Where Can Wisdom be Found? The Sage's Language in the Bible and in Ancient Egyptian Literature (review)

Abstract

Hebrew Studies 38 (1997) 159 Reviews are exaggerated. The consistency, logic, and coherence of his research are admirable; his scholarship is of the highest order. Crow has written a convincing work on The Songs of Ascents and their place in Israelite history and religion. He does not need to qualify it so much. Daniel Grossberg State University ofNew York Albany, NY 12222 WHERE CAN WISDOM BE FOUND? THE SAGE'S LAN· GUAGE IN THE BIBLE AND IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LITERATURE. By Nili Shupak. Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 130. Pp. xxxi + 508. Freiburg, Switzerland: University Press; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht. Cloth, SF 148. In the epilogue of this major work, the author concludes by reminding the reader that when it comes to comparative research between ancient Egyptian sources and the Bible, "the territory is vast and continues to invite scholarly attention" (p. 355). Nili Shupak's work has certainly gone a long way toward reducing the amount of territory that requires exploration in the field of wisdom literature. Over the years there has been considerable work done by biblical scholars on Israelite wisdom literature as there has been among Egyptologists in Egyptian didactic literature. Comparative work between Israelite and Egyptian literature has been limited largely because few scholars have had adequate preparation in both Hebrew and Egyptian to control the sources required for careful study. The late Ronald 1. Williams, Helmut Brunner, KelUleth A. Kitchen, and Michael V. Fox are among those who could work authoritatively in both fields and thus make significant contributions to academe. We can now add Shupak's name to this small but distinguished list. The objectives of her study are as follows: (l) "to draw up a glossary of Egyptian wisdom terms," (2) "to elucidate the semantics of these terms," and (3) "to clarify the wisdom vocabulary of the Hebrew sages in relation to the corresponding Egyptian terminology" (p. 7). The third point is the main thrust of the book. Because of the nature of the first two points, the bulk of the book is devoted to presenting the data. Consequently, this monograph is very comprehensive, but reading the work requires considerable plodding to get to the conclusions of the investigation. Hebrew Studies 38 (1997) 160 Reviews The book begins by introducing the corpus of sources used in the study. On the Hebrew side, Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth, wisdom Psalms, and Ben Sira are included. The Egyptian sources are divided into more specific categories -Didactic Wisdom-Instructions, "Loyalists '" Instructions, Speculative-Pessimistic Wisdom, School Texts, Royal Inscriptions and autobiographies, and religious literature. With this large database, Shupak launches into a comparative study of terms relating to instruction and teaching (e.g., sb3y.t and musiir; mtr(t) and toka/;lat; tp rd and mi~waltora; slJr and 'e~a).What may be surprising about these terms is that there are no Egyptian cognates or loan-words. If Israelite wisdom was influenced by Egypt, one might expect some Egyptian terms to be present. However, the author shows that the relationship between these terms is semantic, not linguistic . This is the conclusion drawn throughout as she explores the comparative terms for "Teaching and Learning" (chapter 2), "The Negative Human Type-Traits and Behavior" (chapter 3), "The Positive Human Type-Traits and Practices, Quietness, Calmness, Coolness" (chapter 4), "The Consequences of Failing to Acquire Learning: Fool and Foolishness" (chapter 5), "The Consequences of Acquiring Wisdom: Wise and Wisdom" (chapter 6), "The Parts of the Body Involved in Instruction and Wisdom" (chapter 7), and "Wisdom Words" (chapter 8). A good example of the type of semantic relationship Shupak identifies is Egyptianls and Hebrew ta/;lbulot (pp. 313-317). Egyptian IS is written with a knotted belt or rope determinative. It was Brunner who first called attention to IS, "knot," meaning "maxim." Similarly, the Hebrew ta/;lbuLOt is related to the word /;lebel, rope. In both cases, the idea behind the words is that a maxim "is a tightly phrased, well constructed, pithy maxim made like a series of knots and loops" (p. 316). Naturally the wise person will have to apply himself to unraveling the meaning. This type of semantic association between the Hebrew and Egyptian can hardly be a coincidence. Therefore...