Wisdom as a category for studying ancient texts and discourses

Union Presbyterian Seminary
Union Presbyterian Seminary
1,194
0
Published 2021-04-27
In recent years, some interpreters have questioned the value of the “wisdom” designation as a generic category or even a useful descriptor when studying the Bible and related texts. Certain scholars argue that “wisdom” is a modern scholarly construct, and nebulous criteria and lack of clarity about the extent of the “wisdom” corpus should lead to an obituary for this designation.

Others have claimed that instructional literature constitutes one of the oldest and clearest generic types in the ancient world, and the biblical writers of books like Proverbs drew directly from what might properly be called a wisdom tradition. These commentators argue that there is a remarkable coherence to the wisdom category.

Join us for a lively webinar discussion as we consider this scholarly divide and its implications for studying key texts in and outside of the Bible.

Participants include Drs Samuel Adams of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Stuart Weeks of Durham University, Katharine Dell of University of Cambridge, Will Kynes of Samford University, and John Collins and Jacqueline Vayntrub of Yale Divinity School.
All Comments (2)