Free Essay

Books of Wisdom Literature

In:

Submitted By hey900605
Words 2147
Pages 9
Ho Man Chan
RELI 1301 05
J. Jonathan Kim, Ph.D.
11-12-2010
Books of Wisdom Literature Wisdom Literature is a style of Hebrew literature. It was originated from 6th century BC, when the Israelites in exile after being swept into the AD era. These literary works are such as "Wisdom books." "Wisdom literature" has four main characteristics: 1. The writing time should be after the Israelis were swept and before the birth of Jesus Christ; 2. The contents should focus on ethics, but not designed to focus on theology; 3. The way of expression are mainly the maxim, aphorism, metaphor, fables, poems, eulogy, etc; 4. The writing object is not only limited to Jews. There are five main books of Wisdom Literature, Book of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms and Song of Songs. First, Job is a faithful servant of God who is known for piety and patience. At that time, the Israelites were polluted to worship the Egyptian demons, but only Job is adhered to worship the God purely. The most ancient tradition believed that Moses is the author of this book. Many Jewish and early Christian scholars also agreed with this proposition. It is because the style of Job is very similar with the Pentateuch. So, the time of writing should be estimated around 1500 BC of the Patriarch Period. Most of this book (3:1-42:6) is a form of play or epic written. The front (1:1-2:13) is a prelude and (42:7-17) is the end. These two parts is written in prose form. Job not only teaches a great truth. “The Book of Job deals with one of man's oldest questions: Why do the righteous suffer?” (Massimiliano) Although this book deals with the fundamental question "Why do the righteous people always suffer unfair disaster?”, this is not the main focus. The main focus is on: “When God does not answer why the righteous people are suffering, what should the righteous people response to their suffering?” Confidence without testing is not a complete confidence. In order to strengthen the confidence, confidence must go through trials. Job did not know why he needed to suffer that much. However, if he knew, his confidence cannot be a meaningful test. Job finally learned to trust in God, although he has not been answered. So, the main theme of Job is whether we understand the reason of what God had done or not, he still worthy of our worship and unconditional trust. It is because he is the supreme god. Second, Proverbs is the twentieth book in the Bible. Proverbs is popular among the people and the God which is combined with the proverbs and verse. The authors of Proverbs have more than one person which is also a collective creation. However, the main author is King Solomon. He had created three thousand mottos and one thousand and five poetries. The date of writing should be started from the period of King Solomon and compiled until after the return of captives. “This Book is so called, because it consists of wise and weighty sentences: regulating the morals of men: and directing them to wisdom and virtue. And these sentences are also called PARABLES, because great truths are often couched in them under certain figures and similitude.” (THE BOOK OF PROVERBS) Proverbs has mainly mentioned: 1. Wisdom: God wants his people have wisdom. Fools and wise life have a strong contrast. Wicked fools are stubborn, hate God and ignore God; wises pursuit and love God; 2. Interpersonal: Proverbs gave us advice on the establishment of relationships with family, friends or even colleagues. No matter what kind of relationships, we must show our loves and strive to maintain. 3. Conversation: words show our attitudes to others and our personal behaviors. Speech is a test of our level of intelligence; 4. Work: God controls the outcome of all our work, but we still have responsibility to work under the admonishment and do not be lazy 5. Success: People are fighting for fame and fortune hardly every day, but God thinks that a real success is a good reputation, a good virtue, and a faithful obedience in the spirit. In general, Proverbs is teaching people how to get wisdom and a careful life; how to do thing in a righteousness, fairness and honesty way. In short, we should use the divine wisdom in our daily lives and provide moral guidance. Try to read more Proverbs and implement it. Finally, we will be able to have a better life which is blessed by the God. Third, many people believe that the writer of Ecclesiastes is a descendant of David which is the king of Jerusalem. It may mean the author is Solomon. The writing time should be before 1000 BC and during the reign of Solomon. Author use "evangelist" to represent himself, the original meaning of “evangelist” is "convener" or "assembly spokesman." So, it probably means that he convened a group of audience to listen to his spiritual messages. This book is very loose structure and containing many obscure phrases. Also, many words are unique in the Old Testament which means it is not easy to determine accurately. Many matter, habits and proverbs mentioned in the book were made by metaphor. So, at that time, maybe it is not difficult for the reader to comprehend. However, many readers will be unsure of its meaning nowadays. Nevertheless, the book has a keen observation and criticism of life. It can be attractive for some people to explore the obscure and try to get a deeper wisdom. One of the important contents in this