The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature

A comprehensive introduction to ancient wisdom literature, with fascinating essays on a broad range of topics.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature is a wide-ranging introduction to the texts, themes, and receptions of the wisdom literature of the Bible and the ancient world. This comprehensive volume brings together original essays from established scholars and emerging voices to offer a variety of perspectives on the “wisdom” biblical books, early Christian and rabbinic literature, and beyond. Varied and engaging essays provide fresh insights on topics of timeless relevance, exploring the distinct features of instructional texts and discussing their interpretation in both antiquity and the modern world. 

Designed for non-specialists, this accessible volume provides readers with balanced coverage of traditional biblical wisdom texts, including Proverbs, Job, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes; lesser-known Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom; and African proverbs. The contributors explore topics ranging from scribes and pedagogy in ancient Israel, to representations of biblical wisdom literature in contemporary cinema. Offering readers a fresh and interesting way to engage with wisdom literature, this book:

• Discusses sapiential books and traditions in various historical and cultural contexts
• Offers up-to-date discussion on the study of the biblical wisdom books
• Features essays on the history of interpretation and theological reception
• Includes essays covering the antecedents and afterlife of the texts 

Part of the acclaimed Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion series, the Companion to Wisdom Literature is a valuable resource for university, seminary and divinity school students and instructors, scholars and researchers, and general readers with interest in the subject.

Samuel L. Adams is the Mary Jane and John F. McNair Chair of Biblical Studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary. He received his PhD from Yale University in 2006. He is the author of monographs on wisdom literature and economics in the biblical world, and editor of the journal Interpretation.

Matthew Goff is Professor in the Department of Religion at Florida State University. His research focuses on the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism. He has written extensively on the sapiential and apocalyptic literature of ancient Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Notes on Contributors viii

Acknowledgments xiii

Abbreviations xiv

Editors’ Introduction 1
Samuel L. Adams and Matthew Goff

I. Texts 11

1 Proverbs 13
Jacqueline Vayntrub

2 Job 30
Davis Hankins

3 Ecclesiastes 49
Jennie Grillo

4 Psalms 67
William P. Brown

5 Sirach/Ben Sira 87
Bradley C. Gregory

6 Wisdom of Solomon 104
Randall D. Chesnutt

7 Wisdom Texts From the Dead Sea Scrolls 122
Elisa Uusimäki

8 Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes in the Septuagint (LXX) 139
Patrick Pouchelle

II. Themes 157

9 The Figure of Solomon 159
Blake A. Jurgens

10 Female Imagery in Wisdom Literature 177
Tova Forti

11 Scribes and Pedagogy in Ancient Israel and Second Temple Judaism 195
Matthew Goff

12 God in Wisdom Literature 213
James L. Crenshaw

13 Jewish Wisdom in the Contest of Hellenistic Philosophy and Culture: Pseudo‐Phocylides and Philo of Alexandria 229
Michael Cover

14 Wisdom and Apocalypticism 248
Jason M. Zurawski

15 The Orality of Wisdom Literature 267
Timothy J. Sandoval

III. Antecedents 287

16 Ahiqar and Other Legendary Sages 289
Seth A. Bledsoe

17 Wisdom Literature in Egypt 310
Samuel L. Adams

18 Mesopotamian Wisdom 328
Nili Samet

IV. Reception 349

19 Wisdom in the New Testament 351
Benjamin Wold

20 Wisdom and the Rabbis 368
Ari Mermelstein

21 The Wisdom Tradition in Early Christianity through Late Antiquity 389
Carson Bay

22 Jewish Sapiential Traditions in the Nag Hammadi Library 412
Dylan M. Burns

23 The Sapiential Books in the Latin Middle Ages 429
Gilbert Dahan

24 The Reception History of Job 447
Mark Larrimore

25 Wisdom from African Proverbs Meets Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs 464
Madipoane Masenya (Ngwan’a Mphahlele)

26 Cinematic Wisdom: Film and Biblical Wisdom Literature 479
Matthew S. Rindge

Index 496

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