What do you think?
Rate this book
The Christ of Wisdom: A Redemptive-Historical Exploration of the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament
How do we walk in the way of wisdom? How should we respond to suffering? How can we cope with life's frustrations and sorrows? How ought we to weep? How ought we to love?
The answers can be found in the great "how-to" books of Scripture—the Old Testament's wisdom literature—but unfortunately, these books are frequently overlooked in biblical theology, despite their immense significance for God's people. O. Palmer Robertson introduces the concept of biblical wisdom before providing a redemptive-historical analysis of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations. These neglected books offer the contemporary reader inspired insight (and a solid dose of godly realism) into every major realm of human from love and intimacy to grief and calamity.
The answers can be found in the great "how-to" books of Scripture—the Old Testament's wisdom literature—but unfortunately, these books are frequently overlooked in biblical theology, despite their immense significance for God's people. O. Palmer Robertson introduces the concept of biblical wisdom before providing a redemptive-historical analysis of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations. These neglected books offer the contemporary reader inspired insight (and a solid dose of godly realism) into every major realm of human from love and intimacy to grief and calamity.
432 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2017
11 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
O. Palmer Robertson
32 books59 followersOwen Palmer Robertson (born August 31, 1937) is an American Christian theologian and biblical scholar. He taught at Reformed Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, Knox Theological Seminary as well as at the African Bible Colleges of Malawi and Uganda. He also served as principal of the latter institution.
Robertson is perhaps best known for his book The Christ of the Covenants. His definition of a biblical covenant being "a bond in blood, sovereignly administered" has been widely discussed.
In 2008, a Festschrift was published in his honor. The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson included contributions by Bruce Waltke, Richard Gaffin, Robert L. Reymond and George W. Knight III.
Robertson is perhaps best known for his book The Christ of the Covenants. His definition of a biblical covenant being "a bond in blood, sovereignly administered" has been widely discussed.
In 2008, a Festschrift was published in his honor. The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson included contributions by Bruce Waltke, Richard Gaffin, Robert L. Reymond and George W. Knight III.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Read
November 14, 2024was good!
July 3, 2018
As with his previous books, The Christ of the Covenants and The Christ of the Prophets, Robertson does an excellent job covering the material. I was particularly impressed with the way that he represented varying points of view/interpretation among the various books, and the way that he responded to the various points of view. I don't know that I always agreed with him, but he makes pretty strong cases in his arguments.
He covers the books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Song of Songs. The fourth is not generally considered one of the wisdom books; however, in the Jewish Old Testament, it is grouped in the Writings section (but then again, so are Daniel, Ruth, and Esther).
Although he takes the redemptive-historical view of the books, I did expect to see more on how the books point to Christ. Admittedly, this is difficult to do with these particular books, as Robertson points out in the preface. I think that with the book of Job in particular he could have done more.
With the Song of Songs, he demonstrated very well how difficult it is to interpret the book, although I thought he wended his way through the minefield nicely. Given these interpretive difficulties, I'm not surprised that in my entire life I have heard only one sermon series on the Song of Songs!
He covers the books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Song of Songs. The fourth is not generally considered one of the wisdom books; however, in the Jewish Old Testament, it is grouped in the Writings section (but then again, so are Daniel, Ruth, and Esther).
Although he takes the redemptive-historical view of the books, I did expect to see more on how the books point to Christ. Admittedly, this is difficult to do with these particular books, as Robertson points out in the preface. I think that with the book of Job in particular he could have done more.
With the Song of Songs, he demonstrated very well how difficult it is to interpret the book, although I thought he wended his way through the minefield nicely. Given these interpretive difficulties, I'm not surprised that in my entire life I have heard only one sermon series on the Song of Songs!
November 24, 2020
I only read the chapters pertaining to Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs, because that is all that is required of me right now, but those chapters were so good that I am tempted to return to those on Lamentations and Job. Robertson’s insights into the authorship debates and interpretive approaches were insightful and thorough. Even better was his exposition of each book, which was in depth but not overly so.
May 29, 2017
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Robertson's preface laments the way that the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament is usually ignored in Redemptive-Historical studies --
So how do you discuss these books from a RH point of view? This is what Robertson seeks to do in this book -- not as a final answer, but as the beginning of a search for wisdom along these paths.
