Abstract

GERICKE, Jacobus W.. The concept of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible - A comparative-philosophical analysis. Verbum Eccles. (Online) [online]. 2011, vol.32, n.1, pp.1-6. ISSN 2074-7705.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v32i1.513.

This article provides a brief comparative philosophical clarification of the concept of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. Utilising the format of a presentation presented by Ryan (2008), four philosophical definitions of wisdom were compared with similar sentiments in ancient Israelite religion: (1) wisdom as epistemic humility, (2) wisdom as factual knowledge, (3) wisdom as useful knowledge, and (4) wisdom as successful living. Cumulatively the four criteria might approximate a functional list of individually necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for instantiating the property of being wise.

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