Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgement
- Abbreviations
- Part I The Context of Wisdom Literature
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Scope of Wisdom Literature
- 3 The Multiple Genres of Wisdom
- 4 The Literary Context(s) and Development of Wisdom Literature in Ancient Israel (with Special Reference to Proverbs)
- 5 The Scribal World
- 6 Theological Themes in the ‘Wisdom Literature’
- 7 The Solomonic Connection
- Part II Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible
- Part III Wisdom Literature beyond the Hebrew Bible
- Part IV Themes in the Wisdom Literature
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- References
4 - The Literary Context(s) and Development of Wisdom Literature in Ancient Israel (with Special Reference to Proverbs)
from Part I - The Context of Wisdom Literature
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2022
- The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgement
- Abbreviations
- Part I The Context of Wisdom Literature
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Scope of Wisdom Literature
- 3 The Multiple Genres of Wisdom
- 4 The Literary Context(s) and Development of Wisdom Literature in Ancient Israel (with Special Reference to Proverbs)
- 5 The Scribal World
- 6 Theological Themes in the ‘Wisdom Literature’
- 7 The Solomonic Connection
- Part II Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible
- Part III Wisdom Literature beyond the Hebrew Bible
- Part IV Themes in the Wisdom Literature
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- References
Summary
Knut Heim examines the literary and historical contexts of wisdom literature, taking the book of Proverbs as a case study, and surveying the work of key scholars in the field. Beginning with literary context, he argues that the sayings are organised into ‘clusters’ through linguistic and thematic links with their neighbours, and that this context has hermeneutical significance. Particularly important is the placement of religious proverbs, which are well integrated with their surroundings. This calls into question the scholarly assumption that religious elements are a late addition to the book, and that wisdom was originally a ‘secular’ endeavour. Rather, elements like the ‘fear of the Lord’ were already embedded within the sayings collections by the time an editor added chapters 1–9. This has implications for the historical development of Proverbs and, more broadly, of wisdom in Israel.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature , pp. 57 - 75Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022