book is the meaningless of life. “Prayers on behalf of the dead have no meaning, for nothing can be changed by them. God's Word shows that the dead no longer have any physical or mental activity (Psalm 146:4;Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10). Each person who dies sleeps in his grave in unconsciousness until the resurrection (John 5:28-29;Daniel 12:2;Job 19:25-26;14:12-14;John 3:13;Acts 2:29, 34). Clearly, prayers should be for the living while there is still hope of repentance, not for the dead, who can do nothing.” (Ecclesiastes) Actually, at the beginning of Ecclesiastes, it had directly mentioned the theme of this book, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” It is because people are always experiencing a great toil. Everything is meaningless in the world whatever you are stupid or wise, hard-working or lazy. All the anguish of life and material gains is meaningless. If anyone does not know God, he/she will not be able to have a completely content in his/her life. It is because all efforts are vanity and meaningless. The power of God on the earth is only a helpless hand for him/her since it is often not entirely as he/she wishes. However, if a man knows God, he/she still can enjoy the life whatever the life is short or not. It is because God's power has made the person’s life better. So, Ecclesiastes not only tells the illusion of life, but also makes people to see the faith of God and respect and fear God. Also, it is important to let God comes inside our heat and be the center of our live. Fourth, Psalms is the poetry that the Christian are using or singing when they are worship the God. The lyrics are mainly the praise of God, thanks, pray, etc. “The book contains 150 psalms, and may be divided into five great divisions or books, which must have been originally formed at different periods” (Book of Psalms), including the praise of God or the hymns of asking God to bless. Many psalms were come from the hands of the Jewish King, David. At the same time, he also is a great musician. So, except the main content of Psalm is about praising the Lord, it also includes when the poets were suffered adversity, they asked God to remove their pain. Psalms is full of the beauty of text and style which is sufficient and comparable to any literary masterpiece. However, Christians generally believe that it is not only a literary work. It also contains the Lord's message. For example, the name of “Lord” has appeared nearly 700 times in the Psalm. Also, there are many places in the Psalms are using “Most high” of the title to indicate the Lord's supreme right to rule his kingdom. Moreover, the poems points out that human were different with the eternal God so we need to pay attention to God's law and trust the Lord. Mostly important, Psalms is full of many prophecies. One of the prophecies stated that "the descendent of David", Lord Jesus Christ will be anointed to be the king and rule the world. In general, Psalms is a beautiful section of the Old Testament and affects the future a lot. Fifth, Song of Songs is one of the most unique books in Bible. The main theme of this book is about the joy and love and also the lovesickness between men and women. The book is very short but the genre is strange and has a beautiful writing and rich in oriental flavor. As showing in the first section of this book, the author is probably the son of David, King Solomon. The name of “Solomon” has mentioned seven times in this book. “Most believe that the "Song of Songs," or "Song of Solomon," was the best of the 1,005 songs which Solomon wrote. (See I Kings 4:32.) There is also the possibility that the play was actually written by the Shulamite since she is the only character whose thoughts and dreams are recorded. No matter who wrote it, the Song of Songs is an important part of the Word of God.” (Song of Songs Commentary) The writing date is presumed to be the year 961 BC which is the previous period of the kingdom of Israel split. There are four main features of Song of Song: 1. This is the only roll of the Bible describes the unique love between bride and groom specifically. All of the content of this book is describing the couples were talking about the affection and love after their marriage, especially the ecstatic joy of the newlywed; 2. This is a unique masterpiece of literature. The using of words is careful and also taking the beauty of nature to lays out an extremely gorgeous scene. A large number of metaphors and descriptive language can show the romantic love and the love, passion, vitality and beauty of marriage. It describes a clean, pure love; 3. It is one of the few Old Testament books that does not mention or imply in the New Testament; 4. This is the book outside of the Old Testament except Esther does not explicitly mention about the God. Through the study of the Song of Song, it not only helps us to understand the goodness of human love, but also understands more about the root causes behind love – Holy Jesus Christ. To conclude, the word “wisdom” in the Bible can be divided into human's wisdom and God's wisdom. Human’s wisdom does not really mean people's wisdom, but to the God-given human instinct. It is the ethics of doing things in life; God's wisdom is to reflect God's goodness and almighty. The five books of Wisdom Literature are the questions of human beings about their own destiny. They are written to the people who are seeking wisdom and better lives.

