Study of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible and the contemporary cultures in the ancient Near Eastern world is evolving rapidly as old definitions and assumptions are questioned. Scholars are now interrogating the role of oral culture, the rhetoric of teaching and didacticism, the understanding of genre, and the relationship of these factors to the corpus of writings. The scribal culture in which wisdom literature arose is also under investigation, alongside questions of social context and character formation. This Companion serves as an essential guide to wisdom texts, a body of biblical literature with ancient origins that continue to have universal and timeless appeal. Reflecting new interpretive approaches, including virtue ethics and intertextuality, the volume includes essays by an international team of leading scholars. They engage with the texts, provide authoritative summaries of the state of the field, and open up to readers the exciting world of biblical wisdom.

In this book, Arthur Keefer offers a new interpretation of the book of Proverbs from the standpoint of virtue ethics. Using an innovative method that bridges philosophy and biblical studies, he argues that much of the instruction within Proverbs meets the criteria for moral and theological virtue as set out in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. Keefer presents the moral thought of Proverbs in its social, historical, and theological contexts. He shows how these contexts shed light on the conceptualization of virtue, the virtues that are promoted and omitted, and the characteristics that make Proverbs a distinctive moral tradition. In giving undivided attention to biblical virtue, this volume opens the way for new avenues of study in biblical ethics, including law, narrative, and other aspects of biblical instruction and wisdom.

Study of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible and the contemporary cultures in the ancient Near Eastern world is evolving rapidly as old definitions and assumptions are questioned. Scholars are now interrogating the role of oral culture, the rhetoric of teaching and didacticism, the understanding of genre, and the relationship of these factors to the corpus of writings. The scribal culture in which wisdom literature arose is also under investigation, alongside questions of social context and character formation. This Companion serves as an essential guide to wisdom texts, a body of biblical literature with ancient origins that continue to have universal and timeless appeal. Reflecting new interpretive approaches, including virtue ethics and intertextuality, the volume includes essays by an international team of leading scholars. They engage with the texts, provide authoritative summaries of the state of the field, and open up to readers the exciting world of biblical wisdom.

Proverbs 1-9 has long been called a 'prologue' and 'introduction' to the book of Proverbs, a label that this book clarifies by answering the question: how does Proverbs 1-9 function with respect to the interpretation of Proverbs 10-31? Arthur Keefer argues that, in the detail and holistic context of Proverbs, Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by supplying interpretive frameworks in literary, rhetorical and theological contexts for representative portions of Proverbs 10-31. Keefer suggests that Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by teaching interpretive skills, and allows interpretation of Proverbs 10-31 by instilling the competence required to explicate this material. As a result, Proverbs 1-9 provides a didactic introduction for the remainder of the book, particularly with respect to its character types, educational goals, and theology. This volume demonstrates the function of Proverbs 1-9 for Proverbs 10-31 in some of the most prominent interpretive contexts of the book, and in doing so advances current key interpretive debates within Proverbs scholarship.

Proverbs 1-9 has long been called a 'prologue' and 'introduction' to the book of Proverbs, a label that this book clarifies by answering the question: how does Proverbs 1-9 function with respect to the interpretation of Proverbs 10-31? Arthur Keefer argues that, in the detail and holistic context of Proverbs, Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by supplying interpretive frameworks in literary, rhetorical and theological contexts for representative portions of Proverbs 10-31. Keefer suggests that Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by teaching interpretive skills, and allows interpretation of Proverbs 10-31 by instilling the competence required to explicate this material. As a result, Proverbs 1-9 provides a didactic introduction for the remainder of the book, particularly with respect to its character types, educational goals, and theology. This volume demonstrates the function of Proverbs 1-9 for Proverbs 10-31 in some of the most prominent interpretive contexts of the book, and in doing so advances current key interpretive debates within Proverbs scholarship.