The Sage in Israel and the Ancient Near East - John G. Gammie, Leo G. Perdue (ed.)

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Few subjects in ancient Near Eastern studies are as vast as that of wisdom literature; virtually every people in the region had its own didactic tradition and celebrated sages. It is, therefore, no wonder that the book under review is a rather massive tome. The Sage in Israel and the Ancient Near East consists of thirty-six essays on the sage and on related aspects of wisdom literature.

There are six general divisions:

(1) The Sage in Ancient Near Eastern Literature;
(2) The Social Locations and Functions of the Sage;
(3) The Sage in the Wisdom Literature of the Hebrew Bible;
(4) The Sage in Other Biblical Texts;
(5) The Sage from before the Close of the Hebrew Canon to Post-biblical Times; and
(6) The Symbolic Universe of the Sage.

In view of the book's size, it is fortunate that the volume has been well organized and edited; numerous indexes and bibliographies increase its value as a reference work. Naturally enough, the level of readability of the individual essays varies considerably. For the most part, however, the contributions are concise and well focused. ...

-- Richard Jasnow, Johns Hopkins University

Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Jul., 1996), pp. 215-216.

Published by: The University of Chicago Press