An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature": The Birth, Death, and Intertextual Reintegration of a Biblical Corpus

by Will Kynes

Overview

An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature" considers the definitional issues long plaguing Wisdom scholarship. Will Kynes argues that Wisdom Literature is not a category used in early Jewish and Christian interpretation. It first emerged in modern scholarship, shaped by its birthplace in nineteenth-century Germany. Kynes casts new light on the traits long associated with the category, such as universalism, humanism, rationalism, empiricism, and secularism, which so closely reflect the ideals of that time. Since it was originally assembled to reflect modern ideals, it is not surprising that biblical scholars have faced serious difficulties defining the corpus on another basis or integrating it into the theology of the Hebrew Bible.

The problem, however, is not only why the texts were perceived in this one way, but that they are perceived in only one way at all. Therefore, Kynes builds on recent theories from literary studies and cognitive science to create a new alternative approach to genre that integrates hermeneutical insight from multiple genre proposals. This theory is then applied to Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs, mapping out the complex textual network contributing to their meaning. With the death of the Wisdom Literature category, both the so-called Wisdom texts and the concept of wisdom find new life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198898689
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/15/2023
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 5.60(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Will Kynes, Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University

Will Kynes is Professor of Biblical Studies at Samford University. He is the author of My Psalm Has Turned into Weeping: Job's Dialogue with the Psalms (de Gruyter, 2012), which received the Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise in 2015. He is also the editor of The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and the Bible (Oxford University Press, 2021) and co-editor, with Katharine Dell, of Reading Job Intertextually (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2013), Reading Ecclesiastes Intertextually (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2014), and Reading Proverbs Intertextually (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2019).

Table of Contents

List of tables and figuresList of AbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1: Historical Metacriticism1. The Rise and Impending Demise of Wisdom Literature: The Modern Scholarly Wisdom Tradition and the Threat of Pan-sapientialism2. The Ancestry of Wisdom Literature: Ancient Tradition or Modern Invention? 3. The Birth of Wisdom Literature: The Nineteenth-Century Origin of the Wisdom CorpusPart 2: Genre Methodology4. The Universe of Texts: The Intertextual Network of Genres from Multiple PerspectivesPart 3: The Reintegration of Wisdom Literature5. The Intertextual Network of Job and the Selective Nature of Genre6. The Intertextual Network of Ecclesiastes and the Self-Reflective Nature of Genre7. The Intertextual Network of Proverbs and the Subjective Nature of GenreConclusionAppendix: Ps 107:40 and Job 12:21, 24 in Commentaries on the Psalms and JobBibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Creative, provocative, and winsomely written, the book rewards a careful reading for interpreters of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, as well as those more generally interested in questions on the nature of genre in literary and biblical interpretation." — Cooper Smith, Wheaton College, Bulletin for Biblical Research

"An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature" provides a weighty contribution to these ongoing discussions." — Ross Harmon, Centre for Biblical Studies

"An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature" is groundbreaking research in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies. Kynes' work is inherently valuable for its contribution to the study of Wisdon in the Hebrew Bible and as an example of the type of original research that Old Testament scholars should be doing." — Robb Coleman, Criswell Theological Review

"Kynes provides the most comprehensive and succinct summary of wisdom literature to this date. His summary does not rehash old paradigms or information but presents fresh insights into the issues." — Nicholas Majors, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies

"In his monograph Will Kynes has not only overturned what has been assumed for the past century regarding the texts we associate with wisdom, but has provided a way forward for greater attention to the voice of these texts within the broader canonical witness." — Mark Boda, McMaster University

From the Publisher