Thomas Aquinas

'And the Lord said, for this.' Here the divine judgment against the women is set forth: and first the fault is laid open; second, the punishment is foretold, at the words, 'he will make bald.' The first is divided into two. In the first he accuses them of pride; in the second, of wantonness, at the words, 'and with nods.'

Concerning the first he does two things. In the first he accuses the pride in the heart, when he says: 'because they have been lifted up in pride.' Psalm 130: 'Lord, my heart is not exalted.' Second, he accuses the sign of pride in the body: 'they walked with neck outstretched,' which is a sign of pride. Job 15: 'he ran against him with neck erect, and is armed with a fat neck.'

'And with nods.' Here he accuses their wantonness in four things, by which they provoked men to lust. First, in sight itself: hence he says, 'and with nods.' Proverbs 6: 'let not your heart covet her beauty, lest you be caught by her nods.' Second, in play: 'and they clapped.' The Gloss: by playing. Ecclesiasticus 9: 'do not be continually with a dancing girl (...) lest perhaps you perish by her power.' Third, in gait: 'and they walked.' Proverbs 7: 'garrulous, wandering, unable to bear rest, nor able to keep her feet at home.' Fourth, by wanton adornment, 'with measured step.' The Gloss: adorned from the plunder of the poor. Proverbs 7: 'behold, a woman meets him, decked out in harlot's attire, prepared to catch souls.'

'He will make bald.' Here he threatens the punishment: and first as to the taking away of ornaments; second, as to the comfort of men, at the words, 'the most beautiful men also.' Concerning the first he does two things. First he takes away from them the ornaments that are signs of unfitting gladness and wantonness; in the second he recompenses signs of sadness and misery, at the words, 'and it shall be, instead of sweet.' Concerning the first he does two things. First he takes away from them the natural adornment of the hair; second, the artificial, at the words, 'in that day.'

He says therefore first, 'he will make bald,' as to the real hair. Below, 15: 'upon all its heads there shall be baldness.' 'He will lay bare,' as to the false hair, which is like a garment. Deuteronomy 32: 'from the captivity of the bared head of the enemies.'

'In that day.' Here he takes away from them the artificial ornaments; and first those that pertain to the adornment of the members; second, those that pertain to the care of ornaments, at the words, 'and pins, and mirrors.' Concerning the first he does two things. First he takes away those that pertain to the adornment of the parts; second, those that pertain to the adornment of the whole, at the words, 'and the changes of raiment.' Concerning the first he does two things: first he takes away what pertains to the members of the body; second, what pertains especially to the organs of the senses, at the words, 'and the little smelling-bottles.' Concerning the first he does two things. First he takes away those things that pertain to the members of the lower part of the body; second, those that pertain especially to the members of the head, at the words, 'and headdresses.'

He says therefore first, as to the feet, the ornaments of footwear; whatsoever kind, and especially the 'little moons,' certain figures made on the footwear of gilded leather. Song of Songs 7: 'how beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince's daughter.' Second, as to the neck, 'chains,' certain ornaments of the neck hanging down to the breast, given in honor of victory. Proverbs 1: 'that grace may be added to your head, and a chain to your neck.' Third, as to the breast, he says, 'necklaces,' any ornaments whatsoever, but especially the clasps by which the breast is secured, lest the garments come open. Song of Songs 7: 'the joints of your thighs are like necklaces, which have been fashioned by the hand of a craftsman.' Fourth, as to the arms, he says, 'bracelets,' ornaments of the arms, named from the shoulder [armus]. Exodus 35: 'the men, along with the women, provided bracelets.'

'And headdresses.' Here he sets down the ornaments of the head: and first as to the crown of the head. 'Headdresses,' ornaments of the head in the manner of a crown. Judith 10: 'she placed a headdress upon her head, her hair having been parted.' Second, as to the hair, he says: 'hairpins,' certain instruments made of silver or gold in the manner of a sharp stick, by which women part their hair in front of the forehead, just as was said in Judith, in the same place: 'she parted the hair of her head.'

Third, as to the neck, he touches on two things. First, 'periscelides,' from 'peri,' which is 'around,' and 'colon,' which is 'member,' as it were an ornament around a member. Haymo says that it is made of gold in the likeness of bracelets, and is placed around the neck. The Gloss says that it is upon the feet, similar to bracelets. Others say that they are a certain ornament placed around the edges of garments, like gold embroidery, or certain furs, or something of this kind. And this can stand together with both of the aforesaid; for in this way they are both around the neck and around the feet. For garments have such things both in the hoods and in the lower hems, and thus they adorn the neck indirectly. Numbers 31: 'for this reason we offer, each in the gifts of the Lord, whatever of gold we were able to find in the plunder: periscelides, and bracelets, rings.'

