Wisdom literature
What is wisdom literature?
A significant group of books in the Old Testament is known as the Wisdom Literature.
Every culture has a way of recording the practical advice of previous generations and an important part of life is becoming familiar this cultural data. The Wisdom Literature contains writing designed to help people live righteously, in ways that are pleasing to God.
As far as we know, the term “wisdom literature” is a scholarly rather than religious term used to define categories of writing which are present not only in the Hebrew Scriptures but also in Egyptian and Mesopotamian literature. The wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible is generally considered to be Proverbs and Job, Ecclesiastes, and the wisdom psalms. The Catholic Bible includes deutero-canonical books, the Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus).
Instruction for life
The books of wisdom literature share a number of characteristics, one of which is an interest in instruction, or pedagogy. This is especially evident in the book of Proverbs, and even in Ecclesiastes, though less obvious in the book of Job. We cannot be sure where and how instruction for ordinary living took place in Hebrew culture. Some authorities who discuss the life setting of wisdom suggest wisdom may have originated in a family or clan setting, and others associate it with the royal court. Whatever the original context of instruction, the content of instruction was eventually written down. The wisdom books provide direction to those who sought to live moral and productive lives. They were textbooks of a sort to those who were looking for help in how to live life: how to think, how to cope, indeed, how to succeed.
Literary forms
The table below lists the literary forms of the wisdom literature found in the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament).
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Form
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Definition
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Text
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Proverb
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A short saying based on long experience
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Proverbs 11:24
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Admonition
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A teacher's instruction to students
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Proverbs 8:33
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Fable
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A short story using nature symbols
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Judges 9:8-15
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Allegory
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An extended metaphor
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Proverbs 5:15-23
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Hymn
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In praise of personified wisdom
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Proverbs 1:20-33, Job 28
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Disputation
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Argumentation in dialogue
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Job 4-31
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Autobiography
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A teacher shares life experience
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Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26
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List
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A catalogue of natural phenomena
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Job 38:4-39:30
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