• Books of Wisdom– Proverbs– Job– Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth)– Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)– Wisdom of Solomon– Psalms– Song of Songs– Tobit– Baruch– (9 books total)

• Writing flourished• Contains maxims of good vs. evil/ virtues• Sages (wise teachers)-adapted, goal was to inspire

moral integrity• Promote obedience to the divinely established moral

order =Happiness• God is the source of all wisdom• Speaks of wholeness, integrity and sin as disintegration• Writing styles-different types of poetry• Most are attributed to Solomon (-psalms)

• Some were in Solomon’s monarchy—scribes in royal court collected and wrote down

• Most written after the B. exile

• Intended to instruct the young

• Taught a virtuous life= success and prosperity / no hint of after life

• Practical wisdom—wise sayings

The Story of Job• WHY DO GOOD MEN SUFFER?• Mentality of the Babylonian exile (reward if good) is

being questioned• Dilemma is known as “problem of evil”• Reasoned wasn’t always true: (good people get sick

and are in poverty, and evil people have lots)• No belief in after life: (Rewards and punishments were in this life)• Poetic style @ virtuous man—• Loses everything—asks Why? • His friends insist Job’s sin was the reasons for his

misfortune, that he must pray and repent and all would be well again.

• Job defends his life—He feels the absence of God

The Story of Job

• God is silent through Jobs questions (37 chapters)—• Satan (adversary) not devil, a heavenly prosecutor

whose job is to test the genuineness of human virtue• Discourse-- God reminds Job that God is creator and

sustains existence. Transformation takes place• Job is humbled and awed admits the mystery of life is

too big to understand God’s wisdom is far beyond him.

The Story of Job

• Book of Job did not answer why people suffer • Establishes that it is not a punishment, it leaves

us with a sense of humility: some things we just cannot grasp.

• We cannot rationalize evil in the world, instead we must trust God is in charge and loves and cares for us.

• The ultimate message of this book is that even in the darkest moments, God is in charge, loving and caring for us through it all

Psalms

• 1000-300 B.C.E• Attributed to David

(@1/2)• Most likely not David• Used in worship• Sung• Liturgy of the hours• Poetry-format• Concrete language

• 150• Psalter-book of

Psalms only• Rhythms have been

lost in language translations

• Tehillim-Hebrew word for Psalm

• Psalmos-Greek translation

Psalms

• Very honest and trusting

• Told of Israel’s relationship with God

• About their sorrows and joys

• Types– Lament—need help or disconnect with God– Thanksgiving—about God’s amazing actions– Praise—God is creator

Ecclesiastes (or Qoheleth)

• Is Life lived in vain? Is there meaning to life?• Written by a sage on the time of Greek rule of

Jews• Qoheleth means preacher• Questioned • no concept of after-life• Appears pessimistic—Why?• Could have written this way to challenge

students

Ecclesiastes

• nothing makes a difference—we are born—we die and are forgotten // then Eccl 3 is written there is a time…

• Conclusion: All things are rewarded for the righteous and punishment for the wicked will be accomplished but in God’s time and we cannot understand it.

• Trust in God/Enjoy what God gives in life/ Everything has a proper time

The Song of Songs (Song of Solomon or Canticle of Canticles)

• Differs from other wisdom literature—love poetry• Unknown authors @ 450 at time after the

Babylonian Exile• Collection of love poems—a dialogue of

bridegroom and bride• Beautiful/passionate poetry—love can even

overcome death

Song of Songs

• In The Bible?

• Translated literally: – Affirms goodness of human sexuality and love– Human love is powerful and holy bond good

and a gift from God

• As a religious allegory: – image of God’s love with Israel

• --Christ’s love with Church• --Christ’s love with believer

Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon))

What is our Final Destiny?• Author-scholarly Jew in Alexandria, Egypt @

100BCE -(most recent writings of OT)• Written to preserve Jewish faith and heritage• Struggled with problem of evil• Refused to accept reward for good and

punishment for evil in this life (re: he lived in a time where virtuous Jews were tortured and put to death for refusing to give up their faith)

Wisdom

• Believed the answer was not in this life-death wasn’t end

• Our destiny = life forever with God• Greek culture influenced this: Greeks

believed in a soul • Jews believed the person was whole

(inseparable) • Beginning of possibility of life beyond

death• Message: keep faith

Wisdom

• Three divisions:• Reward of justice• Praises of wisdom• Reflection of Exodus events

• Literary characteristic—personification• Wisdom is:• Sophia• Feminine• Manifestation of the creative spirit of God

Other Wisdom Literature• Proverbs

– Wise sayings– God is personified as a woman– Tells us where to find wisdom

• Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)– Maxims for morality and instruction

– Longest of Wisdom books (51 chapters)– Jesus ben Sirach ran a school of scripture study/ Jewish wisdom

in Alexandria (under Greek empire) --200-175 BCE– Wanted to clarify confused students (between Jewish thought and

Greek)– Wisdom = from God not from Greek thought– Depicts wisdom as a woman with God at creation– Wisdom tests us with difficulty—times to help us grow stronger