Biblical Wisdom Literature
At this time, I would like to take a short look at the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible. There are usually five book in this genre, and they include:
Psalms תהלים
Proverbs משלי
Job איוב
Song of Songs שיר השירים
Lamentations איכה
Ecclesiastes קהלת
My favourite book of the bible, and probably of all time, is the Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes. The book is a personal account of a man who travels around looking for wisdom. The book is saturated with wisdom anecdotes and wisdom quips, but overall the final message was a massive dissapointment. The author decides that happiness can only be attained by living a life insipred by God. This is similar to what Descartes and Kierkegaard formulated, the latter with his leap of faith and the former with his final analysis. It was a massive dissapointment, yet in my selfish and self-contradictory way I ignore the ending. I would like to examine a quote or two from Ecclesiastes.
And so I loathed life. For I was distressed by all that goes on under the sun, because everything is futile and pursuit of wind. (2.17)
Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my hert had great experience of wisdom and knowledge (lost the exact lines)
So I observed: wisdom is better than valor; but a poor man's wisdom is scorned, and his words are not heeded. (9.17)
So appreciate your vigor in the days of your youth, before those days of sorrow come and those years arrive which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'; before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds come back again after the rain: (12.1-12.2)
Of revelry I said, "It's mad!"Of merriment, "What good is that?" (2.2)
For in much wisdom in much grief: and he that hath increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow
For as wisdom grows vexation grows;To increase learning is to increase heartache. (1.18)
As I have demonstrated, with wisdom of Ecclesiastes is one that few can match. Even as an atheist, I am in awe of the book of Ecclesiastes, and it may be the greatest thing I have ever read. Only Beowulf and Hamlet can compete.
It is prudent to give a brief overview of the other wisdom books. I will save the book of Job for last, having it be the worst thing I have ever read besides Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom poems, many of which are pure wisdom, as is Ecclesiastes, and others are wisdom of submission to God (Islamic doctrine ring a bell?).
The Song of Songs is more of a book of poems. I question its pure wisdom, but it is an impressive piece of love poetry worth reading. It is allegorical in a sense, but it can be intepreted literally. It is a field day for the poetry critic, but in terms of pure wisdom it is less grand than the other book, Job the exception.
Lamentations is an impressive work of theology but I am not currently educated enough in this to be able to discuss it.
The Psalms, writtten by any numbers of poets or psalmists are devotional literature. The wisdom outside of theological wisdom is fleeting, and it is difficult to analyse it from a purely philosophical standpoint. Either way, it is impressive and if one is a true believer in God they can be very moving. Psalm 23 has been immortalized in numerous sources, and the psalms are important in the bible.
I have saved the book of Job for last. The book of Job is the story of a man named Job who is God's puppet for proving to Satan that Job will beleive in God. Modern criticism has extreme trouble with Job. I say that it is impossible to reationalize it with other Jewish theology, and it is a piece of literature that should be ignored. The thought that God would stricked one of his most beloved and devoted children with great punishment to prove a point to Satan (who in Judaism should not exist) is preposterous. God should not play games with his children. So, Job is contradictroy to Jewish doctrine and one of the worst pieces I have ever read. It is sad that this is in the same book with the extreme masterpiece that is Ecclesiastes.
Psalms תהלים
Proverbs משלי
Job איוב
Song of Songs שיר השירים
Lamentations איכה
Ecclesiastes קהלת
My favourite book of the bible, and probably of all time, is the Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes. The book is a personal account of a man who travels around looking for wisdom. The book is saturated with wisdom anecdotes and wisdom quips, but overall the final message was a massive dissapointment. The author decides that happiness can only be attained by living a life insipred by God. This is similar to what Descartes and Kierkegaard formulated, the latter with his leap of faith and the former with his final analysis. It was a massive dissapointment, yet in my selfish and self-contradictory way I ignore the ending. I would like to examine a quote or two from Ecclesiastes.
And so I loathed life. For I was distressed by all that goes on under the sun, because everything is futile and pursuit of wind. (2.17)
Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my hert had great experience of wisdom and knowledge (lost the exact lines)
So I observed: wisdom is better than valor; but a poor man's wisdom is scorned, and his words are not heeded. (9.17)
So appreciate your vigor in the days of your youth, before those days of sorrow come and those years arrive which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'; before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds come back again after the rain: (12.1-12.2)
Of revelry I said, "It's mad!"Of merriment, "What good is that?" (2.2)
For in much wisdom in much grief: and he that hath increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow
For as wisdom grows vexation grows;To increase learning is to increase heartache. (1.18)
As I have demonstrated, with wisdom of Ecclesiastes is one that few can match. Even as an atheist, I am in awe of the book of Ecclesiastes, and it may be the greatest thing I have ever read. Only Beowulf and Hamlet can compete.
It is prudent to give a brief overview of the other wisdom books. I will save the book of Job for last, having it be the worst thing I have ever read besides Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins.
The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom poems, many of which are pure wisdom, as is Ecclesiastes, and others are wisdom of submission to God (Islamic doctrine ring a bell?).
The Song of Songs is more of a book of poems. I question its pure wisdom, but it is an impressive piece of love poetry worth reading. It is allegorical in a sense, but it can be intepreted literally. It is a field day for the poetry critic, but in terms of pure wisdom it is less grand than the other book, Job the exception.
Lamentations is an impressive work of theology but I am not currently educated enough in this to be able to discuss it.
The Psalms, writtten by any numbers of poets or psalmists are devotional literature. The wisdom outside of theological wisdom is fleeting, and it is difficult to analyse it from a purely philosophical standpoint. Either way, it is impressive and if one is a true believer in God they can be very moving. Psalm 23 has been immortalized in numerous sources, and the psalms are important in the bible.
I have saved the book of Job for last. The book of Job is the story of a man named Job who is God's puppet for proving to Satan that Job will beleive in God. Modern criticism has extreme trouble with Job. I say that it is impossible to reationalize it with other Jewish theology, and it is a piece of literature that should be ignored. The thought that God would stricked one of his most beloved and devoted children with great punishment to prove a point to Satan (who in Judaism should not exist) is preposterous. God should not play games with his children. So, Job is contradictroy to Jewish doctrine and one of the worst pieces I have ever read. It is sad that this is in the same book with the extreme masterpiece that is Ecclesiastes.
posted by Brian Hillman at 8:55 PM
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