Wisdom in Ancient Israel

by John Day (Editor), Robert P. Gordon (Editor), Hugh Godfrey Maturin Williamson (Editor)

Overview

In this collection, an international group of specialists considers the nature of wisdom in relation to the thought world of the ancient Near East and its impact on the rest of the Old Testament. In addition to full coverage of the wisdom books and other literature most frequently thought to have been influenced by them, thematic studies also introduce the principal comparative sources among Israel's neighbors and discuss the place of wisdom in Israelite religion, theology and society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521624893
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/11/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction John Day, Robert P. Gordon, and H. G. M. Williamson; Part I. The Ancient Near Eastern Setting: 1. Egyptian wisdom literature J. D. Ray; 2. Some new Babylonian wisdom literature W. G. Lambert; 3. The wisdom of Ahiqar Jonas C. Greenfield; Part II. Old Testament and Apocryphal Texts: 4. Foreign semitic influence on the wisdom of Israel and its appropriation in the book of Proverbs John Day; 5. The limits of theodicy as a theme of the book of Job E. W. Nicholson; 6. Qoheleth Otto Kaiser; 7. A house divided: wisdom in Old Testament narrative traditions Robert P. Gordon; 8. Wisdom in Solomonic historiography André Lemaire; 9. Amos and wisdom J. A. Soggin; 10. Hosea and the wisdom tradition: dependence and independence A. A. Macintosh; 11. Isaiah and the wise H. G. M. Williamson; 12. Jeremiah and the wise William McKane; 13. The wisdom psalms R. N. Whybray; 14. Wisdom and Daniel B. A. Mastin; 15. Ecclesiasticus: a tract for the times John G. Snaith; 16. The Christian use and the Jewish origins of the Wisdom of Solomon William Horbury; 17. Were there schools in ancient Israel? G. I. Davies; 18. The trees, the beasts and the birds: fables, parables and allegories in the Old Testament Kevin J. Cathcart; 19. The personification of Wisdom Roland E. Murphy; 20. Wisdom and the goddess Judith M. Hadley; 21. Wisdom at Qumran A. S. van der Woude; 22. The interpretation of wisdom in nineteenth-century scholarship Rudopf Smend; 23. Wisdom and Old Testament theology R. E. Clements; Biographical note: John Adney Emerton; Bibliography of the works of John Adney Emerton Karen K. Miticich; Indexes.

Editorial Reviews

"Written by experts in their respective fields, each essay is well researched and documented....necessary reading for those who want to know what is being said in the field." The Bible Today

"This volume, with its comprehensive grasp of the key areas of research, careful attention to textual and philological detail, judicious and well-supported conclusions, and grace in expression, is an apt reflection of the intellectual rigor and literary excellence which are so characteristic of the man whom it honors." Daniel J. Estes, Ashland Theological Journal

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