In this comprehensive introduction to Old Testament wisdom Tremper Longman III examines both cultural and canonical evidence to show wisdom's enduring theological significance.  
  
"Israel's wisdom literature has long been misunderstood as secular and experiential, a foreign import and therefore a human response to the challenges of life rather than a divine word. By building on newer work demonstrating wisdom's religious roots and revelatory character, Longman masterfully explores the theological particularity of Israel's wisdom tradition. The result is an excellent introduction for students and the general Christian reader, as well as a fitting culmination of Longman's career-long engagement with this literature. His book is unusually comprehensive in scope, extending its coverage to the Apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the New Testament. It concludes with thoughtful reflections on the potential for Israel's wisdom to contribute significantly to church and society in the twenty-first century."  
\--__Stephen B. Chapman__, Duke University  
  
"With masterful elegance Longman navigates through the topic of wisdom in the Old Testament, making a compelling and exegetically rich argument that wisdom is not independent of the redemptive-historical narrative of the Old Testament but intrinsic to it. Insightful and refreshing, this brilliant exposition of wisdom is a must read for anyone seeking a more coherent theology of wisdom and its place in the canon."  
\--__Carol M. Kaminski__, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary  
  
"Longman doesn't get swept away by fashions, but neither does he dismiss ideas merely because they are new. He looks at them with interest but keeps a cool head. So he is the kind of person that the wise men and women of Israel would appreciate, and he appreciates them. His book is a balanced and informative introduction both to a 'distinctive but not discordant note' within the Old Testament and to its theological message."  
\--__John Goldingay__, Fuller Theological Seminary  
  
"Longman provides a combination of innovative scholarship and clear, accessible prose. He covers the tradition's bases but also addresses a postmodern reading context. The Fear of the Lord Is Wisdom will be an excellent guide for undergraduates, seminarians, and scholars alike."  
\--__Stephen B. Reid__, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

__Tremper Longman III__ (PhD, Yale University) is Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Before coming to Westmont, he taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for eighteen years. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including An Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read Proverbs, and commentaries on Genesis, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Jeremiah and Lamentations, and Daniel.

"Longman once again makes the riches of the Old Testament accessible to readers today. After unpacking the core texts related to the wisdom tradition in the Old Testament, he highlights key features that prepare us to read these texts theologically with greater sensitivity to their historical and canonical contexts."  
\--__Mark J. Boda__, McMaster Divinity College  
  
"Longman offers a synchronic theological treatment of wisdom that is both comprehensive and accessible. His extensive experience with the topic yields a seasoned pedagogical and theological contribution to the foundational biblical concept of wisdom. I recommend this book warmly and will be using it as a resource in my own teaching."  
\--__Peter Enns__, Eastern University  
  
"Longman challenges persistent assumptions about wisdom in Israel and provides an introduction to wisdom theology that casts aside the constraints of a strict conception of the wisdom literature genre. He explores wisdom as a concept across the Hebrew Bible; through ancient Near Eastern, Second Temple, and New Testament texts; and into the twenty-first century. His treatment transcends the oppositions of common depictions of biblical wisdom, instead arguing that wisdom is both practical and theological, universal and particular to Israel, tied to creation theology and to redemptive history and covenant. This clear and accessible discussion of the fundamental theological questions these texts raise will also prompt readers to consider biblical wisdom as both ancient and relevant."  
\--__Will Kynes__, Whitworth University

__A Jesus Creed 2017 Old Testament Book of the Year__ Wisdom plays an important role in the Old Testament, particularly in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. This major work from renowned scholar Tremper Longman III examines wisdom in the Old Testament and explores its theological influence on the intertestamental books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and especially the New Testament.  
  
Longman notes that wisdom is a practical category (the skill of living), an ethical category (a wise person is a virtuous person), and most foundationally a theological category (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom). The author discusses Israelite wisdom in the context of the broader ancient Near East, treats the connection between wisdom in the New Testament and in the Old Testament, and deals with a number of contested issues, such as the relationship of wisdom to prophecy, history, and law.

A renowned scholar examines the wisdom literature in the Old Testament and explores its theological influence on the intertestamental books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and especially the New Testament.