Reference 1. D. Massimiliano Lorenzini. "Frontline Ministries - Job's Discourse on Wisdom in Job 28."Frontline Ministries - Christian Worldview Training in Bible, Theology, Apologetics, & Ethics. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.frontlinemin.org/job.asp>. 2. "THE BOOK OF PROVERBS." Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.tldm.org/bible/old%20testament/proverbs.htm>. 3. "Ecclesiastes 9:5 (King James Version) :: Forerunner Commentary." Bible Tools. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/17481/eVerseID/17481>. 4. "Book of Psalms." Topical Bible. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://topicalbible.org/b/book_of_psalms.htm>. 5. "Song of Songs Commentary." West-Ark Church of Christ Splash Page. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.westarkchurchofchrist.org/library/songofsongs.htm>. 6. Allen, Cliton J. and Press, Broadman. “The Broadman Bible Commentary, Leviticus - Ruth, Volume 2.” Marshall, Morgan & Scott: 1971. 7. Carr, G. Lloyd. “Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.” Inter-Varsity Press: 1984. 8. Exell, Joseph S. “The Biblical Illustrator.” BiblioBazaar: 2010. 9. Waltke, Bruce K. “New International Commentary on the Old Testamant, the Book of Proverbs: Chapter 15-31.” Wm. B. Eerdamns Publishing: 2005. 10. Hubbard, David Allen and Barker, Glenn W. “Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 1.” Word Books: 1995.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Mr Tips Essay

...Bless Me Ultima, in both text and film, share many similarities. The storyline develops as Ultima comes to live with the Marez y Luna family during the last of her days. Antonio, the young boy, witnesses the deaths of Lupitio and Narciso causing him to face the reality that everything living is everything that dies. Throughout the book and movie, Antonio constantly struggles between choosing his mother’s wish for him to become a priest or becoming vaquero like the men on his father’s side of the family. Each of these choices were equally honorable. There is also an ongoing battle between good and evil in the village; Ultima, representing the good being, and the evil of Tenorio and his witch daughters. In the end, as in all good stories, good destroys evil and Antonio recognizes that change has brought him peace. He understands wisdom and has a better understanding of his reality. I found that there were more similarities between the book and the movie than there were differences. Although, I noticed in the movie that the Golden Carp was nonexistent compared to the written literature. In the book, the Golden Carp was God-like to Antonio where he was constantly going back and forth between the beliefs of God and the ways of the Golden Carp. Anaya states, “The orange of the golden carp appeared at the edge of the pond. As he came out of the darkness of the pond the sun caught his shiny scales and the light reflected orange and yellow and red. He swam very close to our feet. His...

Words: 1993 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Ramcharitra

...I am fond of reading books. I have read a good number of novels, dramas, short stories and poems. Some books merely give enjoyment. There are others which leave a deeper impression on the mind. Some books infuse the spirit of nationalism in the reader. But I have not come across a single book so far, which is so good as the Ramcharitra Manas of Tulsi Das. Sri Goswami Tulsi Das Ji is the writer of this great epic. Every Indian has read or heard the story of Ram and Sita. The popular story has been narrated in this book in the most beautiful way. The language of the book is avadhi. We are told in it first the reasons for the birth of lord Rama. On the insistence of various gods and goddesses. He came on the earth in the form of a human being to relieve the pain and suffering of the virtuous. This book is divided into various parts. Every part deals with a particular aspect of life or performance of Lord Rama. Every Indian likes to hear the famous story of Ramcharitra Manas. Some have great faith in it. But my reasons for liking it are quite different. I have found in it, religious, political and social wisdom. It enlightens as well entertains. Indeed, it is a true treasure-house of rare wisdom. I will give here only some of the reasons which have made this book my favourite. In Hindi Literature it stands at the top. Tulsi Dass Ji has treated all the 'Ras' in it. This is simple. The beauty lies in the fact, that he has not crossed the limit at any stage. The 'Shringar Ras'...

