Book Of Wisdom Research Paper

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he major focus of the songs and writings of the Bible is wisdom and its connection to God. The songs and writings are often even referred to as the “Books of Wisdom.” Though these books are part of the Hebrew Bible, they demonstrate the close connection between the Jewish and Christian faiths. The interpretation of the Wisdom books between Judaism and Christianity is remarkably similar, especially when considering the widely different readings of some books, in particular the prophecies, such as those of Isaiah. Examples of this are evident in the book of Job, with both Christians and Jews agreeing that the story demonstrates a righteous way to act through the fear of God and piety. The agreement between the faiths often stems from the little …show more content…
Proverbs 1:10, for example, states, “my child, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” This is characteristic of the Proverbs, being short sayings that are instructions on how to live that are fairly straightforward. Little need for interpretation is also particularly evident in Ecclesiastes and the Wisdom of Solomon, though one could argue that all of the books require this level of interpretation. Through this, the interconnectedness of the Jewish and Christian faiths is demonstrated. Both are deeply concerned about Wisdom and its connection to God. Wisdom, to both Jews and Christians, is a separate entity from knowledge that has a distinct divine component. It, or she, as wisdom is often personified, is praised much like God, as evidenced by Sirach. This awe of wisdom and the explicit ways in which the texts are written that explain how to acquire wisdom and act wisely connect allow the Jewish and Christian faiths to have an extremely similar interpretation of the Books of Wisdom. However, the way that they are used in tradition is different, as Psalms are read every week in most Christian churches, and reoccurring ones are Psalms 22 and 23, whereas some traditions of Judaism read the Song of Solomon