__Contents__ Prologue  
__Part 1: The Heart of Wisdom: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job__ 1. Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom 2. Ecclesiastes: Fear God, Obey the Commandments, and Live in Light of the Coming Judgment 3. The Book of Job: "Behold the Fear of the Lord Is Wisdom" (Job 28:28) __Part 2: Wisdom Elsewhere in the Old Testament__ 4. Other Sources of Wisdom: Deuteronomy, Psalms, Song of Songs, and Prophecy 5. Joseph and Daniel: Paragons of Wisdom 6. Adam and Solomon: From the Heights of Wisdom to the Depths of Folly __Part 3: Israel's Wisdom: Cosmopolitan or Unique?__ 7. Sources of Wisdom: Experience, Observation, Tradition, Correction, and Ultimately Revelation 8. Wisdom, Creation, and (Dis)order  
9. Israelite Wisdom in Its Ancient Near Eastern Setting  
10. Wisdom, Covenant, and Law  
__Part 4: Further Refining Our Understanding of Wisdom__ 11. The Consequences of Wise and Foolish Behavior: The Issue of Retribution Theology 12. The Social Setting of Wisdom  
13. Wisdom and Gender  
__Part 5: The Afterlife of Israel's Wisdom__ 14. Intertestamental Wisdom from the Apocrypha to the Dead Sea Scrolls  
15. New Testament Wisdom  
Appendix 1: Wisdom in the Twenty-First Century  
Appendix 2: Is Wisdom Literature a Genre?  
Indexes

Longman, Tremper,III

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Prologue

Part 1: The Heart of Wisdom

1. Proverbs

2. Ecclesiastes

3. The Book of Job

Part 2: Wisdom Elsewhere in the Old Testament

4. Other Sources of Wisdom

5. Joseph and Daniel

6. Adam and Solomon

Part 3: Israel’s Wisdom

7. Sources of Wisdom

8. Wisdom, Creation, and (Dis)order

9. Israelite Wisdom in Its Ancient Near Eastern Setting

10. Wisdom, Covenant, and Law

Part 4: Further Refining Our Understanding of Wisdom

11. The Consequences of Wise and Foolish Behavior

12. The Social Setting of Wisdom

13. Wisdom and Gender

Part 5: The Afterlife of Israel’s Wisdom

14. Intertestamental Wisdom from the Apocrypha to the Dead Sea Scrolls

15. New Testament Wisdom

Appendix 1: Wisdom in the Twenty-First Century

Appendix 2: Is Wisdom Literature a Genre?

Bibliography

Index of Modern Authors

Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings

Index of Subjects

Back Cover

A Jesus Creed 2017 Old Testament Book of the Year  
  
Wisdom plays an important role in the Old Testament, particularly in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Now in paperback, this major work from renowned scholar Tremper Longman III examines wisdom in the Old Testament and explores its theological influence on the intertestamental books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and especially the New Testament.  
  
Longman notes that wisdom is a practical category (the skill of living), an ethical category (a wise person is a virtuous person), and most foundationally a theological category (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom). The author discusses Israelite wisdom in the context of the broader ancient Near East, examines the connection between wisdom in the New Testament and in the Old Testament, and deals with a number of contested issues, such as the relationship of wisdom to prophecy, history, and law.

\["Looking to comprehend why wisdom was such a privileged ideal in Israel?","This deep study unearths the history and theology of wisdom in the Old Testament","A vital resource for knowing how the Bible applies itself to the lives of men and women"\]

Prologue  
Part 1: The Heart of Wisdom: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job  
1\. Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom  
2\. Ecclesiastes: Fear God, Obey the Commandments, and Live in Light of the Coming Judgment  
3\. The Book of Job: "Behold the Fear of the Lord Is Wisdom" (Job 28:28)  
Part 2: Wisdom Elsewhere in the Old Testament  
4\. Other Sources of Wisdom: Deuteronomy, Psalms, Song of Songs, and Prophecy  
5\. Joseph and Daniel: Paragons of Wisdom  
6\. Adam and Solomon: From the Heights of Wisdom to the Depths of Folly  
Part 3: Israel's Wisdom: Cosmopolitan or Unique?  
7\. Sources of Wisdom: Experience, Observation, Tradition, Correction, and Ultimately Revelation  
8\. Wisdom, Creation, and (Dis)order  
9\. Israelite Wisdom in Its Ancient Near Eastern Setting  
10\. Wisdom, Covenant, and Law  
Part 4: Further Refining Our Understanding of Wisdom  
11\. The Consequences of Wise and Foolish Behavior: The Issue of Retribution Theology  
12\. The Social Setting of Wisdom  
13\. Wisdom and Gender  
Part 5: The Afterlife of Israel's Wisdom  
14\. Intertestamental Wisdom from the Apocrypha to the Dead Sea Scrolls  
15\. New Testament Wisdom  
Appendix 1: Wisdom in the Twenty-First Century  
Appendix 2: Is Wisdom Literature a Genre?  
Indexes

Every wonder why wisdom, above other virtues, is championed so highly in Biblical Israel? This theological study seeks to open up such a discussion

The Fear of the Lord Is Wisdom

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