Words: 676 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Wisdom Martin Luther King Jr

...To evaluate wisdom, people use a myriad of different metrics depending on the context of the measurement. Yet, of all the possible measurements of wisdom, one that categorically does NOT provide an accurate measurement is the degree to which the wise person is happy. History is filled with heroic figures who have sacrificed their very lives in a quest to add their measure of wisdom to the world. One of the most notable figures in this category was Martin Luther King, Jr. So too, literature is filled with numerous examples of tragically unhappy characters who nonetheless have achieved a state of deep inner wisdom. What all of these people have in common is the experience of suffering that led to great personal wisdom. One such archetype is...

Words: 568 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

God and Job

...James L. Brooks May 27, 2013 ! ! ! !2 ! ! ! Introduction The book of Job is a classic. Many have read this book, especially when seeking answers to suffering. Whenever Christians talk about suffering, more than likely the story of Job will be mentioned and Job’s sayings will be quoted. Although the “Job story” is frequently discussed, there are still many unanswered questions. Where was God? Why did God allow Job to go through all the trials and tribulations? What kind of God is this? Why does God make a deal with Satan? What about Job’s friends and their response to his suffering? These are all questions that will continue to haunt readers after reading the story of Job. This paper will examine the character of God and his parental attributes. No matter what the reader may think, God is ultimately in control. Although God gives Satan the latitude to do what he will with Job, short of killing him, still it is all within the scope of God’s permissive will. The story of Job, although it may be rather simple to read, is complex in theological understanding. The God of Job is inscrutable, but yet he is in control. “The book of Job challenges the principle of retribution: that trouble in life must be a person’s own fault.”1 The prologue is in prose. The epilogue is in poetry. The conclusion is in prose. “The book of Job takes the form of a prose story interrupted in the middle by a poetic dialogue.”2 Although the book is complex, the characteristics of God are clear. Although it seems...

Words: 5811 - Pages: 24

Premium Essay

Old Testament Hebrew Teachings

...the subject of diligence and laziness, and on wisdom and folly, we find in the Old Testament Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes hold many teachings on these issues and how we should conduct ourselves, accordingly. In Proverbs 6:6-8 we read, “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.” (NLT). God’s point is that we should work ahead, prepare ourselves for the days to come, not to be lazy and wait on others to care for us. The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom, or as Hindson & Yates referred to as “teacher’s manual of wise sayings”. We find the theme or motto of this book in chapter 1:7, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” The first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs tells us that wisdom is treasured and that we should seek it. These chapters reflect on Solomon’s wisdom and practical applications, such as: warnings about being foolish and lazy; direction and balance in our lives; the benefits of being faithful; just to mention a few of the topics. Chapters 10 through 20 remind us that wisdom is practical and that we should follow it; while chapters 23 – 24 tell us that wisdom is helpful and should be heeded. The last six chapters of Proverbs we see wisdom as ethical and we should just do it. The book is a road map for the right way to live your...

Words: 912 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Exegetical Analysis of Ecclesiastes

...loses its effectiveness. If you take extra doses it can be deadly. Timing is important in finance. When you invest in a particular stock and when you sell the particular stock will make the difference between whether you make money or lose it. We, as a society have time indicators hanging on the walls, built into our cell phones, computers, and cars. Timing is everything in today’s world, and society as a whole is very time-oriented. Timing is important in spiritual life as well. It is critical to live life with an acute awareness of God’s predetermined timing for life. The importance of timing is portrayed throughout Ecclesiastes 3:1-15. The book of Ecclesiastes can be examined and interpreted using three different lenses: the world behind the text, the world of the text, and the world in front of the text. Research indicates that the book of Ecclesiastes dates somewhere between 332 BCE and 300 BCE. This particular passage is one that starts in poetry form and transforms into a prose reflection. The overall theme of the passage,...

