How to be Wise opens with an unexpectedly entertaining survey of the philosophical and religious roots of wisdom, before focusing on the brooding text of Ecclesiastes. Illumination of a more uplifting kind is then found in the sublime language of the Prologue of St John's Gospel, and the life and letters of St Paul. The second part of the book turns intriguingly to a number of less obvious topics. The author considers what it means to be a serious reader and how literature can enable us to discover more about ourselves; he probes the spiritual dimension of music and its power to speak to deep human longings; he offers valuable insights into the significance of the human emotions in relation to our wellbeing and moral imagination and, finally, a personal testimony to the place and significance of silence in matters of faith and our human journey.

Rod Garner

Cover page

About the author

Title page

Imprint

Dedication

Introduction

1. What is wisdom?

2. The Hebrew Scriptures and the wisdom of Ecclesiastes

3. The wisdom of the Incarnation: the prologue of St John’s Gospel

4. The wisdom of St Paul

5. Wisdom and the ethics of reading

6. Wisdom and music

7. Wisdom and the emotions

8. Wisdom and silence: a testimony

Notes

Select bibliography

How to be Wise opens with an unexpectedly entertaining survey of the philosophical and religious roots of wisdom. The author then considers how literature can enable us to discover more about ourselves; he probes the spiritual dimension of music, and the significance of silence.

Canon Dr Rod Garner is an Anglican priest, writer and theologian working in the Diocese of Liverpool, and the author of several books, including On Being Saved: The roots of redemption (DLT, 2011).

The second part of the book turns intriguingly to a number of less obvious topics. The author considers what it means to be a serious reader and how literature can enable us to discover more about ourselves; he probes the spiritual dimension of music and its power to speak to deep human longings; he offers valuable insights into the significance of the human emotions in relation to our wellbeing and moral imagination and, finally, a personal testimony to the place and significance of silence in matters of faith and our human journey.

This book really is fascinating - there are loads of personal illustrations, quotations etc - definitely worth taking the time to read. An ideal Easter gift or maybe something for Father's day or Mother's day.

I would not be surprised if this went on to be a bestseller as Anna Bunn - store manager has personally recommended it to me - and she is seldom wrong. Stop watching TV - Get off the interweb (unless you are shopping at Eden) and read this book!

I for one will be looking forward to Rod Garner's next book with bated breath, as will my colleague Luke.

A Wise Book for Wise Men

The Good Book Stall

If you want a 'how to' book, which describes how to get wisdom in ten clear steps, this is not for you!It is not easy reading, but neither is it academic or abstruse.

Rod Garner's aim is to help the reader attain wisdom through growing in discernment and love. He begins with a chapter answering the question 'What is wisdom?' but even here there are no easy answers—he wants us to wrestle with its meaning until we find it for ourselves.

In the rest of the book, the author looks at the Bible (ranging through Ecclesiastes, John Chapter 1, and the writings of Paul), music, the emotions and silence.

I felt the pivotal chapter—and one of the most challenging—was 'Wisdom and the ethics of reading'. He defines serious reading as "the business of paying proper attention as we turn the page, follow the lines of text and make ourselves ready for the warmth, recognition and enlightenment that a particular assembly of words can sometimes evoke."

 He points out that we live in a culture where our concentration span is diminishing and we are distracted by social media and the lure of the internet. Even devoted readers can find their concentration drifting sooner or later. To master a text at a deeper level, where wisdom is found, requires time, silence and perhaps even solitude.

This is a fascinating book, packed with personal illustrations, a wide range of quotations from people of faith and no-faith, and topical references. A worthwhile read.

How To Be Wise

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How To Be Wise

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