Introduction
According to Hill and Walton, biblical scholars acknowledge that poetic/wisdom literature comprises about one third of the Hebrew Old Testament. Although the book of Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Songs are entirely poetic in form, they are considered wisdom books with exception to the wisdom psalms. Most of Job and portions of Ecclesiastes are poetic, but they are also considered wisdom books. According to Longman, the identification of a particular genre determines the interpretation and reading strategy of a particular text. This is important in understanding the genre of poetic/wisdom literature because there are certain interpretive techniques that become necessary to correctly interpret the text in comparison to prose in the Old Testament. Longman states that prose and poetry are better represented as poles on a continuum. Poetry is a more self-consciously structured language with a greater use of literary devices and figures of speech in comparison to prose. There are unique interpretive conventions with poetic and wisdom literature that come from the historical/cultural context of the corpus, and can specifically be seen found in the theological themes/messages of the book of Psalm and Proverbs.
Interpretive Conventions
First one must understand how Old Testament authors organize and structured poetic literature. In regards to poetry, Longman suggest, “It stimulates our imaginations, arouses our emotions, feeds our intellect and addresses our wills.” One could argue that unlike a prose, poetry meets the needs of the whole being (mind, body, soul, and spirit). In the Old Testament, the use of poetry reveals the nature of God to create an opportunity for His people to turn to their Maker in any circu...
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...actical advice on how to live life well.” To further this thought, I believe the message of Proverbs is to encourage a lifestyle of righteous living that stems from the fear of the Lord and violently chooses to pursue true wisdom that only comes from God.
Conclusion
The Poetic/Wisdom Literature is a unique genre filled with poetic language tied in with simple practical truths. Most of the writings were from ancient Near East literature, but the Hebrew people connected these wise teachings with the maker of wisdom, God. The messages of each book brought fresh understanding of the scripture, and allowed me to apply those lessons into my ministry. The poetic/wisdom text can be difficult to fully grasp at first, but with intentional meditation and time spent on a passage, one can learn to deepen the understanding of the passage(s) and apply it to their daily routines.
The Bible, for many centuries, has impacted society, culture, and religion in innumerable ways. Included in the Bible’s impact, is fictional literature (Erickson, 2015). Biblical allusion, defined as an ancillary reference to Scripture ("Definition," 2015), can be a useful tool for fiction writers to draw the attention of the reader to certain biblical truths. Mixed in with the writer’s style and language, biblical allusion, assists in building plot lines, themes, and influence over the reader’s beliefs (Erickson, 2015). Nevertheless, the real magic of biblical allusion lies within the author’s creative genius and ability to infuse biblical themes, metaphors, images, and characters in with the story to allow the audience to reach certain
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
Ezekiel is a crazy man that makes no sense, but like Ivar, he has wisdom beyond most people’s Sensor 2 comprehension and his suffering easily makes him more knowledgeable. Ivar’s suffering comes because of other people’s distrust and misunderstanding of the kind man that is Ivar. The Bible is one of the most famous pieces of literature, arguably the most beautifully written, and the best story told in literature. Cather’s use of Biblical motifs gives the reader a sense of grandeur and is a definite story of faith.
Michael Joseph Brown, unveils new ways to read and examine the Bible in his book, titled “What They Don’t Tell You: A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies”. Although quite technical, the guide, not book, really goes into depth on the process of studying the Bible and its documents. Brown has a new and refreshing way of giving the reader this information that is necessary in a small group, or for a Biblical scholar. This guide is not meant solely for the biblical scholar and talks in detail about the difference between these two, because some may link the two together. Published by the Westminster John Knox Press, WJK for short, this book gives straight forward answers on the best way to thoroughly understand Biblical text. As you read on you will find out more about how they differ and why they appear so similar from an outside perspective. Brown has taken a wide variety of information, and made it into something interesting and extremely useful for the reader. In his own words, “What I have done is to ‘translate’ some foundational concepts in biblical studies into an idiom more people can understand” (xiii)
As human beings, we sometimes can not synchronize our minds and souls. When we are at our success of knowledge or intellect, we blind our mind with our ambition which comes along in reaching the knowledge or intellect. As a young brahmin, Siddhartha, has been taught that Brahmin is the soul of "Atman" or the 'Only One' (Chapter 1, page 5). It means that Brahmin is the highest position beside the Creator. This intellect alienates Siddhartha's 'Self'. He does not think that his superior's 'Self' will give him salvation. Siddhartha thinks his 'Self' conquers himself. He wants his 'Self" to die to find wisdom and spiritual knowledge.
Hindson, E. E., & Yates, G. E. (2012). The Essence of the Old Testament: A survey. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic.
"A great deal of verse that is nothing but words has, during the war, been sympathetically sighed over and cut out of newspaper corners because it possessed a certain simple melody." (James, p.16)
Often we also see the Old Testament written in a poetic and impacting way so that it was easily remembered and passed on in the absence of formal schooling.
John Oswalt, in his book The Bible Among the Myths, presents his position to the reader that the bible is different and separate from other writings of the Ancient Near East. He asserts the Bible is both historically accurate and theologically sound. He makes the defense the Bible was divinely inspired and revealed to humanity and unique from other Ancient Near East literature. There was a time when the Bible, and the Israelite religion was different from its neighboring societies. But as times have changed, many people now lump the bible with other Ancient Near East myths.
Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007.
Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament, An Introduction. 2nd. Edited by Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington. New York/Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2012.
The psalms in the wisdom category are so identified because they mirror language and form more common to the “wisdom” literature of the Hebrew Scriptures such as in Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. They generally depict the retribution principle in the lives of people: those who are righteous will prosper, and those who are wicked will suffer. These help us in our devotional life because they stand as reminders of how to conduct our lives and bring us back to a point of acknowledging God as the true source of all the blessings (material, spiritual, emotional, etc) we possess.
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
I am a person of true values and beliefs with a determination to succeed. Traits and a person’s faith are what make him or her, a true human being. Faith is important to sprout the lively roots of hope and virtue. Hope is what I use to keep persevering through the rugged trials of life. I build my life on certain principles consisting of the elements of how to deal with real life situations. I am a virtuous type of person and I believe in three quotes which will help me succeed in life in the future.
Isaiah is thought to be one of the greatest poets of the Bible, and his book a classic of the Hebrew language. His writing has a very concise style, effective imagery, and an equilibrium between form and content which classify the type of poetry as classical. From the theological aspect, Isaiah moves in the religious tradition influenced by David's dynasty and the election of Sion, and also contributed to the shape and expression of the messianic hopes (Obstat, p.278).