Proverbs, like the book of Job, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, is referred to as wisdom literature. Wisdom is emotional intelligence, or common sense, concerned with pragmatic success in ordinary life, not with response to supernatural challenges or the search for transcendent goals. The wisdom philosophy divides men into roughly 3 classes: the wise who know and do what is right and are successful; the simple who are capable of becoming wise although they are not yet; and the fools who are utterly corrupt, incapable of moral growth, and doomed to destruction. The prologue explains the purpose of the book; to educate the inexperienced in knowledge and right conduct, and to increase the learning of the wise man by proverbs, parables and riddles. Chapter 1 warns young folks about the danger of bad companions. In the ancient world, as today, the promise of quick wealth had great appeal for many young, men, and organized robber bands existed to exploit their impatience. The pledge of brotherhood and equal shares was not doubt as hollow then as it is now. Like the gangsters of chapter 1, the adulterous wife seems to have been a special problem of the period in which these chapters were written. Belief in God as creator was a fundamental article on the faith of the wise men. The rewards of wisdom are long life, prosperity and happiness and protection from various forms of disaster. The wise men are insistent on the obligation of unselfish generosity toward other men, especially the poor and helpless.
Proverbs, like the book of Job, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, is referred to as wisdom literature. Wisdom is emotional intelligence, or common sense, concerned with pragmatic success in ordinary life, not with response to supernatural challenges or the search for transcendent goals. The wisdom philosophy divides men into roughly 3 classes: the wise who know and do what is right and are successful; the simple who are capable of becoming wise although they are not yet; and the fools who are utterly corrupt, incapable of moral growth, and doomed to destruction. The prologue explains the purpose of the book; to educate the inexperienced in knowledge and right conduct, and to increase the learning of the wise man by proverbs, parables and riddles. Chapter 1 warns young folks about the danger of bad companions. In the ancient world, as today, the promise of quick wealth had great appeal for many young, men, and organized robber bands existed to exploit their impatience. The pledge of brotherhood and equal shares was not doubt as hollow then as it is now. Like the gangsters of chapter 1, the adulterous wife seems to have been a special problem of the period in which these chapters were written. Belief in God as creator was a fundamental article on the faith of the wise men. The rewards of wisdom are long life, prosperity and happiness and protection from various forms of disaster. The wise men are insistent on the obligation of unselfish generosity toward other men, especially the poor and helpless.
ReplyDelete