In one sense, Robertson could've made this easier to talk about this book -- there's not one central argument developed throughout. There's a general discussion (brief) of wisdom, wisdom Biblically defined, that is. And then using that discussion, Robertson looks at the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament (and Lamentations, which is not usually considered Wisdom Literature, but can function as such), summarizing each book, looking at the various forms of wisdom described and passed on through it.
Simply,
The chapter on Proverbs is, fittingly, the longest and most developed. He discusses various approaches to the book, to understanding its construction and from there trying to understand it:
While dealing with the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, Robertson gives an excursus, "Athanasius as the Champion of the opponents of Arianism," that is just gold. I'd love to see this developed into something longer.
Following Proverbs, he moves on to Job. Job doesn't give us the answers to the puzzling circumstances of life, but for those who understand the book, they learn how to puzzle through the circumstances, how to think about them -- how to ask God about them. Yes, there are answers given in the book -- not easy answers, not the answers anyone necessarily wants, but answers -- answers tied to the hope of the Resurrection. But wisdom knows to look for those answers in the difficulties of life, with a sure faith that is willing to look at dark circumstances and say, "I don't know why this is happening, but I trust in Him Who does."
Ecclesiastes, is, naturally, a tricky chapter -- Robertson threw me a curveball when setting aside the usual discussion of authorship of the book to note
His discussion of Lamentations, summed up in the subtitle "How to Weep," was one of the best things I've read on the book (an admittedly too-short list). You may think that's a pretty easy thing to learn -- but there's a wise way, a godly way to weep over the tragedies that will come into our lives. The book of Lamentations teaches us that -- and, here's the RH emphasis coming through -- there's a hope tied to the wise weeping. A hope tied to faith in God's commitment to preserving a repentant people to Himself.
Lastly, we get to the wisdom of "How to Love" (in a marital sense) in the Song of Songs. The way he reads the book is a "Redemptive-Historical" way, in
He could've used a conclusion to wrap things up -- returning to the closing admonition of the opening chapter. But that's probably just a taste thing on my part.
There's a focus on the literary/poetic forms in each book tying in the themes and teachings of them to the way the author presents them. This kind of discussion -- no matter the type of literature (inspired or not) always stretches me. I imagine I'm not alone in that -- in fact, I bet many people will skip those parts. This is to their own detriment. Robertson discusses these matters in a way that takes some effort to understand, but it's effort that pays off.
This is a truly helpful book -- not full-fledged commentaries on any of the books, but helpful summaries pointed towards seeing the wisdom passed down in each book, and tied into the Redemptive work going on in history all around us. I found it interesting that the recent A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament doesn't approach some of these books the same way as Robertson -- in some ways flatly contradicting him. I'd hoped for more overlap between the two works approaching this material from the same framework -- but none of the contradictions or differences change the overall message of the Biblical material, just shadings. Honestly, in each case, I think Robertson's readings are easier to square with the texts in consideration (and not just because he has more pages to develop his points, either).
Robertson, as always, delivers the goods with this book. The reader has to think about what he says, has to drag out their Bible and use the two books together, but will ultimately come out the better for it. I found this book to be incredibly helpful, insightful and something that drove me back to the fullness and fulfillment of all the wisdom of God -- Jesus the Messiah. Just where Robertson wants his readers to focus.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from P&R Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work -- I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.
---
Robertson's preface laments the way that the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament is usually ignored in Redemptive-Historical studies --
...how do you fit these wisdom books into the flow of redemptive history that consummates in the Christ? By letting them be what they are in their own distinctiveness. They are, it should be remembered, canonical, divinely revealed, and authoritative writings that tell the world how and what to think about the deeper mysteries of human life. Rather than submitting to the moldings and bendings of modernity, these books broaden our understanding of the nature of redemptive history. Divine progress in the complete restoration of reality does not merely move in a purely linear fashion like the flight of an arrow moving across time and space without deviation until it reaches its target. This “third dimension” of redemptive history moves in a cyclical pattern. For certain aspects of God’s salvation perform according to a pattern of regulated repetition.
To ignore this dimension of redemptive history is to exclude a major portion of the old covenant canon—and that you do not want to do.
