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Essay about Wisdom in biblical
Essay about Wisdom in biblical
Essay about Wisdom in biblical
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Wisdom According to the Bible
What does it mean to have wisdom? Some may say to be wise is to have enough knowledge and good judgment to make well thought out life decisions. Wisdom is a common term mentioned throughout out the New Testament Epistles and the entire Bible. The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom and knowledge. It talks about ways to be wise and ways to be foolish. Through out the Bible there seems to be different types of wisdom and it is described in different ways. Analyzing all types of wisdom and knowledge will help us decide what the Bible means to be wise.
First let us look at what the Old Testament has to say about wisdom. The book of Job says that wisdom can not be found on land or in the sea. It can not be bought with silver or gold and it's value is worth more than any precious stone. Job says the fear of the Lord is the beginning wisdom and to depart and refrain from evil is to understand wisdom. He also mentions that great men are not always wise and neither are the old in age. Psalms tells kings to be wise by listening to instruction and fair with judgments. He tells us wise men will obey God's commandments.
Proverbs also tells us very much about wisdom. It says that a wise man will hear and be educated. Fearing the Lord is knowledge and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. A man that has found wisdom and understanding is one that is happy. It tells us that the law of the wise is like a fountain of life. Meaning that wise lawmakers celebrate life and are merciful and fair. Lastly, the wise will delight in rejoicing in God and all his creation.
What does the Old Testament say about those who are not wise? One who is not wise is foolish. Both Job and Psalms says tha...
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...ically talk very much about the foolish man but there are some general themes about the ways of the foolish. Foolish men continually try to gain earthly wealth. They delight in partying and drunkenness. Fools follow other fools. Some of the foolish are prostitutes, idol worshipers, hypocrites, the sexually immoral, and the merciless, and the greedy.
So what can we learn from all this? The best way to describe wisdom is not by a textbook definition, but by an explanation or example. No man can be a wise a God, but trying to be God-like should be our never-ending goal. In regular terms it is safe to say that to be wise is to always be seeking more knowledge. According to the Bible is means to be instructed, to fear the Lord, to obey God's commandments, to increase learning, to know the law of the wise, and to be humble, amongst many other of God's teachings.
I have heard it said that a smart person learns from his own mistakes but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. In the two books, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE, we have two characters that emerge as wise men. In Jekyll, it is the character of Utterson, the stoic but curious lawyer, and in SHE it is the character of Holly, the stoic but curious academic. It is interesting to note that neither character chooses this fate of wise man, but rather has it thrust upon him through fate and curious circumstances. It is because of their high moral character that they are selected to bear witness to extraordinary events. The question is, how far are we willing to go to push the bounds of knowledge; when do we stop being smart and start being wise?
Most people know what wisdom is. On the other hand though, why is it valued so highly in western civilization? Wisdom is a building block of western civilization. Wisdom was valued even in ancient Greece. Socrates was known as the wise scholar. Wisdom has always been a trait that people have admired. Wisdom is admired because wisdom leads to make right choices in life. A wise person would know when to push their luck or when to back down. The complete understanding of a situation is a very desirable trait for all people.
...Greeks, for their part, considered wisdom a virtue, but their conception of wisdom always contained a conventional, conservative element. ..."Wisdom" is not the term one would use to describe a scientific genius, a brilliant artist, an innovator in any field. But these, for Rand, are the highest exemplars of rationality.
...nt’s overpowering enforcement of conformity and their attempt to control the knowledge people have, while others understand the need for change but resist it. Change is difficult and uncomfortable. Those who have the knowledge to see injustice, and are able to step out of their comfort zone, ultimately attempting change that can benefit the society at large. When one considers that change is difficult, it is often easy to think that without wisdom one would not have to change. The happiness experienced from ignorance creates a simpler, easier way to live that does not involve irritating and painful change. Often it can be hard to pick between ignorance and knowledge. One must decide if they would be better thinking life is good, completely blinded from the truth, or if life would be better if they had the knowledge to face change, even if changing may be difficult.
