Images of Women in the Book of Ecclesiastes

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine and analyze the various images of women depicted in the Book of Ecclesiastes. The study analyzed the book of Ecclesiastes by using theories from feminism and hermeneutic interpretations. The book of Ecclesiastes was selected from the Bible to analyze the images of women qualitatively. This is because it was believed to be suitable to interpret and thematically elucidate the existing gender related issues in the book of Ecclesiastes. The study shows that in the selected book women were represented negatively due to the author’s personal life problems (the negative image of women in the book is caused by the distortion of the writers life). The result also revealed that it agrees with most of the teachings in Ethiopian churches that usually represented women negatively by taking verses from the Bible without its context. It could be inferred from the study that the message about women in this book could mislead readers unless the central message was properly understood from the theme of Ecclesiastes. Based on this result, the study recommends balanced representations of women to be incorporated in the teaching of Ethiopian Churches about women.