Wisdom—Greek and Latin

Abstract

All cultures across time and place have held their own notions of wisdom and related concepts such as knowledge or understanding. Biblical scholars have often emphasized and explored the ways in which the ancient Israelite/Jewish wisdom tradition is rooted in and indebted to the Near Eastern (especially Egyptian and Mesopotamian) tradition. Yet it is also part of the eastern Mediterranean world. In this milieu, too, wisdom was discussed and debated in a plethora of contexts, and the Greek and Roman texts on the topic are equally relevant to our understanding of the cross-cultural connections and horizons of Israelite/Jewish wisdom. In these writings, just as in biblical literature, the term wisdom has several connotations, ranging from the cosmic to the ethical. The Greek term translated as “wisdom” (σοφία) can mean cleverness, prudence, knowledge, practical skillfulness, or poetical ability. Similarly, the equivalent Latin term (sapientia) can denote wisdom, reason, discernment, understanding, or judgment. Importantly, the ancient Greek and Latin texts on wisdom do not constitute a coherent category of “wisdom literature” but rather address wisdom in multiple literary contexts ranging from poetry to popular tales and from sayings to philosophical treatises.