Second, he sets down the immediate ornaments of the neck, when he says, 'little chains,' namely certain chains inlaid with little rods of gold and silver in the manner of a moray eel, which are placed around the neck. Song of Songs 1: 'we will make you little chains of gold, inlaid with silver.' And because the neck is the middle between the head and the body, its adornment overflows into both; and therefore it is placed with both.

'And little smelling-bottles.' Here are set down those things that pertain to the organs of sense: and first as to smell. 'Little smelling-bottles,' certain small boxes in which they used to put musk and the like, or also certain vessels, like little 'apples' made of silver, pierced in the manner of a censer, in which fire and something fragrant is placed. Song of Songs 1: 'we will run to the fragrance of your ointments.' Second, as to hearing, 'earrings,' certain circles of gold or silver, which are placed in the ears of women pierced for this purpose. Hosea 2: 'she adorned herself with her earring and her necklace, and went after her lovers.' Third, as to touch, which is most vigorous in the fingers. 'Rings.' Numbers 31, the authority already adduced above: 'for this reason we offer rings, etc.' Fourth, as to sight, 'jewels' hanging on the forehead, with which the women of Egypt were adorned. Exodus 25: 'you shall take onyx stones and jewels for adorning the ephod and the breastplate.' Of taste he makes no mention, because its instrument is internal, and is not adorned.

'And the changes of raiment.' Here he sets down the ornaments pertaining to the whole body; and first for putting on; and thus he says: 'changes of raiment,' that is, different pairs of garments. Zechariah 3: 'I have clothed you with changes of raiment; and he said, place the turban.' Second, for covering: and thus he says, 'cloaks.' Genesis 24: 'but she, quickly taking a cloak, covered herself.' Third, for lying down, and thus he says, 'linen sheets.' John 20: 'Peter came, and went into the tomb, and saw the linen cloths lying there.'

'And pins.' Here he sets down the things that pertain to the care of ornaments; and first for arranging them. 'Pins.' Matthew 19: 'it is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.' Second, for discerning, 'and mirrors,' by which women discern whether they are well adorned. Exodus 38: 'he also made the bronze laver with its base from the mirrors of the women who kept watch before the door of the tabernacle and the court.' Third, for covering the ornaments; and first for covering the ornaments of the shoulders, 'and fine linen cloths,' delicate veils by which the shoulders are covered, as is done in Campania by the women. Proverbs, last: 'she made fine linen and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Canaanite.' Second, for covering the ornaments of the head, 'headbands,' that is, veils. Or better, it should be said that they are called certain bindings, by which women bind their hair, made in the manner of a net; and thus it is taken in Exodus 28: 'and you shall bind it with a hyacinth-blue band,' namely the plate of purest gold, on which the holy name of the Lord was written. Third, for covering the ornaments of the whole body, he says, 'theristra.' The Gloss: a very fine woman's garment, penetrable to sight, suitable for summer, and named from this; for 'theria' means 'summer.' And women especially were accustomed to wear this sort of thing over silk garments. Genesis 38: 'the garments of her widowhood having been laid aside, she took up a summer garment.' Of many of these it is said, Ezekiel 16: 'I clothed you with embroidered garments, I shod you with hyacinth-blue, and I girded you with fine linen, and I clothed you with delicate garments (...) and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain around your neck, and I put earrings upon your face, and circles in your ears, and a crown of beauty upon your head.'

'And it shall be.' Here, the ornaments of wantonness having been taken away, he changes them into the trappings of misery. And first, as to that which is external, he says: 'it shall be instead of sweet odor': for odor is from without. Joel 2: 'its stench shall rise up, and its rottenness shall rise up, because it has acted proudly.' Second, as to that which is around, he says, 'instead of a girdle, a rope.' Job 12: 'he looses the belt of kings, and girds their loins with a rope.' Third, as to that which is above, he says, 'instead of curled hair.' Fourth, as to that which is within: 'instead of a breast-band.' The Gloss: by which the breasts are restrained, that is, compressed, lest by their size they cause an unseemliness.

'The most beautiful men also.' Here he takes away from them the comfort of men as to four things. Now women delight in the beauty of men; and as to this he says: 'the most beautiful men also, by the sword.' Lamentations 4: 'her Nazirites were whiter than snow, more radiant than milk, more ruddy than ancient ivory, more beautiful than sapphire.' Second, in strength; and as to this he says, 'and the strong.' Below, 23: 'into captivity.' Third, they delight in dignity; and as to this he says: 'and they shall mourn,' inwardly, 'and shall lament,' outwardly, 'her gates,' that is, the judges sitting in the gates. Lamentations 2: 'her gates have been brought down into the ground; and he has destroyed and broken her bars, her king.' Fourth, they delight in the pleasantness of men; and as to this he says: 'and desolate she shall sit upon the ground.' Lamentations 1: 'he has made me desolate, wasted with grief all the day.'

