The story of Susanna is told in the Apocryphal Book of Daniel and Susanna. (As an aside, "Apocryphal" books of the Bible, which are received by some Christians as an authentic part of the Holy Scriptures, but are rejected by others. There are 14 such books, formed part of the Septuagint. The Council of Trent included all but three in the canon. The German and English Reformers grouped them in their Bibles under the title Apocrypha, as not having dogmatic authority, but being profitable for instruction. The Apocrypha is now commonly omitted from the King James Bible and most other English versions of Scripture.)
Susanna was brought up by religious parents, married Joakim- a rich man of Babylon at whose house the Jewish elders met and where they held their trials. Joakin had a walled garden at this house and it was to this garden that his beautiful wife would resort when the elders came. Two of the judges became obsessed with Susanna because of her beauty and lusted after her. Although they were too ashamed to admit their feelings, one day they each snook into Joakim's house to spy on Susanna and discovered their mutual lust. Resolving to seek an opportunate time, they kept a close eye on Susanna and waited for a chance to catch her alone.
One very hot day, Susanna and her two maids went into the garden and Susanna decided to take a bath. She sent her two maids out for soap and olive oil and bade them to lock the gates until their return. The two elders, who were already inside the garden, ran up and demanded that Susanna yield to them: "'If you refuse, we shall give evidence against you that there was a young man with you and that was why you sent your maids away.'
Susanna groaned. 'I see no way out. If I do this thing the penalty is death; if I do not, you will have me at your mercy. My choice is made: I will not do it. It is better to be at your mercy than to sin against the Lord'"
The elders promptly shouted down her cries for help and accused her, shocking everyone, for her reputation was spotless. The two elders proclaimed their story and demanded her death. The people believed the judges and assented to her death, but as she was being led away, affirming her innocence and appealing to God.
Daniel, young though he was, was inspired by the Lord to come to Susanna's aid. The rest of the elders accept his authority, seeing that 'God has given you the standing of an elder', and Daniel proceeded to have the elders separated and questioned them about the details of their story. When they disagree, he proclaimed their crime and the people turned upon them and they were stoned to death according to the law of Moses.
The story gives a chance for artists to show the Susanna's faith and her trust that God will save her, the depravity of those who wold use the law for their own personal profit, and perhaps also to draw a comparison between Susanna and Lucretia who, in a similar situation, did not resist in the face of Tarquin's threat to kill her and a servant and tell everyone that she was taken in the act of adultery, leaving no one alive to tell her story and prevent her reputation and that of her husband from being stained.
(NB. The painting of Lucretia by Lucas Cranach the Elder is amazing and should be checked out. It also shows that the story of Lucretia and the story of Susanna were simultaneously going through a popular spurt in art in the Renaissance and Baroque period, although earlier depictions can be found.)
Without a doubt, the artists were more than happy to explore the theme of Susanna (and Lucretia) because of the possibilities it offered for a prominent nude female within the painting itself, particularly the bathing scene. What can I say but pervy men, eh? heehee
But seriously check out some of the picture above and see for yourself the artisty involved in just one story.
As another aside to this rather random blog, I have come to love these 'stories', as I shall call them, concerning women and how they upheld their virtue for their husbands, for society and most importantly (often) for God. This says a lot about the time and society in which these pieces of art were painted. Thank you Classical Civilisation A-Level...
(Ok, the uploading pictures seems to be malfunctioning at the moment! I will keep trying though! See here for the early art on Susanna and here for another collection. Hopefully tomorrow this function will be back up and running!!)
3 comments:
What an interesting blog you have! I must take time to read it in it's entirety. I totally agree with your header. I don't know if it's stress or age--I can't remember anything without writing it down. Thanks for sharing and your lovely comment.
NSSM _ I guess pervy men are universal - Susanna like the rest of womenfolk need strategies to deal with them. Perhaps the point of the story is that virtue isn't its own reward - it has to be fought for. Susanna seemed to need Daniel - sweet, innocent youth. I'm not sure the pervy old men deserved stoning, though. Men bullying women for sex has been there since the dawn of time.
OF
Aww thanks Jean! I do waffle a lot it has to be said, so good luck wading though the blog!!! Yeah, I suffer from very bad memory- I live by lists!! If it is not on a list, I do not remember to do it! heehee
OF- haha, a man would say that, and I do not blame you for it. I think stoning is harsh in any case but it did amuse me at the time!
Yes, virtue always has to be fought for. Lucretia was raped and killed herself to cement her 'character' as Austen would have called it and what the Classics called 'virtue'. Indeed, it seems to be very hard to keep a hold of!
And I can atest- Pervy men are just an everyday thing to be overcome. I find bullying them right back or cracking a joke about their perviness tends to highlight their activities and shames them. When that fails, bully them back! haha...
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