The Evil Eye in Jewelry and Art History
The concept of the "evil eye" in biblical and ancient contexts primarily refers to envy or covetousness, rather than a literal malevolent gaze or a superstitious charm [1, 3]. Proverbs 23:6 uses the phrase "evil eye" figuratively to describe someone who is envious or stingy [1]. Similarly, Matthew 20:15, in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, uses the phrase "Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" to denote envy towards the generosity shown to others [1].
In art and jewelry, the "evil eye" can take on different meanings depending on the cultural and historical context. In some ancient traditions, particularly those influenced by paganism, certain ornaments were associated with malevolent forces. Clement of Alexandria, a patristic writer, critiqued excessive fondness for jewels and gold ornaments, suggesting that such adornments could be seen as "badges of the evil one" or "badges of adultery" [2]. He even referenced Homeric tales where "golden chains" were associated with Aphrodite's adultery, implying a connection between elaborate jewelry and moral transgression [2].
Beyond the figurative sense of envy, the "eye" itself held symbolic significance. In some interpretations, the eye could be seen as a source of temptation or stumbling. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:29, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee," is understood by commentators like John Gill as a metaphorical instruction to remove anything that causes one to sin, particularly in relation to adultery, rather than a literal command for self-mutilation [4, 8]. This highlights the spiritual danger associated with what the eye perceives or desires.
In Jewish tradition, there was a strong prohibition against creating or possessing figures of human beings, which could be disfigured to avoid idolatry. The Babylonian Talmud recounts an instance where Shmuel instructed Rav Yehuda to "destroy this one's eyes" on a seal with a human figure, emphasizing the importance of disfiguring such images to prevent their veneration [5, 6]. This reflects a concern about the potential for idolatry associated with visual representations.
The practice of painting or adorning the eyes was also common in the ancient Near East. Jezebel, for instance, "painted her face," which literally means "her eyes," a custom among Eastern women to enhance their eyes with kohl [7]. While this practice was primarily for aesthetic purposes, it underscores the cultural significance of the eye in personal adornment.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Evil eye — (Prov. 23:6), figuratively, the envious or covetous. (Comp. Deut. 15:9; Matt. 20:15.)”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 2: Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria — CHAP. XIII--AGAINST EXCESSIVE FONDNESS FOR JEWELS AND GOLD ORNAMENTS. (part 4): [of your fetters] is a thing indifferent. To me, then, those who voluntarily put themselves into bonds seem to glory in rich calamities. Perchance also it is such chains that the poetic fable says were thrown around Aphrodite when committing adultery, referring to ornaments as nothing but the badge of adultery. For Homer called those, too, golden chains. But new women are not ashamed to wear the most manifest badges of the evil one. For as ”
- Proverbs (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Proverbs 28:22: (Compare Pro 28:20). evil eye--in the general sense of Pro 23:6, here more specific for covetousness (compare Pro 22:9; Mat 20:15). poverty . . . him--by God's providence.”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 5:29: And if thy right eye--the readier and the dearer of the two. offend thee--be a "trap spring," or as in the New Testament, be "an occasion of stumbling" to thee. pluck it out and cast it from thee--implying a certain indignant promptitude, heedless of whatever cost to feeling the act may involve. Of course, it is not the eye simply of which our Lord speaks--as if execution were to be done upon the bodily organ--though there have been fanatical ascetics who have both advocated and practiced this, showing a very low apprehension of spiritual things--”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 43b.11: The Gemara asks: But there is the case of Rav Yehuda, where others fashioned for him a seal with a figure of a person on it, and Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda, who was his student: Sharp-witted one [ shinnana ], destroy this one’s eyes, i.e., disfigure it, as it is prohibited even to have a figure of a human being in one’s possession.”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 153b.86:11: The Gemara asks: But there is the case of Rav Yehuda, where others fashioned for him a seal with a figure of a person on it, and Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda, who was his student: Sharp-witted one [ shinnana ], destroy this one’s eyes, i.e., disfigure it, as it is prohibited even to have a figure of a human being in one’s possession.”
- 2 Kings (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 2 Kings 9:30: Jezebel painted her face--literally, "her eyes," according to a custom universal in the East among women, of staining the eyelids with a black powder made of pulverized antimony, or lead ore mixed with oil, and applied with a small brush on the border, so that by this dark ligament on the edge, the largeness as well as the luster of the eye itself was thought to be increased. Her object was, by her royal attire, not to captivate, but to overawe Jehu.”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 5:29: And if thy right eye offend thee,.... Or "cause thee to offend", to stumble, and fall into sin. Our Lord has no regard here to near and dear relations seeking to alienate us from God and Christ, and hinder us in the pursuit of divine things; whose solicitations are to be rejected with the utmost indignation, and they themselves to be parted with, and forsaken, rather than complied with; which is the sense some give of the words: for both in this, and the following verse, respect is had only to the law of adultery; and to such members of the body, which often are the ”