So how do you discuss these books from a RH point of view? This is what Robertson seeks to do in this book -- not as a final answer, but as the beginning of a search for wisdom along these paths.
In one sense, Robertson could've made this easier to talk about this book -- there's not one central argument developed throughout. There's a general discussion (brief) of wisdom, wisdom Biblically defined, that is. And then using that discussion, Robertson looks at the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament (and Lamentations, which is not usually considered Wisdom Literature, but can function as such), summarizing each book, looking at the various forms of wisdom described and passed on through it.
Simply,
Wisdom is the ability to understand the basic principles inherent in God’s created order, and to live by those principles. Wisdom enables a person to summarize these basic principles in a succinct and memorable fashion. Wisdom is living out the whole of life with a constant awareness of accountability before a loving, gracious, and just Creator and Redeemer.The work he does to get to this summary is well worth the time and effort to work through. Actually, that goes for everything in the book, but I'll hold off on saying that kind of thing for a few paragraphs.
The chapter on Proverbs is, fittingly, the longest and most developed. He discusses various approaches to the book, to understanding its construction and from there trying to understand it:
A much more accurate view of the theology of Proverbs may be gained from a covenantal perspective. The wise sayings of the book are not presented in a vacuum. They are not purely moralistic aphorisms. Instead, they are steeped in theistic assumptions. These wise observations about how the world works assume that God the Creator is none other than Yahweh, the Lord of the Covenant.This, right here, would help so much of what I've read about Proverbs over the last few decades. To get into everything that Robertson says about the pursuit of Wisdom, passing it on and living by it from this book would make this post unbearably long -- but it builds the foundation for everything that comes. Proverbs covers Wisdom as a whole -- the rest of the book deals with it in specific areas.
While dealing with the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, Robertson gives an excursus, "Athanasius as the Champion of the opponents of Arianism," that is just gold. I'd love to see this developed into something longer.
Following Proverbs, he moves on to Job. Job doesn't give us the answers to the puzzling circumstances of life, but for those who understand the book, they learn how to puzzle through the circumstances, how to think about them -- how to ask God about them. Yes, there are answers given in the book -- not easy answers, not the answers anyone necessarily wants, but answers -- answers tied to the hope of the Resurrection. But wisdom knows to look for those answers in the difficulties of life, with a sure faith that is willing to look at dark circumstances and say, "I don't know why this is happening, but I trust in Him Who does."
Ecclesiastes, is, naturally, a tricky chapter -- Robertson threw me a curveball when setting aside the usual discussion of authorship of the book to note
But a related question of some significance for understanding the book has been generally neglected. This neglected question is the identity of the “target audience”of Ecclesiastes.Chewing on this a little helps get through some of the discussion of authorship. There are so many divergent readings of Ecclesiastes that your head can swim just trying to get a sense of them, Robertson is a pretty sure guide through them before landing on his conclusion that Ecclesiastes presents a "realistic picture of life" -- one that is a precursor to Paul's discussion in Romans 8, where creation is subjected to frustration, but that this is being renewed. I do think this chapter could've been organized in a more straight-forward way, but I appreciate the way that Robertson makes you work through various considerations and themes before leading to his conclusions -- which are all very helpful.
His discussion of Lamentations, summed up in the subtitle "How to Weep," was one of the best things I've read on the book (an admittedly too-short list). You may think that's a pretty easy thing to learn -- but there's a wise way, a godly way to weep over the tragedies that will come into our lives. The book of Lamentations teaches us that -- and, here's the RH emphasis coming through -- there's a hope tied to the wise weeping. A hope tied to faith in God's commitment to preserving a repentant people to Himself.
Lastly, we get to the wisdom of "How to Love" (in a marital sense) in the Song of Songs. The way he reads the book is a "Redemptive-Historical" way, in
terms of the redemptive work of God in restoring humanity to the situation prevailing at the time of creation . . . a restoration of the initial blessing of man and woman in their relation to each other, just as when they first stood in each other's presence "both naked" but feeling "no shame" (Gen. 2:25). This Song rejoices in the fullness of God's redemption of the marriage relationship.He concludes this chapter uniquely, with a script for a Dramatic Reading of the Song of Songs -- I think there could've been a bit more instruction on how to approach such a Reading -- and why -- than he gave. But I really appreciated that part.