Wisdom is instruction in wise dealings with others. Wisdom is instruction in righteousness, knowing the difference between good and evil. Wisdom is instruction in justice, knowing how to do what is right. It is the simple learning shrewdness so that they are not taken advantage of. It is the young learning knowledge and prudence. For both the young and the old it is an increase in skill, understanding and knowledge.
Henry, Matthew. "Proverbs 31." Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible. Vol. III. McLean, Virg.: MacDonald, 1991. 971-77. Print.
In modern society, wisdom can be defined as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and moral judgment; the quality of being wise. However, Socrates had the idea that wisdom was knowing oneself. Socrates’s was beyond brilliant compared to the average Athenian; he was self-aware and just. Although Socrates tended to meddle in the affairs of others, he consequently had the ability to spark enlightenment among the people in Athens. To Socrates, philosophy served as the study of humans. He highlights this in The Apology when he goes from one social group to the next in search for the wisest of all the land. This is of course in response to the Oracle of Delphi addressing the fact that Socrates presents himself as the wisest of the entire known world. This was dangerous since Socrates dared to challenge the Oracle by trying to demonstrate he was not the wisest. Through this, however, Socrates learns that he was the wisest because he could admit that he did not have knowledge in all subjects; he could explicitly declare that he has not achieved ultimate knowledge of everything, unlike most Athenians.
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength… but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” -(Corinthians 25-28)
Wisdom is something that is very hard to judge because something that might be right to someone might not be right to another person. With that being said wisdom can be a confusing issue. The common misconception of wisdom is that old people can only be wise, which in most cases is true but young people also can be wise or act wisely
Practical wisdom is changeable and involves desires, pleasures and pains, it is also the knowledge of the best action. “It follows that, in general a man with practical wisdom is he who has the ability to deliberate” (1140a28). Aristotle is arguing that practical wisdom generally instructs a person to live well and in service of what is good, because it is a truthful and rational characteristic. “But it is also clear that… no choice will be right without practical wisdom and virtue. For virtue determines the end, and practical wisdom makes us do what is conducive to the end” (1145a4). Acting out of practical wisdom allows a person to do just, noble and good things are what constitutes a good
Wisdom is one of the most important divisions of the eightfold noble path. This division basically emphasizes discernment and how important it is to follow. Wisdom consists of two separate parts, which are right view and right intention.
What does it mean to be wise? Webster's Dictionary defines the word "wise" as being "marked by deep understanding, keen discerment". Through the telling of the ancient Mariner's tale, the Wedding-Guest became sadder and wiser. He became sad in that he identified himself with the shallow and self-absorbed mariner. However, the mariner changed his ways. The Wedding-Guest became wise through realizing that he himself needed to alter his ways.
There is a complex process through which a person acquires knowledge, and it depends on the mental capacity of a person as to how much knowledge he can acquire. In Plato’s Republic, we can see what knowledge does for the man in the allegory of the cave. In this story, knowledge was acquired by experience. In Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, we learn what the ultimate intellectual virtues are and that wisdom is the highest of all. Knowledge from Plato and wisdom from Aristotle can be connected through the achievement of intellect.
Socrates friend from youth, Chairephon, ventured to the land of Delphi to ask the Oracle that presided there if there was a man that contained more wisdom than Socrates. The Oracle responded that there was no man wiser than he. This caught Socrates off guard because he never thought of himself as being wise at all. He ventured out to test the oracle's statement to see if what was said was in fact the truth. He approached a man that was known by the public to be very wise. He then proceeded to question the man to see if he was a wise as he thought himself to be. Socrates found that the man didn't take to what Socrates asked of him and became angry. Socrates tried this on another man who was said to be even wiser than the man before. The same thing happened. He tried this with many people and found that every ones wisdom including his own was little or worthless. I believe that Socrates is trying to convey the fact that no man possesses more wisdom than the other. If Socrates were said to be the wisest man then surely people would not react in the way they did. If he is the wisest man than he would be able to tell the man that they are not as wise as they think. Surely the wisest man can make anyone aware of this.
some of us are born wiser then the rest and some of us are just born stronger. For this