Early Israelite wisdom
By: Stuart Weeks.
Series: Oxford theological monographs
Publisher: Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 212
Subjects: Bible. O.T. Proverbs -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Bible. O.T. Proverbs -- Sources.; Middle Eastern literature -- Relation to the Old Testament.
Description: This is a new and ground-breaking study of the nature and origins of the earliest material in the book of Proverbs, drawing on evidence from Israel and neighbouring countries in the ancient Near East. This literature has widely been believed to have originated as paedigogical material, designed for the education of future administrators in the royal bureaucracy from the time of Solomon.

That belief has played an important part not only in the interpretation of the texts, but in reconstructions of Israelite society and history. In this book, Dr Weeks challenges this view, arguing that it is largely founded on assumptions which are now widely discredited, and he sets out to re-evaluate the evidence in the light of more recent research.

Dr Week's conclusions will have important implications for the future study of this material, and for our understanding of ancient Israel's society and history.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [190]-201) and indexes.