Wisdom & Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature

by Leo G Perdue

Overview

Wisdom literature, asserts the author, is grounded in the theological tradition of creation. For the Wisdom writers of Israel and early Judaism, God is the maker of heaven and earth, whose creativity both forms and sustains the world. The very nature of God is to create life, to sustain it, and to ensure that it flourishes. God's originating acts of creation and sustaining providence provide the basis for faith, worship, and ethics. Leo G. Perdue grounds his reconstruction of the theology of Wisdom in the creation metaphors residing witin the language of the sages--metaphors that derive from Israelite creation traditions and the mythologies of the ancient Near East. He focuses on the differences and interactions between two sets of creation metaphors: those dealing with the creation of the world (cosmology), and those centering on the creation of humankind (anthropology). The contemporary importance of the creation theology of Wisdom literature, says the author, is that it can move the church away from one-sided emphasis on salvation history and eschatology to a serious participation in environmental concerns and social justice. Wisdom and Creation provides a thorough yet accessible discussion of the theological message of this important part of the Bible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606080221
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2009
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Leo G. Perdue, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Forth Worth, Texas, is an international authority on wisdom literature and the author of numerous books, including Proverbs in the Interpretation commentary series (WJK).

Table of Contents

Abbreviations 11

Preface 15

Part I Wisdom and Old Testament Theology: Issues and Approaches

1 Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? Old Testament Theology and Wisdom Literature 19

Introduction 19

The Place of Wisdom in Old Testament Theology 20

Approaches to Wisdom Theology 34

2 "Come to Me, Those Who Are Unlearned, and Lodge in My School": Imagination, Rhetoric, and Social Location in Wisdom Literature 49

Introduction 49

Theological Imagination in Wisdom Literature 50

Metaphors and Theological Imagination 59

The Rhetoric of Sapiential Imagination and Moral Discourse 63

Social Locations and Moral Discipline 69

Part II The Theology of Wisdom Literature

3 "The Lord Created Me at the Beginning of His Work": Creation and Moral Discourse in Proverbs 77

Introduction 77

Cosmology and Anthropology in Proverbs 1-9 78

Proverbs 3:13-20 80

Proverbs 8:1-36 84

Wisdom and Folly in Proverbs 9 94

Cosmology and Anthropology in Proverbs 10:1-22:16 101

Creation, Rich, and Poor in Proverbs 25-29 112

Creation and World Order in the Words of Agur (Prov. 30:1-33) 115

Conclusion: Creation and Moral Discourse in Proverbs 121

4 "You Have Not Spoken Rightly About Me": The Book of Job and the Imagining of God in Human Torment 123

Introduction 123

The Narrative Epilogue and Divine Judgment (Job 1-2) 129

The Opening Soliloquy: The Assault on Creation (Job 3) 131

Eliphaz: The Defense of Divine Justice (Job 4-5) 137

Job: The Destiny of Slavery (Job 6-7) 140

Job: The Plea for Justice and Mercy (Job 9-10) 144

Job: The Illusion of Redemptive History (Job 12-14) 150

Eliphaz: The Fall of the Primal King (Job15) 154

Job: The Appeal to a Redeemer (Job 16-17, 19) 157

Bildad: The Sovereignty of God and the Folly of Revolt (Job 25-26) 160

Job's Declaration of Innocence and Revolt Against God (Job 29-31) 163

The Speeches from the Whirlwind (Job 38:1-42:6) 168

The First Speech of God and Job's Response (Job 38:1-40:5) 169

The Second Speech of God and Job's Response (40:6-42:6) 175

The Final Judgment (Job 42) 181

The Search for Wisdom (Job 28) and the Speeches of Elihu (Job 32-37) 183

The Hymn on the Discovery of Wisdom (Job 28) 184

The Sovereignty of God and Human Slavery: The Speeches of Elihu (Job 32-37) 186

Sapiential Imagination and Creation Theology in the Book of Job 190

5 "I Will Make a Test of Pleasure": The Tyranny of God and Qoheleth's Quest for the Good 193

Introduction 193

The Genre of Qoheleth 194

Narrators and Narrative Structure in the Book of Qoheleth 202

The Opening Frame of the Testament of Qoheleth (1:1-11) 206

Cosmology, Anthropology, and the Ethical Order: Human Action (1:12-5:19) 213

The Sovereignty of God and the Moral Order: Human Knowing (6:10-11:8) 226

Concluding Frame of the Testament of Qoheleth (11:9-12:14) 232

Conclusion: Cosmology and Anthropology in the Testament of Qoheleth 237

6 "I Covered the Earth Like a Mist": Cosmos and History in Ben Sira 243

Introduction to the Teachings of Jesus Ben Sira 243

Creation and Wisdom in Ben Sira 248

Providence and Salvation History (44:1-50:24) 284

Cosmos and History in Ben Sira 286

7 "Wisdom, the Artificer of All, Instructed Me": Creation and Redemption in the Wisdom of Solomon 291

Introduction to the Wisdom of Solomon 291

The Praises of Wisdom (1:1-11:1) 294

The Nature of Wisdom and Solomon's Quest to Obtain Her (6:22-11:1) 303

God's Fidelity to His People in the Exodus and Wilderness (11:2-19:22) 310

Creation and Redemption in Wisdom 318

Part III Wisdom Theology, Sapiential Imagination, and Metaphor

8 "Wisdom Has Built Her House, She Has Hewn Her Seven Pillars:" Summary and Conclusions 325

Introduction 325

Metaphorical Theology in Sapiential Traditions 326

Metaphors in the Cosmological Tradition 330

Metaphors and the Anthropological Tradition 333

Metaphors of Reality 336

The Rhetoric of Sapiential Language 339

Metaphor and Metaphorical Process in Wisdom Theology 339

Sapiential Imagination and Creation Theology 340

Wisdom and Old Testament Theology 340

Notes 343

Select Bibliography 379

Indexes 391