2. Wisdom Literature

Wisdom is such a broad notion that it might be helpful to make some distinctions. Authorities talk about wisdom literature, wisdom thinking, and the wisdom tradition. The category wisdom literature is a literary designation. It is not a native Hebrew category, as far as we can tell, but only a scholar's category to define a large body of literature that is present not only in the Hebrew Bible but also in the literature of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible is generally considered to be Proverbs and Job (see Chapter 15), Ecclesiastes (see Chapter 16.4), and the wisdom psalms (see Chapter 14). If we include deutero-canonical books, the Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach (short for the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus ) would be added.
The books of wisdom literature share a number of characteristics, one of which is an interest in instruction, or pedagogy. This is especially evident in the book of Proverbs, and even in Ecclesiastes, though less obvious in the book of Job. We cannot be sure where and how instruction for ordinary living took place in Hebrew culture. Some authorities who discuss the setting in life of wisdom suggest wisdom may have originated in a family or clan setting, and others associate it with the royal court. Whatever the original context of instruction, the content of instruction was eventually written down. The wisdom books provide direction to those who sought to live moral and productive lives. They were textbooks of a sort to those who were looking for help in how to live life: how to think, how to cope, indeed, how to succeed.

ToC | Reading the Old Testament

. . . Part 3. Writings | ToC