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Will Kynes (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and the Bible (New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2021).

Abstract

"This volume both reflects on the contested nature of the Wisdom Literature category and takes advantage of the opportunities it presents for reconsidering the concept of wisdom more independently from it. The first half explores wisdom as a concept, with essays on its relationship to skill, epistemology, virtue, theology, and order in the Hebrew Bible, its meaning in related cultures, from Egypt and Mesopotamia to Patristic and Rabbinic interpretation, and, finally, its continuing relevance the modern world, including in Islamic, Jewish, and Christian thought, and from feminist, environmental, and other contextual perspectives. The latter half considers "Wisdom Literature" as a category. Scholars address its relation to the Solomonic Collection, its social setting, literary genres, chronological development, and theology. Wisdom Literature's relation to other biblical literature (law, history, prophecy, apocalyptic, and the broad question of "Wisdom influence") is then discussed before separate chapters on the texts commonly associated with the category. Contributors take a variety of approaches to the current debates surrounding the viability and value of the Wisdom Literature category and its proper relationship to the concept of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. Though the organization of the volume highlights the independence of wisdom as concept from "Wisdom Literature" as category, seeking to counter the lack of attention given to this question in the traditional approach, the inclusion of both topics together in the same volume reflects their continued interconnection. As such, this handbook both represents the current state of Wisdom scholarship and sets the stage for future developments"--Publisher description.

Contents

Wisdom and wisdom literature : past, present, and future / Will Kynes -- Advice : wisdom, skill, and success / Jacqueline Vayntrub -- Epistemology : wisdom, knowledge, and revelation / Annette Schellenberg -- Virtue and its limits in the wisdom corpus : character formation, disruption, and transformation / William P. Brown -- Theology : creation, wisdom, and covenant / Raymond C. Van Leeuwen -- Order : wisdom, retribution, and skepticism / Ludger Schwienhorst-Schönberger -- Wisdom in Egypt / Joachim Quack -- Mesopotamian wisdom literature / Yoram Cohen and Nathan Wasserman -- Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls and early Jewish interpretation / Arjen Bakker -- Wisdom in dialogue with Greek civilization / Michael C. Legaspi -- Wisdom in the New Testament / Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn -- Wisdom in patristic interpretation : scriptural and cosmic unity in Athanasius' Exegesis of Proverbs 8:22 / Susannah Ticciati -- Wisdom in Rabbinic interpretation / Amram Tropper -- Wisdom in the Qur'an and the Islamic tradition / U. Isra Yazicioglu -- Wisdom in Jewish theology / Jonathan Schofer -- Wisdom in Christian theology / Paul S. Fiddes -- Personified wisdom and feminist theologies / Christine Roy Yoder -- Wisdom in nature / Norman Habel -- The pervasiveness of wisdom in (con)texts / John Ahn -- Solomon and the Solomonic collection / Katharine J. Dell -- The social setting of wisdom literature / Mark Sneed -- Literary genres of Old Testament wisdom / Markus Witte -- The chronological development of wisdom literature / Markus Saur -- Theology of wisdom / Tremper Longman III -- Wisdom influence / John L. McLaughlin -- Law and wisdom literature / Jonathan P. Burnside -- History and wisdom literature / Suzanna R. Millar -- Prophecy and wisdom literature / Mark J. Boda -- Apocalyptic and wisdom literature / Bennie H. Reynolds III -- Proverbs / Samuel E. Balentine -- Ecclesiastes / Tova L. Forti -- Job / Scott C. Jones -- Song of Songs / Anselm C. Hagedorn -- Wisdom psalms / W.H. Bellinger, Jr. -- Ben Sira / Benjamin G. Wright -- Wisdom of Solomon / James Aitken (University of Cambridge) and Ekaterina Matusova -- The pursuit of wisdom at Qumran : assessing the classification "wisdom literature" and its application to the Dead Sea Scrolls / Matthew Goff.

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