Religion and Theology

The Hebrew Bible scholar Gerhard von Rads Wisdom in Israel is a book in the order of classical religious text. Here, the author tries to understand the concept of wisdom practiced in Israel. Throughout the book the author endeavors to answer Was there wisdom in Israel in the sense of intellectual movement(p.7). From different researches it appears that Israeli wisdom was deeply influenced by Eastern thoughts.

Through the ages the wisdom in the book of Proverbs has been transmitted by Wise Men or people who studied the ancient classical religious teachings (p.6). Von Rad has tried to quote various sources to get to the root of Yahweism which forms the core of Judaism today.

Man is hardly aware that he is continuously being guided by practical experience and all the problems he encounters are but his own perception of his surroundings. The advent of any religion or spiritual growth is in consonanceto answer the question of the origin of Man.

Von Rad has used different sources to state that the knowledge accumulated in Judaism has come from various sources like Egyptian civilization and Edomite proverbial religion. The author has a deep knowledge of the various styles and meters used in writing. He is well versed in the study of proverbs. To substantiate his arguments, Von Rad has included a number of Proverbs from different sources. The language he has used is simple yet elegant with a free flow of thoughts. But in places, his erudite observations may be a little difficult to follow for a layman. A student of Judaism will find the information enlightening and quite helpful in their study of ancient Judaism.

In the early stages of the religion, with the commencement of monarchy, Israels relation with the supreme or Yahweh is through intermediaries known as the wise men. Religion at this stage was patriarchal and interpreted by only a few learned people. Von Rad has argued that any form of kingly dominion is suspicious, if not downright intolerable. (p. 43).  He has applied his research into the  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiPentateuch o Pentateuch Pentateuchs oral and prophetic traditions to explain its origin.

While reading his last major work we can sense that he became increasingly conscious of the two ways in which Israel worshipped God in the course of her history. Initially, in the oral tradition in the ancient world, poetry was not so far removed from daily life. (p. 49). With the advent of Judaism, the Torah and Israels eschatological concerns started to dominate Jewish thought. Von Rad elucidates that both the wise man and the prophet were revered equally. He questions whether the God who revealed himself by rescuing Israel from Egypt is the same God who established the laws underlying the created order of this world.

Yahweh gives wisdom and (p. 53) the fear of the Lord have gradually made the religion move towards orthodoxy through the millennia. Knowledge and wisdom is entirely related to Yahweh. But acquiring of Wisdom is the domain of humans. Through the process of interpretation, Yahwism has gradually evolved to be all inclusive of the meaning of wisdom. Rational perceptions and religious perceptions were not differentiated. (p. 61)

The wisdom of Yahweh was initially interpreted and practiced by the people as they deemed fit. But with time the prophetic revelations were accommodated which was present in the neighboring countries. In the narrow sphere of religion, faith in the teachings leads to religious dogma. But Judaism is a religion which supports interpretation and therefore the faithful should be liberated in their search for the ultimate truth. From a religious point of view an in-between world of human observation and scrutiny was present yet it was ultimately governed by orders created and sustained by Yahweh.

To run a society smoothly, certain code of conduct has to be followed. Orders have to be obeyed by the majority of the population for social and economic upliftment. Good was experienced as a life force. (p. 77) In Sirach, honor is the highest of all good. Von Rad has developed his thesis so sharply at certain points that it diverges from the originality of his words to streamline the book in a single direction.

According to Von Rad, the text of the proverbs may have also been used for the instruction of science (p. 121). If we try to interpret these sections today, the entire human gamut is laid open. A minore ad maius or there is more to it than meets the eye has been justly propounded as many parts of the text may be missing or lost in time. The cause and effect theory may have explained the radical views explained in the two phenomenon theories. The harsh realities of society may have been explained by this theory. In the doctrine of time all human undertakings should take place at the proper time. (p. 139) This stands true especially for timely speech or silence. The origin of creation may be the most debated topic in the entire human history. Each of us approaches these questions in our own ways.

But Israel gave definitive answers to these questions rather deal with abstract ideas. We cannot determine the place where wisdom is to be found. (p. 146) In the book of Job, the dialogues relating to the origins of creation may have been secondarily inserted but we cannot locate the sources after so many centuries. Von Rad has only marked their literary beauty and expansive definition, but has not argued their date pr place of origin. He has only tried to prove that the ideas had their origins elsewhere but were assimilated in Israel to help in its spiritual progress. The didactic poem may have a mysterious origin but it explains the call of wisdom perspicuous terms. Whoever finds me finds life can only be attributed to be written for Yahweh. (p. 163) In the sphere of love, intellectual love has taken its ideas from Egypt. The love for Maat, the Egyptian goddess of order may have served as a prototype for this section, the author argues. The evolution of love through the various stages of human life has been beautifully sung in the Proverbs. Further the author has also cited Graeco-Roman idolatry sources for his arguments on Polemic thoughts to stop idolatry in Israel. He has provided examples from Jeremiah and Habakkuk in the banning of idolatry. He has argued that What fact compelled men to worship images is never asked. (p.181) Followers of idolatry were asked to switch over to wisdom thought processes as it was seen to be worthy for the people of Israel to follow.
For the author, the division between the unknown and the invisible is not far removed from the realism of Yahwism. Trust in life and Yahweh. (p. 193) The difficult question of trusting Yahweh even when life has taken a turn for the worse has not been resolved by exhorting the people to follow the Lord blindly, but by means of rational insight into the experiences of previous generations. The ancient Israelite understanding of reality never deviated from the path of rational thought processes. Von Rad has correctly put the Proverbs into context to get his point. Koheleths troubles as a man and his subsequent submission have been shown by the author to settle the debate of trust as put in the book of Proverbs. To put to rest the various questions raised for placing trust, he has cited various examples like Job, Koheleth and parts of Ecclesiastes. Jesus(Ben) Sirachs interpretation and use of the term wisdom has been widely used throughout the book. (p. 243).

Von Rad has used humor in various parts of this book to make the subject less serious but nowhere has he diverged from the basic premise of the book, i.e. to raise the question of the origin and evolution of Jewish religion. His rich use of the Proverbs like the employer stuck with a lazy employee shows humor while the moralistic Quotes like ideal behavior (p. 28) have been woven with the content of the chapters in a smooth seam. Where there are no proofs available, he has not tried to insert his own thoughts and ideas to influence the reader. No finer introduction to the fundamental theological questions raised by the wisdom literature of Israel is available today.

To me this book appears to have a definitive purpose to explain the two fundamental theological problems faced by Judaism, namely, the nature of Israelite wisdom and its relation to the other religions and traditions of the Old Testament, near Eastern religions and Egyptian religion. The questions raised by Von Rad have been discussed in other forums before, but the author has forcefully substantiated his viewpoints and nowhere has he led the reader to any confusing situation. His selection of Proverbs is not only an interesting read they have made me aware of many aspects of Judaism. He is an opinionated author and the best in tradio-historic approach of writing. Although his book may cater to a niche population, it has been very instructive for me.