Words: 3510 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Early Greek Cultures

...price as well. Philosophy- The word philosophy came from two Greek words meaning love of wisdom. Philosophers would speculate about the underlying substance of the universe and how the universe is operated. But the Greek continued to believe in their traditional values and their traditional religion. Arts- the Greeks developed the temples. The Greek temples were an arrangement of columns around a long, inner chamber. They also had sculptors of the gods, goddesses and human beings. Government- the Greeks had tyrants to control the lands. They made sure the land was divided equally. (World Book) This picture is of the Parthenon. It was built in honor of the Greek goddess Athena. Athena represents the human aspiration for knowledge and the ideal of wisdom. (Ancient Civilizations) Roman Cultures Religion- in the Roman culture Christianity offered those who were facing a hard life the promise of salvation and the hope of an eternal afterlife. Law- The law was an early codification known as the Law of the Twelve Tablets. Science and engineering- Science favored compilations of encyclopedias and engineering consisted of roads, bridges, aqueducts like the Pont du Gard, which had brought in millions of gallons of fresh water to the Roman cities. Architecture- Much like the Greek temples the Romans style emphasized on grandeur, magnificence, size and solidity. Literature- the Roman literature is not...

Words: 418 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Comparing Women In Sir Gawain And Pizan's The Book Of The

...Prominent Roles of Women and Their Virtues Throughout the Middle Ages women were not appreciated nearly as much as men were and often played a minor role in literature. They were disrespected and thought to be the cause of all things negative in the world. The negative perception of women in literature damaged the way women were viewed and treated. However, toward the end of the middle ages, times were changing and women began to play major roles in literature which showed that they could have an impact. This changing view on women in literature represents how they are gaining power in society. In both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of the Ladies women play a critical role in literature. However...

Words: 1419 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Wisdom for Living

...Wisdom for Living I. Introduction Background of the study (BOS) Life is like a cycle. People’s life is a daily routine. Everyone is the same in different ways and means, it might be in corporal appearances, attitudes, behaviors, but I assure every individual has their own desires and goal line in life. It is the ultimate reason why we don’t stay immobile throughout our journey no matter how hard the circumstances we experience, all of us must to move on or else we will be a failure or loser. One of the virtues that a person must possess to live a life of success is wisdom. Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgments and actions in keeping with this understanding (Wikipedia.com). It often requires control of one's emotional reactions (the "passions") so that universal principles, reason and knowledge prevail to determine one's actions. Therefore person that is jam-packed of wisdom is zilch to equate to a person who’s known to be genius, attaining this important virtue makes one individual clever and successful person. Since we have perceived in this world where we live not all of smart and intelligent person were all successful in life. In every aspect of our lives we must have the power of true discernment whenever we decide in such a situation where our choices in life are tried and tested. Wisdom helps us to make good choices in life...

Words: 1146 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Http: //Www.Termpaperwarehouse.Com/Sign-Up

...Philippine literature is the literature associated with the Philippines and includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines. Most of the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish period and the first half of the 20th century in Spanish language. Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English,Tagalog, and/or other native Philippine languages. proverbs express the unending wisdom of the old. In most societies, they mainly communicate traditional beliefs and values.  proverbs communicate only traditional beliefs and values  true because there traditions are important to communicate in their country or city to understand and to express there beliefs to know their values and to be a good example! The Book of Proverbs, in the Old Testament of the Bible, is a grouping of wisdom sayings and longer, connected poems composed from the 10th to the 4th century BC and finally collected about 300 BC.  Tips on how to make a biography includes your past, present and future. Most of the memoir is your past. First you want to go as far back as you can remember in childhood. Then you may have early adulthood after adolescence (ex.college years).After that it may include meeting of spouse and any children there after. Finally, your career choice and what you are currently doing. In finishing the  biography you may want to talk about your future. | | | | History: Born in a small Oklahoma farm on August...

