49...A BOOK BY ITS COVER
Based on the book of Proverbs (Prov)...Read more there

With Proverbs, what we see is pretty much what we get. Part of what we know as 'Wisdom literature', Ch.1-9 serve as an introduction to proverb after proverb, before another introductory section (Ch. 22-24) leads to more. We hear the voice of Wisdom herself urging wisdom through instruction & giving that in proverb after proverb. Hearing the voice of Wisdom counsel: 'my child.. my son.. my children..' underlines a responsibility for in-house instruction by heads of families & for children to be open to that instruction. We might call what we have an early verbal textbook preceding a final written form. Its simplicity makes it accessible by all. Might our own culture benefit from the application of such simple guidelines today? One modern comparison might be seen in Islamic communities teaching verbally & often by rote, in 'madrasas', schools where such instruction is given. Here in its Hebrew context proverbs can be understood as an attempt at dotting the i's & crossing the t's of the Commandments by expanding them into a kind of curriculum for religion & life, without drawing a line between the two as is common today.

In his old but still interesting 'Commentary on the Whole Bible', Matthew Henry (1662-1714) calls Prov 'an ancient way of teaching ... a plain & easy way of teaching... a very profitable way of teaching'. Prov comes from days when few have access to written texts & few able to read them in the unlikely event they have such access. Prov would be relatively easy to 'take on board' verbally by rote in such a society. We might compare this with church teaching once commonly enshrined in catechisms with their questions & answers. Though we may benefit from reading Prov verse by verse or chapter by chapter, the best value from the book is to be found in taking it as a whole. In looking through its contents we are then looking through a 'window' into the development & understanding of Hebrew thought in those days.

It was once believed that Solomon, son of David was the author of the work as a whole, as stated in Ch.1. He was certainly noted for his wisdom (at least in his younger days) & we are in fact told he authored 'three thousand proverbs' [1K5:12]. We know that much of the material does date back at least to Solomon's day (10th C. BC.) & he may have been a contributor, even a main one. However scholars now believe the book is a compilation of collections of proverbs from various sources, named & unnamed, including some from neighbouring countries & cultures. As the Introduction to Prov in the always valuable NJB sums up neatly (p.965): '...the book represents several centuries of thought on the part of the sages...'

Though great Prophets & Jesus Himself will later develop & go beyond the wisdom contained in Prov the contents form a valuable & insightful contribution to the development of the Hebrew Bible, the wisdom of which Jesus springs from & builds on. Today the whole concept of Wisdom so prominent here has become the subject of much theological reflection in its (or should we say, 'her'?) own right, seeing Wisdom has become traditionally seen as 'feminine'. Of particular interest is the fact Ch.8:22-31 talk in terms of Wisdom as the creative Word God speaks at the beginning of time. This is the Wisdom who will later be personified in JN Ch.1 as 'the 'Word made flesh' in Jesus. So, whatever else we read or don't read in Prov, this particular section will repay our attention.  
  
On a personal note, re-reading the splendid poem (Ch. 31:10-21) that ends the book (another not-to-miss section) brings back memories of preaching from this same passage at my much-loved mother-in-law's funeral many years ago!

As always there are other stories to come...Next...50: Futility: The Name of the Game!

Q. What conclusions might someone looking back from some future time draw about the state of Christian thought today?