Ask NT Wright Anything #70 Wisdom literature – Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Job
Jun 17, 2021
Tom Wright answers listener questions on Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and the concept of 'Wisdom' in the Bible. They discuss the complexities of gender assumptions in Old Testament literature and the debate surrounding the historicity of the book of Job. The hosts also explore the allegorical interpretations of the Song of Solomon and the themes of erotic love and wisdom in Proverbs. They delve into the concept of fictionalization in storytelling and preview the next episode focused on the New Testament.
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What Wisdom Literature Is For
- Wisdom literature sits outside Torah and the prophets as part of the 'writings' in the Hebrew Bible.
- Its core aim is to teach how to be genuinely human, with 'the fear of the Lord' as the start of wisdom.
Personal Memory About Song Of Songs
- N. T. Wright recalls an undergraduate friend obsessed with Song of Songs while he loved Isaiah, so they split specialties.
- He treats the Song as an exuberant erotic love poem that celebrates God's good creation and human sexuality.
Song Of Songs: Creation And Cosmic Significance
- The Song of Songs affirms erotic love as part of God's good creation and counters traditions that denigrate sexuality.
- It also signals a wider theological theme: marriage points to the coming together of heaven and earth fulfilled in Christ.