He could've used a conclusion to wrap things up -- returning to the closing admonition of the opening chapter. But that's probably just a taste thing on my part.
There's a focus on the literary/poetic forms in each book tying in the themes and teachings of them to the way the author presents them. This kind of discussion -- no matter the type of literature (inspired or not) always stretches me. I imagine I'm not alone in that -- in fact, I bet many people will skip those parts. This is to their own detriment. Robertson discusses these matters in a way that takes some effort to understand, but it's effort that pays off.
This is a truly helpful book -- not full-fledged commentaries on any of the books, but helpful summaries pointed towards seeing the wisdom passed down in each book, and tied into the Redemptive work going on in history all around us. I found it interesting that the recent A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament doesn't approach some of these books the same way as Robertson -- in some ways flatly contradicting him. I'd hoped for more overlap between the two works approaching this material from the same framework -- but none of the contradictions or differences change the overall message of the Biblical material, just shadings. Honestly, in each case, I think Robertson's readings are easier to square with the texts in consideration (and not just because he has more pages to develop his points, either).
Robertson, as always, delivers the goods with this book. The reader has to think about what he says, has to drag out their Bible and use the two books together, but will ultimately come out the better for it. I found this book to be incredibly helpful, insightful and something that drove me back to the fullness and fulfillment of all the wisdom of God -- Jesus the Messiah. Just where Robertson wants his readers to focus.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from P&R Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work -- I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.
October 13, 2022
OPR is most famously known for his short study on Covenant Theology, "Christ of the Covenant (1980)," which is still the stable textbook for a primer in covenant theology. That study led to a project across a few volumes of a book that presents the thematic motif "Christ in all of Scriptures." "Christ of the Prophets" came in 2004, then "The Flow of the Psalms" in 2015, and finally "Christ of the Wisdom" in 2017, culminating as the final piece and project of a redemptive-historical reading/Christocentric biblical theology of the Old Testament. OPR turns 85 this year, and having retired from teaching in reformed seminaries both in the States and Africa, recently published his first of three-volume on New Testament biblical theology (Christ of the Consummation Vol 1: The Testimony of the Four Gospels). One can pray and hope that God sustains OPR to finish his (already very much) faithful course. It would be such a gift to the church.
It is as the title and subtitle present, OPR attempts to delineate a redemptive-historical reading of the wisdom literature of the OT. "History" might not be the most instinctive mode one thinks of when it comes to biblical wisdom literature, as various scholars and traditions tend to take the wisdom literature apart from the law and history literature of the OT (except for Lamentation, though OPR groups it with the wisdom literature because of its poetic nature). But if Christ is truly spoken of by all the Law and all the Prophets (Luke 24:44), then surely the wisdom literature of the OT points to Christ and speaks volumes on the Christian life. Thus is OPR's goal to help his readers to read Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and the Song of Songs as Christian Scripture and apply them appropriately.
The introductory chapter provides a fascinating and enlightening study of the role of wisdom theology in OT theology (with reference to other Ancient Near East wisdom traditions), to postulate the right lens and approach to the wisdom literature. Essentially, the wisdom is applied "OT theology," where the people of God come to grapple with the felt experience and tangible how-tos of life in this broken world while in covenanting relationship with God: Proverbs on how to walk in wisdom's way; Job on how to puzzle; Ecclesiastes on how to cope with life's frustration; Lamentations on how to weep; and Song of Songs on how to love.
OPR does not shy away from the academic debates, and challenges, with great compelling exegetical evidence, various critical-liberal leaning scholarly positions head-on (i.e. he hints at Solomonic authorship for Ecclesiastes). Each chapter provides a succinct yet detailed analysis of the authorship, context, dating, structure, competing interpretive lens, and bibliography for further reading for each respective book. Hence, this also reads like an introductory textbook/commentary for the books involved.
