Israel's Wisdom Traditions

An introduction to Israel's search for wisdom in its Ancient Near Eastern context. Topics include the nature and expression of wisdom, its international context, Lady Wisdom, the place of wisdom literature in Israel's faith and the content of the individual wisdom books: Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon, plus consideration of the relevance of Israel's wisdom tradition for today. Participation, presentation, exegetical paper, pastoral application paper. Prerequisite: SMB1007 "Intro Old Testament" or equivalent.