Human Wisdom Is Divine - The BAS Library
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Home > Magazines > Bible Review > April 1998

Human Wisdom Is Divine

Though often ignored, wisdom literature permeates the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

By Anthony J. Saldarini

If you were asked to tell someone about the Bible, you would not begin with the Book of Proverbs. The stories of the Creation and the Garden of Eden and of Abraham and the Exodus attract us with their drama and depth. The heroism and struggles of Saul and David and the wisdom and generosity of Jesus captivate our imaginations. The covenants, commandments and prophecies of the Hebrew Bible and the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament draw our attention and call for our assent. Against the grandeur of these narratives, the homely proverbs, warnings and exhortations of […]

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Endnotes

1.

The quotations from the new Qumran wisdom texts are taken from Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., Wisdom Texts from Qumran (London and New York: Routledge, 1996).