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3) Human Wisdom is limited

2) Instructs Israelites how to act (cont.)

  • Idea discussed heavily in Job and Ecclesiastes
  • Job- it is impossible for humans to fathom why God would allow bad things would happen to those that are righteous.
  • Ecclesiastes- everything in life is meaningless, unable to fully be understood by humans.
  • God transcends all human knowledge and no man will ever be able to understand why God does the things he does, a resolution for the issues presented in Job and Ecclesiastes.
  • Ecclesiastes:
  • A man who is pondering on his own experiences and existence and from that asks himself what is 'good' for man.

1) Universality (cont.)

Job scraping off sores with a piece of pottery.

  • Ecclesiastes:
  • Explores the human condition and ruminates on the meaning of life, especially divine justice (Coogan 398).
  • Another common aspect of the theme of universality is that there are no specific references to Israel's history which makes the books difficult to date.
  • Supposed authorship of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and rabbinic traditional thought on Job helps to give a rough estimate of when the books were written.

Wisdom

  • Hokmah: Hebrew word for wisdom that means unusual skill or ability
  • This word could be applied to skilled craftsmen, warriors, scribes, sailors, etc.
  • Term also used to describe sages, the writers of Wisdom literature in the bible.
  • Found throughout the Near east, "from the third millennium BCE to the early Common Era" (Coogan 383).

1) Universality

  • Proverbs:
  • Similar to Egyptian and near Eastern proverbs
  • explains how to succeed in life, the various aspects of human relationships, and how to please their gods.
  • Job:
  • Deals with the idea of suffering that is common to all people (why do the innocent suffer?)
  • Similar to the ancient Near Eastern texts "Man and his God" and "I will Praise the Lord of Wisdom".

2) Instructs Israelites how to act

  • Proverbs:
  • How to live a moral life
  • Preaches social behavior, from table manners to the proper care of poor and needy
  • Proverbs 31 explains how a noble Israelite women should act
  • Job:
  • Job is righteous and even when tested, does not curse God
  • In the end his blessing is restored
  • Message: trust in God no matter your situation.

Characteristics of wisdom literature ( Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)

My Interpretation

I agree with von Rad's approach to the issue. It is applicable to the search in knowledge that many still strive for today. We, too, still find ourselves angry with God when he puts us through trials, but we cannot know for what reason he does so. Things will happen inevitably due to God's omnipotence, but it is reassuring to note that ,as von Rad writes, " God could [potentially] protect man from his own plans." (100).

Wisdom Literature Relevance to Christian Communities

  • The Book of Proverbs contains elements of social behavior, such as helping the poor and needy, that Christian faith is rooted in.
  • Goldsworthy argues that Christ was one of the wisest men in Israel and taught by means of proverbs and parables; Christ was teaching by means of how wisdom was taught in the Old Testament.
  • Christ is God in flesh and therefore contains the Wisdom of God expressed in the Old Testament.
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