance of light, the moon and stars – all of this will darken

($Xx qal), so that we literally hear of the dark side of beauty.

Not identical, but closely related to the transience of beauty is its relative

character. The conventional forms of beauty may be beautiful to the conven-

tional observer, but other things are more beautiful than what is popularly

deemed to be so. This theme is found several times elsewhere in wisdom litera-

ture. The beautiful things that may seduce a young man to theft and related

Cf. James Alfred Loader, “Seeing God with Natural Eyes,” in Old Testament Sci-

ence and Reality: A Mosaic for Deist (ed. Willie Wessels and Eben Scheffler; Preto-

ria: Verba Vitae, 1992), 293-294.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

347

crimes are not as beautiful as the spiritual jewellery of wisdom that seeks to

keep him from such ways (Prov 1:13 and 15, 2:10; cf. Sir 40:27[28]). The tru-

ism “real beauty comes from the inside” is formulated in the last words of the

Book of Proverbs. In the great acrostic poem on the ideal woman it is unequiv-

ocally said both of !x and of ypy (Prov 31:30-31):

Attractiveness is deceitful, and beauty is vain –

a woman who fears Yahweh, she is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.

Real grounds for praise and reward are to be found in the God-fearing

character of a woman rather than her outward appearance, and worthwhile

praise does not come from admirers, but from her own deeds.

In Isa 40:6-8 the transience of human beauty can be recognised in the

comparison of human beauty with nature’s beauty. Since the beauty of the

fields and the flowers is short-lived, the metaphorical transfer of this to all hu-

mans (“all flesh is grass”) says that human beauty is but a fleeting thing. Psalm

39:12 applies the same logic, but here in the context of God’s punishment: hu-

man beings themselves are a puff of wind and their desirables disappear as

though eaten by moths!

C CONCLUSION

Although there is mention of the danger motif in the erotic poetry of the Book

of Canticles,

I have not included it above because in these cases not so much

beauty as love itself is meant. But surveying what we have found, it would be

justifiable to say that erotic love as the fascination with (for Canticles) the op-

posite sex is about finding someone overpoweringly beautiful. Whether the ob-

ject of love is pretty by commonly held cultural standards or not, when loved

he or she becomes beautiful. This transcends all boundaries and is stronger than

death. Not only the femme fatal, but also the effects of jealousy (Num 5:14),

obsessive disorder (2 Sam 13:1-4), attraction turning upon itself (2 Sam 13:15)

and stalking (Deut 22:25-27, cf. Jdg 21:20-21), show why the Book of Proverbs

can think of people who fall into the power of this phenomenon as walking to

their downfall like cattle to the slaughter (Prov 7:22). The same goes for the

effect of beautiful objects on people to commit crimes such as Achan’s theft of

desirable things (Josh 7:21, cf. Prov 1:13).

The character of beauty’s dark side was thought through right to its ul-

timate core by Qohelet, but we have found its logic unfolded in all the texts we

have considered above. Our study has revealed a likeness in kind between all of

the manifestations of beauty. Beauty is not an abstraction, but neither is it just a

Cf. Cant 2:7, 8:4 on premature love and Cant 8:6-7 on its deadly power.

348 Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

concrete thing. It is a permeating force that can find visible manifestation in

different ways. In the texts we investigated we found:

• Israel observed and experienced that beauty impresses.

• Therefore she recognised and formulated its strength.

• The Old Testament therefore shows how beauty can overpower.

• Thus beauty has a dangerous component well known to Israel.

• This is its dark side.

But the contours of beauty reveal a deep affinity with the religious di-

mension, which is also fundamentally nothing other than being overwhelming-

ly impressed by God. The manifestations of beauty in humans, nature, objects

and God are all deeply related. John D. Peters

could say,

…

the

Hebrew

tradition

constantly

sees

beauty

image,

something

mediated and re-presented. The person

looked upon risks becom-

ing an idol, a false god, an object that escapes the ethical protection

of a relation of mutual obligation.

Our

study

has

shown

that

this

true.

Here

see

the

darkest

corner

beauty’s

shadows. For this reason Israel could tolerate no images in its cult. For

the same reason the temptation to succumb to the beauty of the idol was as

strong as death

and had to be opposed by prophets like Hosea who even had

Peters, “Beauty’s Veils,” 11.

I would add: “or the thing.”

The reference to “the” Hebrew tradition remains valid even in the light of

Andreas Wagner, “Alttestamentlicher Monotheismus und seiner Bindung an das

Wort,” in Gott im Wort – Gott im Bild: Bilderlosigkeit als Bedingung des

Monotheismus? (ed. Andreas Wagner, Volker Hörner and Günter Geisthardt; Neu-

kirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 2005), 1-8, when he warns that the diversity of

the Old Testament precludes making un-nuanced statements about the monotheism of

“the” Old Testament. With this proviso it is nevertheless appropriate, as he also points

out (especially p. 5), to recognise a broad thrust within the Old Testament when its

general unity is taken into account from the angle of its literary growth and “inner

unity.”

From this perspective it is both understandable and attractive that Jan Assmann,

Die Mosaische Unterscheidung: Oder der Preis des Monotheismus (München/Wien:

Akzente, 2003), 98-99, interprets the prohibition of images to be a ban on all images

as so many threats of this entrapment. But Wagner retorts that the ban on images is re-

lated to images of the divine (Wagner, “Alttestamentlicher Monotheismus,” 11, docu-

mented with a wealth of literature on monotheism as well as on the prohibition of im-

ages). Whether or not the prohibition intends all likenesses or only cultic images, on

both counts it does express a deep and fundamental awareness of the dark side of im-

ages, which I have developed above independently from the debates on monotheism

and images. As far as I can see, the dimension of the danger in beauty has not yet

played a role in the issue.

Loader, “The Dark Side of Beauty in the OT,” OTE 25/2 (2012): 334-350

349

to combat

the

devastating

lure

erotic

beauty

his

own

family

life.

The

prohibi-

tion

images

the

cult

Israel’s

acknowledgement

the

sweeping

danger

beauty.

There is but

one alternative, mentioned in two psalms.

While

naming

three

priorities

faith,

the first

pious

poet

declares

them

all

single triune

entity for which he wishes– the centre being nothing less than looking upon

God’s beauty:

to live in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of Yahweh

and to contemplate.

The other psalmist escalates the wish into speaking the unspeakable,

namely to not only behold but also share in God’s beauty and to do so in com-

munion with all who worship:

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us!

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Prof. Dr. James Alfred Loader, Faculty of Theology, University of Vienna,

Schenkenstrasse 8-10, A-1010 Vienna. He is Professor Extraordinarius in the Depart-

ment of Bible and Ancient Studies, P. O. Box 392, Unisa, 0003, in the Department of

Ancient Languages and Cultures as well as the Faculty of Theology at the University

of Pretoria. Email: [email protected].