Among the many neglected portions of the Hebrew Bible in Christian communities are that of the Wisdom books and the novels or short stories, those of Esther, Ruth, Judith, Tobit, and Jonah. One of the challenges that Christian communities might do well in addressing is how to rediscover these books, these stories, for our era. How can these books – which are part of the sacred canon we collectively call “the Word of God” – be encountered, heard, engaged. How could they inform and shape communities today in today’s societies?
Answer these questions:
- Describe the ‘character and characteristics’ of Wisdom literature in the Bible and how it related to the international Wisdom tradition of the time. What did/does the Wisdom tradition/literature offer?
- Where do we find wisdom lore (what are its sources) in our society? How is ‘wisdom’ transmitted generationally in our society? How is ‘wisdom’ related to the marketplace, according to O’Connor, and where are these ‘marketplaces’ in our society?
- What is the difference between information and knowledge? What does ‘wisdom’ permit/enable/make possible?
- Do Christian communities emphasize the biblical wisdom collection? If so, how? How can the collection of Wisdom books (in all their variety, from Proverbs to Job, from Ecclesiastes to Song of Songs) benefit Christian communities?
- The psalms are poetic prayers of ancient Israel; their compendium is the original Jewish prayer book, Jesus’ prayer heritage, and the foundational prayer book of the Church. Briefly describe some of the many types of psalms and how these both ‘express’ and ‘affirm’ the depth and breadth, richness and complexity, joy and agony, of the human experience in relation to God.
Submission Instructions:
- Your initial post should be at least 250-300 words for each discussion post, formatted and cited in the current APA style.
- Provide support for your work from at least two academic sources less than five years old.