It is asked first, concerning this chapter, about what he says, 'the soothsayer.' For it seems according to this that it is lawful to inquire about the future from soothsayers: for to take away something unlawful is not a punishment, but rather a benefit. Furthermore, the same seems to follow from the Gloss, that they sometimes speak the truth; but the truth is to be accepted from anyone whatsoever; therefore also from them. Furthermore, since demons are the clearest mirrors according to intellect, as Dionysius says, it seems that in those things which pertain to knowledge, it is at least not evil to receive something from them; and thus to attend to divinations will be lawful; and especially since no knowledge is evil, and divination implies knowledge.

To this it must be said that divination, by its very name, denotes the usurpation of a divine act, and this especially in the knowledge of future things which cannot naturally be known. For there are certain future things which have determinate causes in nature, from which they necessarily arise, like an eclipse of the sun; and concerning these there is no divination. Certain others also have determinate causes from which they arise for the most part, like dryness in summer under the Dog Star: hence concerning these there is no divination. Such indeed are the prognostications of physicians about health or death, and of sailors about a coming storm; unless perhaps they are foretold as future with, as it were, unshakeable certainty, because this belongs to God alone. There are also certain future things which do not have determinate causes in nature, and especially those which come about from free choice; and of these no one has foreknowledge except God, to whom all things are present on account of the stability of his eternity, or someone receiving it from God.

And if indeed such things are foretold by divine inspiration, it will be prophecy, and not divination: but if by one's own contrivance, deceitfully, for the sake of some gain, as old women do, it is called divination, and is a sin, both on account of the lie — because they assert uncertain things as true — and on account of the deception, and on account of the usurpation of the deity. Likewise it is called divination if it is done by the counsel of demons in any way whatsoever; who indeed can foretell certain future things, either those of which they themselves are the cause, or those which they themselves know through the revelation of the good angels, or those which they themselves know by natural knowledge, in those things which have determinate causes in nature — hidden from us, but known to them, both on account of the keenness of their intelligence and on account of the experience of a long time. And yet it is always a sin to inquire from them, and an apostasy from the faith, as Augustine says.

And this for three reasons: first, because although they speak the truth, yet their intention is always to deceive; second, because they cannot have certain knowledge, except concerning those things which they know through revelation; third, because we cannot at the same time be partakers of the gifts of God and of the devil. And this is the chief reason among all. And although it is, absolutely speaking, a benefit to take such things away, nevertheless it is a punishment to those who follow such things, because it is contrary to their will.

Then it is asked concerning choral dances, whether they can be practiced without sin, on account of what he says, 'and they clapped': for he accuses it as though it were a sin. To which indeed it must be said that play in itself is not evil; for otherwise there would not be, in games, the virtue that is called eutrapelia: but according as it is ordered to a different end, and clothed with different circumstances, it can be an act of virtue or of vice. For since it is impossible always to act in the active and contemplative life, it is therefore necessary sometimes to interpose joys amid cares, lest the mind be broken by excessive severity, and so that afterward a man may more readily devote himself to the works of the virtues. And if games are engaged in for such an end, with the other circumstances, it will be an act of virtue, and can be meritorious, if it is informed by grace.

Now these circumstances seem to be especially observed in choral dancing: that the person not be unfitting, such as a cleric, or a religious; that it be at a time of gladness, such as for the sake of deliverance, or at weddings, and the like; that it be done with honest persons, and with honest singing; and that the gestures not be too wanton — and whatever other things there are of this kind. But if it is done to provoke wantonness, and according to other undue circumstances, it is clear that the act will be vicious.

Then it is asked concerning the adornment of women, whether it is lawful for women to adorn themselves. And it seems that it is not, on account of what is said here, and 1 Timothy 2: 'not with braided hair, or gold and silver, or pearls, or costly clothing; but what befits women, etc.' And it must be said that adornment is to be measured especially according to the manner and measure of the person, and according to intention. For if women wear ornaments befitting their state and dignity, so that they conduct themselves with moderation in their doings according to the custom of the country, it will be an act of the virtue of modesty, which sets a measure in gait, dress, and all outward movements, and it can be meritorious, if it is with grace. Likewise if she does this in order to please her husband fittingly, whom she has, or whom she ought to take, and so that she may be set apart from other women. But if they wear ornaments more costly than befits them, it will be arrogance, or even something deformed by the vice of lust, if they do it to provoke desire toward themselves.