Wisdom in theology

by Ronald E. Clements

In this book respected Old Testament scholar Ronald Clements explores and elucidates a much-debated subject-the place and significance of the Old Testament wisdom writings in Jewish and Christian theology. Based on the Didsbury Lectures delivered by Clements at British Isles Nazarene College in October 1989, 'Wisdom in Theology' first looks at the wisdom tradition in terms of its ancient Near Eastern background, it distinctiveness in Israelite life, and its historical development. Clements then discusses major wisdom themes under various (1) wisdom and the world, (2) wisdom and health, (3) wisdom and politics, (4) wisdom and the household, and (5) wisdom and the divine realm. In explicating the unique role of the wisdom tradition, particularly in post-exilic Israel, Clements shows how wisdom, as opposed to the torah and prophecy, provided the Jews of the dispersion with the basis for a new, noncultic, universalistic worldview. Clements's scholarly discussion demonstrates to modern readers how much is yet to be learned regarding the inheritance of wisdom from the ancient world.

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

Ronald E. Clements is the best known Baptist scholar of the Old Testament in Europe at the present time. Currently the Davidson Professor of Old Testament at King's College in the University of London, he earned his degrees at Spurgeon's College in London; Christ's College, Cambridge; and the University of Sheffield, where he received his Ph.D. in 1961. After lecturing seven years at the University of Edinburgh, he spent 1967-83 as a lecturer at Cambridge University. An ordained Baptist minister in England since 1956, he has written more than a dozen significant books on the Old Testament.
For more, see Andy Goodliff's information page on RE Clements.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provan led me to read this commentary through a footnote on OT wisdom, and while there were intriguing insights in the book, Clements' use of historical-critical methods rendered his conclusions a bit dated. I was disappointed to see such a strong reliance on a reconstructed history behind the biblical text rather than actual attention to the text itself.