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Wisdom's Wonder: Character, Creation, and Crisis in the Bible's Wisdom Literature
Wisdom's Wonder offers a fresh reading of the Hebrew Bible's wisdom literature with a unique emphasis on "wonder" as the framework for understanding biblical wisdom. William Brown argues that wonder effectively integrates biblical wisdom's emphasis on character formation and its outlook on creation, breaking an impasse that has plagued recent wisdom studies.
Drawing on various disciplines, from philosophy to neuroscience, Brown discovers new distinctions and connections in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Each book is studied in terms of its view of moral character and creation, as well as in terms of the social or intellectual crisis each book identifies. Most general treatments of the wisdom literature spend too much time on issues of genre, poetry, and social context at the neglect of discussing the intellectual and emotional power of the wisdom corpus. Brown argues that the real power of the wisdom corpus lies in its capacity to evoke the reader's sense of wonder.
An extensive revision and expansion of Brown's Character in Crisis (Eerdmans, 1996), this book demonstrates that the wisdom books are much more than simply advice with wonder as the foundation for understanding, Brown maintains that wisdom is a process with transformation of the self as the goal.
Drawing on various disciplines, from philosophy to neuroscience, Brown discovers new distinctions and connections in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Each book is studied in terms of its view of moral character and creation, as well as in terms of the social or intellectual crisis each book identifies. Most general treatments of the wisdom literature spend too much time on issues of genre, poetry, and social context at the neglect of discussing the intellectual and emotional power of the wisdom corpus. Brown argues that the real power of the wisdom corpus lies in its capacity to evoke the reader's sense of wonder.
An extensive revision and expansion of Brown's Character in Crisis (Eerdmans, 1996), this book demonstrates that the wisdom books are much more than simply advice with wonder as the foundation for understanding, Brown maintains that wisdom is a process with transformation of the self as the goal.
236 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 5, 2022
This was surprisingly refreshing to me, giving insight for living life well in the course of a literary/biblical theology study.
August 10, 2020
Wisdom’s Wonder, by William Brown, Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, is a hermeneutical framework offered in hopes of helping readers navigate the complex world of what is traditionally known as “wisdom literature.” The main thesis of the book is that the formation of character is wisdom’s overarching goal and the means to this goal is the “cultivation of wonder” (27).
The opening chapter of the book is a highly philosophical exploration of different historical approaches to understanding and defining character, virtue, and morality, which is followed by a discussion of the significance of character when approaching the wisdom literature corpus. This chapter holds very noteworthy definitions of the key terms used throughout the book, including Brown’s summary definition of wonder as being “fear seeking understanding” (24). That is, for Brown, wonder is rooted in a biblical comprehension of the fear of God while also allowing for an emotional desire to know and understand the world.
Following the introduction, chapters 2-6 contain Brown’s brief theological, and sometimes exegetical, interpretation of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Brown presents these three books as being necessarily read in light of the others, all of which address the topic of character formation through the means of wonder, but from different perspectives. He offers a helpful summary in parallel each of the three books with a metaphor from Jerome Miller, which is that of a child “transfixed by wonder before the door to a secret room” (185). For Brown, Proverbs is “the silent son before the powerfully desirable figure of Wisdom…Job before the transcendentally powerful God…(Ecclesiastes) before the long shadow of death” (185). Therefore, each of these three books is established in an essential understanding of the fear of God, while also pushing into an exploration of the world.
Wisdom’s Wonder is a work that is helpful, stimulating, and even at times witty and humorous. However, much like wisdom literature itself, it takes quite some time to mull through in order to grasp the dynamics that Brown is attempting to highlight with his offered framework. There are plenty of times where, like any hermeneutic, his approach will seem quite forced upon the text. But, what is refreshing is that in the midst of the hermeneutical challenge, Brown has the humility to acknowledge the difficulties, and at the end of his interpretation of Ecclesiastes states “…for all that has been said by way of commentary and reflection, I am not at all sure if any of it (or any other interpretation) is on target” (181). In making this statement, Brown models (whether intentionally or not) the very wisdom that he seeks to describe, which is humility of posture before a complex world and a Holy God.
Some will struggle with Brown’s writing style, which is quite poetic and fluid in nature. Yet, in the midst of the fluidity, there are found helpful and captivating statements of both summary and application of the concepts that he teaches. For instance, he helpfully titles the book of Proverbs as a “manual of desire” and then contrasts this title with Ecclesiastes as ‘a manual of disillusionment” (148). Or, when summarizing Job, he refers to it as “a journey from wound to wonder” (135). These types of catchy summaries are scattered throughout the often-dense hermeneutical working of the texts and are well worth their weight in gold.
Additionally, with the utmost subtlety, Brown manages to insert cultural applications of the text in the midst of his dense theological argumentation. For example, when discussing Proverbs Brown states, “the family is affirmed as the foundation and training ground for responsible communal life. The family is no isolated enclave; it is the beginning point and microcosm of the community” (54). Though perhaps reading into things too much, it seems that Brown consistently presses back against different facets of unhealth in Western culture, such as the reality of most families in the West are indeed “isolated enclaves.” These types of applications he offers are thought-provoking.
Although there are other questions that can be raised of Wisdom’s Wonder, in all it is well worth the read, and more so, a thoughtful reflection on the role of wonder as it applies to Christian discipleship and in engaging with the wisdom literature.
The opening chapter of the book is a highly philosophical exploration of different historical approaches to understanding and defining character, virtue, and morality, which is followed by a discussion of the significance of character when approaching the wisdom literature corpus. This chapter holds very noteworthy definitions of the key terms used throughout the book, including Brown’s summary definition of wonder as being “fear seeking understanding” (24). That is, for Brown, wonder is rooted in a biblical comprehension of the fear of God while also allowing for an emotional desire to know and understand the world.
Following the introduction, chapters 2-6 contain Brown’s brief theological, and sometimes exegetical, interpretation of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Brown presents these three books as being necessarily read in light of the others, all of which address the topic of character formation through the means of wonder, but from different perspectives. He offers a helpful summary in parallel each of the three books with a metaphor from Jerome Miller, which is that of a child “transfixed by wonder before the door to a secret room” (185). For Brown, Proverbs is “the silent son before the powerfully desirable figure of Wisdom…Job before the transcendentally powerful God…(Ecclesiastes) before the long shadow of death” (185). Therefore, each of these three books is established in an essential understanding of the fear of God, while also pushing into an exploration of the world.
Wisdom’s Wonder is a work that is helpful, stimulating, and even at times witty and humorous. However, much like wisdom literature itself, it takes quite some time to mull through in order to grasp the dynamics that Brown is attempting to highlight with his offered framework. There are plenty of times where, like any hermeneutic, his approach will seem quite forced upon the text. But, what is refreshing is that in the midst of the hermeneutical challenge, Brown has the humility to acknowledge the difficulties, and at the end of his interpretation of Ecclesiastes states “…for all that has been said by way of commentary and reflection, I am not at all sure if any of it (or any other interpretation) is on target” (181). In making this statement, Brown models (whether intentionally or not) the very wisdom that he seeks to describe, which is humility of posture before a complex world and a Holy God.
Some will struggle with Brown’s writing style, which is quite poetic and fluid in nature. Yet, in the midst of the fluidity, there are found helpful and captivating statements of both summary and application of the concepts that he teaches. For instance, he helpfully titles the book of Proverbs as a “manual of desire” and then contrasts this title with Ecclesiastes as ‘a manual of disillusionment” (148). Or, when summarizing Job, he refers to it as “a journey from wound to wonder” (135). These types of catchy summaries are scattered throughout the often-dense hermeneutical working of the texts and are well worth their weight in gold.
Additionally, with the utmost subtlety, Brown manages to insert cultural applications of the text in the midst of his dense theological argumentation. For example, when discussing Proverbs Brown states, “the family is affirmed as the foundation and training ground for responsible communal life. The family is no isolated enclave; it is the beginning point and microcosm of the community” (54). Though perhaps reading into things too much, it seems that Brown consistently presses back against different facets of unhealth in Western culture, such as the reality of most families in the West are indeed “isolated enclaves.” These types of applications he offers are thought-provoking.
Although there are other questions that can be raised of Wisdom’s Wonder, in all it is well worth the read, and more so, a thoughtful reflection on the role of wonder as it applies to Christian discipleship and in engaging with the wisdom literature.
September 20, 2024
I quite enjoyed Brown’s take on what it is that the connects the diverse books of the wisdom corpus. “Without wonder wisdom withers.” Also, Brown has an outstanding command of the English language. Recommended read.
August 21, 2017
Love this author
August 19, 2019
Wonderfully helpful in my understanding of the wisdom literature of the bible. Definitely recommend.
October 13, 2023
When I asked my priest (an Old Testament scholar) for a book on Proverbs, he handed me this. Brown's authorial voice occasionally grates, but I found his thesis and meditations often illuminating.
October 8, 2024
(3.5)
Brown knew I needed an existential crisis during midterms. Thank you so much 🙏
Brown knew I needed an existential crisis during midterms. Thank you so much 🙏
March 8, 2025
His Job chapters singlehandedly made this class worth it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews