In Praise of Wisdom: Literary and Theological Reflections on Faith and Reason

by Kim Paffenroth

"You are taken to task more for your lack of wisdom than you are praised for your harmful mildness" -- King Lear Kim Paffenroth's book examines several major aspects and developments of the Biblical concept of Wisdom. He focuses on Wisdom as it evolves through the works of Shakespeare, Goethe, Melville, and Dostoevsky. The getting of Wisdom--the ultimate expression of joining of head and heart in search of God -- is a key theme not only in biblical Wisdom literature but one of the major themes in Western literature. Lear, Ahab, Ishmael, Ivan Karamzov -- all are in search of that meaningful combination of head and heart that brings a real knowledge of the world and of God tothem. Wisdom is therefore the basis of a relationship with God, and the foundation of human happiness, freedom, and fulfillment. Paffenroth examines wisdom under four broad the destructiveness of folly; the feminine side of Wisdom; the folly of Christ as Wisdom; and the problem of suffering, especially as it highlights the inadequacy of reason. "This is a major contribution to the study of literature and theology." --David Jasper, Professor of Literature and Theology, University of Glasgow.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

I am a professor of religious studies, and the author of several books on the Bible and theology. I grew up in New York, Virginia, and New Mexico. I attended St. John's College, Annapolis, MD (BA, 1988), Harvard Divinity School (MTS, 1990), and the University of Notre Dame (PhD, 1995). I live in upstate New York with my wife and two wonderful kids. In the horror genre, I have written Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth (Baylor, 2006) - WINNER, 2006 Bram Stoker Award; Dying to Live: A Novel of Life among the Undead (Permuted Press, 2007); Orpheus and the Pearl(Magus Press, 2008); and Dying to Live: Life Sentence(Permuted Press, 2008).

Reviews

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The relationship between scripture and the greatest literary works is analyzed or sought after in this book. The author ponders the nature and significance of wisdom and its significance for humanity in the process.