Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament: Home

The "Old Testament's" wisdom literature offers one of the most intriguing collections of biblical books. This title sets each book of wisdom in its historical context, examining the conditions that produced the book and shaped its thinking. It also discerns the theological themes and theological developments within this literature.

Contents: Introduction to the Psalms and wisdom literature / H. Wayne Ballard, Jr. -- A biographical sketch of Marvin E. Tate / Robert C. Dunston -- A history of the use and interpretation of the Psalms / John D.W. Watts -- From psalm to Psalms to psalter / James D. Nogalski -- The poetry and literature of the Psalms / Daniel Mynatt -- The ancient Near Eastern context of the Book of Psalms / Joel F. Drinkard, Jr. -- The canonical shape of the Psalms / Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford -- Portraits of faith : the scope of theology in the Psalms / William H. Bellinger, Jr. -- An introduction to the history of interpretation / M. Pierce Matheney, Jr. -- Literary forms in the wisdom literature / W. Dennis Tucker, Jr. -- Biblical wisdom in its ancient Middle Eastern context / Thomas Smothers -- The canonical shape of the wisdom literature / Gerald Keown -- The scope of theology in wisdom literature / Carol Stuart Grizzard -- Unresolved issues in wisdom literature / James L. Crenshaw

Contents: The world of wisdom -- The sapiential tradition -- The pursuit of knowledge: Proverbs -- The search for divine presence: Job -- The chasing after meaning: Ecclesiastes -- The quest for survival: Sirach -- The widening hunt: Wisdom of Solomon, wisdom psalms, and beyond -- Wisdom's legacy -- Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom literature

In Character in Crisis, William P. Brown helps to break the impasse by demonstrating that the aim of the Bible's wisdom literature is the formation of moral character--both for individuals and for the community. Brown traces the theme of moral identity and conduct throughout the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, with a concluding reflection on the Epistle of James in the New Testament, and explores a range of issues that includes literary characterization, moral discourse, worldview, and the theology of the ancient sages. He examines the ways in which central characters such as God, wisdom, and human beings are profiled in the wisdom books and shows how their characterizations impart ethical meaning to the reading community, both ancient and modern.

A completely new, expanded edition of this classic college text book about two key kinds of writing in the Old Testament: wisdom and law. Completely revised and updated, the book also includes much more on literary interpretation.

Since 1990 Roland Murphy's Tree of Life has been a standard introduction to the wisdom literature of the Bible. Now The Tree of Life is available in a third edition, complete with a new preface by the author and a special supplement that surveys the latest developments in wisdom research. This superb study thoroughly explores the wisdom writings of the Bible, interpreting this literature in a way that illumines the development of Israel's search for wisdom throughout its tumultuous history. Murphy looks at each wisdom book individually -- Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, and Wisdom of Solomon -- and adds to them a discussion of wisdom from other parts of the Old Testament. His careful investigations expose the various guises that wisdom adopts -- the 'fear of the Lord, ' moral formation, the universality of human experience, the mysteries of creation, and others.