Words: 695 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Children's Lit Task 1

...years, children’s literature has had many common themes. Bullying has been a popular subject of interest at all levels of reading. This trend reflects a rising concern about cyberbullying and the sometimes dramatic effects it can have on a child’s life. Writers and parents are making an effort to show children that what they do to their peers has real consequences and to be mindful with their words and actions. Another popular subject is dystopian futures. This interest is in part due to the success of The Hunger Games trilogy, children have become interested in the future of their planet. Another interesting trend in children’s literature is mixing of genres, such as mixing cartoons and novels, which may be the influence of children’s television. Children are interested in seeing the story unfold as well as reading the text. This also is influenced by the prevalence of the internet and the multimedia presentations of information that is abundant there. Children are also very interested in serial literature, willing to follow their favorite characters through many books to find out all of their adventures. Here, again, televison may play a part in this interest. In the 1700s, the intent of many children’s books was to educate and instruct them morally while amusing children so that they would continue to read. Books that were made specifically for children were illustrated and often made in small sizes to fit into children’s hands. Today’s literature is different in that...

Words: 2361 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Quest In Life Of Pi

...born like Catholics, aren't we--in limbo without religion, until some figure introduces us to god” (Martel 58). Piscine Molitor Patel a young Indian teen has a unique infatuation with religion. Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, Gave Pi or Piscine an interesting life that is different from others. Piscines’ life is a constant struggle or a quest.. In the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, the first chapter of Fosters’ novel “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)” The chapter is clearly visible within the Life of Pi. Including what Pi had: the problems endured through...

Words: 1296 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Power of Story

...have to admit, going shopping for books can definitely be entertaining, but I must also confess that when it comes to buying books, I am a little bias toward novels with pretty pictures on the cover. Maybe it is because in today’s society we are taught to judge everything by appearance, but maybe it is really because growing up my dad read me books with lots of colorful images before bedtime and usually the prettier the pictures in the story the better it was. In books for younger kids most books contain extravagant images accompanied by a few simple words. The artist’s job for children’s books is, in my opinion, is more important than the author’s. I relied on the artist to tell the story, like Mozart relied solely on music to get across his story. When I started to move on to chapter books such as the Cam Jansen series, I would flip through the book, letting the pages fly underneath my thumb, and be disappointed at the lack of color. Not a single picture appeared. I thought that it was the worst thing in the world because it meant from then on I would be forced to read dull pages. Contrary to my initial thoughts, when I cracked open that first book I was unable to put it down until I finished. I was amazed at how I had just seen into another person’s mind and lived with a different identity for that hour. I was no longer Sam Maxwell, I was Cam Jansen the crime solver. I had my own private movie showing in my head. I read lots of Cam Jansen books following the first one and really...

Words: 1579 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Proverbs

...gems and stones deep underground. The book of Proverbs, however, is like a mountain stream littered with nuggets, just waiting to be grabbed. And many of these nuggets are wisdom. The book of proverbs consistently presents the sluggard as a folly and the diligent person as wise. In following the lifestyle of a diligent wise man or one of a lazy fool is presented throughout the readings of Proverbs. “All wisdom, even things related to everyday practical matters, begins with the fear of the Lord (1:7). Therefore, Hebrew wisdom literature taught people not only how to make good choices in life but also how to make godly choices.”(The essence of the Old Testament) Solomon, wrote most of the Proverbs, is well known for the wisdom gifted him by God upon requesting it. According to the Bible Solomon’s wisdom was divinely granted and surpassed that of all other sages (1kgs 4:29-34). Even Jesus accepted the historicity of the biblical account of Solomon’s wisdom (matt12:41), and thus, there is little reason from scripture to question Solomon as the author/originator of the proverbs attributed to him.( The essence of the Old Testament). The contrast between wisdom and folly is often a Sharp contrast between righteousness and wickedness for example; the diligent person is wise while the sluggard is a fool or the one who holds his tongue is wise while the fool hastens to speak. (The essence of the Old Testament).I have often heard the definition of wisdom being knowledge applied. We can memorize...

Words: 937 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Shakespeare

...greatest ever written. Cumberland Clark in “The Supernatural in Hamlet” gives the consensus regarding Hamlet that exists among literary critics of today: At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. (99) There is no more exalted ranking than the above. Richard A. Lanham in the essay “Superposed Plays” maintains that no other English tragedy has generated the literary comment which this play has produced: “Hamlet is one of the great tragedies. It has generated more comment than any other written document in English literature, one would guess, reverent, serious comment on it as a serious play” (91). Robert B. Heilman in “The Role We Give Shakespeare” relates the high ranking of Shakespeare to the...

Words: 1789 - Pages: 8