Where Is Wisdom to be Placed?

Abstract

N a monograph published over ten years ago, reprinted a number of times, and justly well known and highly influential, G. Ernest Wright addresses himself to nature of biblical theology as recital. course of suggesting a tentative program for presentation of biblical theology so understood, he notes: In any outline of biblical theology, proper place to treat Wisdom literature is something of a problem.' Although in this monograph and elsewhere Wright has made some excellent suggestions regarding nature of Israel's Wisdom and its place in Old Testament theology, a survey of more widely circulated books on Israel's religion and theology from mid-nineteenth century to present accentuates problem to which Wright refers and indicates that question, Where is Wisdom to be placed?, remains a very live one. Raising this question does not imply that Wisdom is ignored by writers on Old Testament theology. Rather, question indicates that Wisdom literature remains rather awkwardly and uneasily related to what is commonly considered main thrust of biblical message. Rylaarsdam, in his exceedingly valuable work on Wisdom literature, puts matter this way, striking neglect of Jewish history and religion by canonical wisdom writers clearly indicates that Hebrew Wisdom movement had not yet been integrated into national religion.2 And it is quite commonly stated that canonical wise men had no real interest in Law, as formally defined, or worse still from perspective of Old Testament theologians, no interest in election and covenant.8 Sometimes this deficiency is minimized by asserting that sages did not ignore these matters because they were unimportant but because they were dealt with elsewhere and wisdom writers thus intentionally limited themselves to a narrower sphere of concern.4 This narrower sphere provides way by which wisdom literature is usually related to theology of Old Testament. There is little need for extensive documentation of this point for it is so widely held as to be almost axiomatic. H. Wheeler Robinson expressed view concisely when he defined Wisdom as the discipline whereby was taught application of prophetic truth to individual life in light of experience.' My own