I do believe that there is a redemptive-historical framework to reading all of the OT, including the wisdom literature. However, I think the subtitle "a redemptive-historical exploration" is misleading. OPR does not so much present a "redemptive-historical" reading of each book as much as presenting a few Christological implications and conclusions. There is only little material that actually presents the Christological reading or interpretation of these books. However, we must not take away the conclusion that this is still quite a compelling project from OPR. For each book, OPR does detail an extensive survey of its respective biblical theology, theological themes/motif, structure, interpretive-exegetical lens, synthesis, analysis, contribution and connection to OT theology. Personally, the chapters on Proverbs, Job and Song of Songs stood out as more compelling and moving, built upon more convincing exegesis and analysis, as compared to the other two. The writing style in this volume is more fluid and less academic than Christ of the Covenant (the only other one I read). But overall, a really good primer and textbook to wisdom theology and the wisdom books. Looking forward to perusing through all of OPR's work in this project, and God-willing, the upcoming volumes on the NT as well.
It is as the title and subtitle present, OPR attempts to delineate a redemptive-historical reading of the wisdom literature of the OT. "History" might not be the most instinctive mode one thinks of when it comes to biblical wisdom literature, as various scholars and traditions tend to take the wisdom literature apart from the law and history literature of the OT (except for Lamentation, though OPR groups it with the wisdom literature because of its poetic nature). But if Christ is truly spoken of by all the Law and all the Prophets (Luke 24:44), then surely the wisdom literature of the OT points to Christ and speaks volumes on the Christian life. Thus is OPR's goal to help his readers to read Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and the Song of Songs as Christian Scripture and apply them appropriately.
The introductory chapter provides a fascinating and enlightening study of the role of wisdom theology in OT theology (with reference to other Ancient Near East wisdom traditions), to postulate the right lens and approach to the wisdom literature. Essentially, the wisdom is applied "OT theology," where the people of God come to grapple with the felt experience and tangible how-tos of life in this broken world while in covenanting relationship with God: Proverbs on how to walk in wisdom's way; Job on how to puzzle; Ecclesiastes on how to cope with life's frustration; Lamentations on how to weep; and Song of Songs on how to love.
OPR does not shy away from the academic debates, and challenges, with great compelling exegetical evidence, various critical-liberal leaning scholarly positions head-on (i.e. he hints at Solomonic authorship for Ecclesiastes). Each chapter provides a succinct yet detailed analysis of the authorship, context, dating, structure, competing interpretive lens, and bibliography for further reading for each respective book. Hence, this also reads like an introductory textbook/commentary for the books involved.
I do believe that there is a redemptive-historical framework to reading all of the OT, including the wisdom literature. However, I think the subtitle "a redemptive-historical exploration" is misleading. OPR does not so much present a "redemptive-historical" reading of each book as much as presenting a few Christological implications and conclusions. There is only little material that actually presents the Christological reading or interpretation of these books. However, we must not take away the conclusion that this is still quite a compelling project from OPR. For each book, OPR does detail an extensive survey of its respective biblical theology, theological themes/motif, structure, interpretive-exegetical lens, synthesis, analysis, contribution and connection to OT theology. Personally, the chapters on Proverbs, Job and Song of Songs stood out as more compelling and moving, built upon more convincing exegesis and analysis, as compared to the other two. The writing style in this volume is more fluid and less academic than Christ of the Covenant (the only other one I read). But overall, a really good primer and textbook to wisdom theology and the wisdom books. Looking forward to perusing through all of OPR's work in this project, and God-willing, the upcoming volumes on the NT as well.
May 8, 2025
I always find Robertson's work helpful, and this book was no exception. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a solid, faithful, and at times insightful treatment of the wisdom books (including Lamentations and Song of Songs in that category). I found the treatment of Lamentations to be actually one of my favorite sections of the book. His arguments for a unified reading and Solomonic authorship of Ecclesiastes were quite good.
August 5, 2025
I used this for my series on the Proverbs. It was very helpful in the earlier sermons I did on the larger portions of Proverbs. When I got more into specific topics the Proverbs address, I didn't use it. I can't speak for how well his analysis is of the other wisdom books, but for Proverbs it was great!
May 6, 2021
Brilliant and robust redemptive historical review of the Wisdom books in the OT. Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and includes Lamentations. A must read for any serious biblical studies student.
October 23, 2024
A must have guide for anyone wanting to study, teach, and/or preach through wisdom literature. Makes clear how this often forgotten portion of Scripture is so important to how we understand Christ.
December 8, 2025
I love studies on the wisdom literature, and this one didn't disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews