Tree of Life, 3rd ed.: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature

by Roland Edmund Murphy

Since 1990 Roland Murphy's Tree of Life has been a standard introduction to the wisdom literature of the Bible. Now The Tree of Life is available in a third edition, complete with a new preface by the author and a special supplement that surveys the latest developments in wisdom research. This superb study thoroughly explores the wisdom writings of the Bible, interpreting this literature in a way that illumines the development of Israel's search for wisdom throughout its tumultuous history. Murphy looks at each wisdom book individually -- Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, and Wisdom of Solomon -- and adds to them a discussion of wisdom from other parts of the Old Testament. His careful investigations expose the various guises that wisdom adopts -- the "fear of the Lord," moral formation, the universality of human experience, the mysteries of creation, and others.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Religion, Theology, Academic, Nonfiction, Church

286 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 1992

Reviews

[Marty Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I wrote my book, the one chapter that had the weakest list of resources was the chapter on wisdom literature. I wish I could have added this book to that list. It’s a great overview of the wisdom books.

This book, in my view, is largely an exercise in literary analysis, but it engages the work warmly and dynamically, without too much of the mechanical conversation to make it unbearable. I learned a lot from reading this book.

I also enjoyed the book dealing with some of the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. I have not engaged those works on that level and it was helpful to hear about them in the midst of this study.

At any rate, the book wasn’t overly amazing or inspirational by any means (nor was it intended to be), but as far as literary study on the wisdom books, this is a solid resource.

[Fr. Daniel Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on recommendation from our professor on Psalm and Wisdom literature. She recommended it as excellent background material for these writings.

I recommend this to anyone who is looking to study the Old Testament in greater detail. Don't read this if you're looking for spiritual nourishment. It is for someone who wants to know context and background for these biblical writings. It is often easy to miss the fact that not all Bible stories are created in the same way with the same intention. The Wisdom literature needs to be read a certain way, and this book does a fine job helping to place these books in their proper place.

I learned much from it, but it is not for a beginner - it goes into great depth and compares texts throughout the Bible often. It may become tedious, but like all biblical scholarship, the tedium eventually blossoms into the richness of knowledge and spirituality behind it.

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was assigned this book for a course I took on Wisdom Literature, and found it helpful. In many ways, it is an introduction to the study of biblical Wisdom Literature, and most readers would enjoy it, even those without much experience in the field. Roland E. Murphy is a wonderful writer, which makes the book that much easier to enjoy. I especially enjoyed his closing chapter on the personification of wisdom as Lady Wisdom/Woman Wisdom, and how the personification shifted and changed from text to text (Murphy analyzes the personification beginning in Job and ending in the Wisdom of Solomon).

The third edition also contains two added “supplements” in the back of the book, both of which address each chapter. This allowed for Murphy to “update” some of his comments with new research and fresh insights from other scholars after the original publication of his book. There is also a helpful appendix that introduces “international wisdom” from Mesopotamia and Egypt.

[Evan Streeby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 good overview, but could’ve used a bit more. The sections on Job and Qoheleth are good, and have me delving in deeper elsewhere. Great selection of references, however:

“Fear of God here is not traveling in paths of light which secure for those who walk therein the harvest of life’s fruits and honors. Fear of God here means walking under. Heaven that is mysteriously closed, walking without the assurance that lightning might now suddenly shoot out and strike you as you go - at every step relying upon the free gift of God, but with every step also summoned to differ the riddle and oppression that God can inflict.” - W. Zimmerli

*Another by Kierkegaard on Job*

[Guillaume Bourin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to wisdom literature (the author includes Ben Sira and The Wisdom of Solomon in the “Biblical” books of wisdom), with three helpful essays and a helpful bibliography at the end of the volume. The Song of Songs is not discussed in this volume.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considered one of the best, if not the best, book on the Wisdom literature, Murphy's survey lives up to the reputation. This third edition offers two supplements that update the reader on the progress of scholarship on the wisdom books...up until the beginning of the 21st century. Also of note is the inclusion of the deuterocanonical books in Murphy's study. If there is one book to have on your shelf about the Wisdom literature, this is it.

[Eric Chappell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful for understanding Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and pretty straightforward introduction to OT wisdom literature.