Jesus the Sage
The Pilgrimage of Wisdom
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Jesus the Sage: The Pilgrimage of Wisdom
The path of wisdom from Solomon to
Jesus and from Jesus to the
church
In the early Jesus movement, wisdom in the person of Jesus was believed to have returned to heaven, exalted to the right hand of God, and to reign from there. But Jesus as wisdom had left both his legacy and his influence behind. The sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels reflect not only the influence of the Israelite wisdom traditions, but also the tradition of the personification of wisdom.
In this provocative volume newly available in paperback, Ben Witherington provides both an introduction to Israel's wisdom traditions and insight into how Jesus and his sayings fit in that tradition. Beyond this, he demonstrates the on-going significance and influence of these traditions on other New Testament writings. He concludes that Jesus may be viewed primarily as a prophetic sage emphasizing instruction, insight, and humor in a vein counter to the dominant culture.
In the early Jesus movement, wisdom in the person of Jesus was believed to have returned to heaven, exalted to the right hand of God, and to reign from there. But Jesus as wisdom had left both his legacy and his influence behind. The sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels reflect not only the influence of the Israelite wisdom traditions, but also the tradition of the personification of wisdom.
In this provocative volume newly available in paperback, Ben Witherington provides both an introduction to Israel's wisdom traditions and insight into how Jesus and his sayings fit in that tradition. Beyond this, he demonstrates the on-going significance and influence of these traditions on other New Testament writings. He concludes that Jesus may be viewed primarily as a prophetic sage emphasizing instruction, insight, and humor in a vein counter to the dominant culture.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Paperback
- ISBN 9780800632410
- Dimensions 6 x 9
- Pages 448
- Publication Date May 12, 2000
Endorsements
"Ben Witherington has written what is not only an extremely learned and fundamental book but one that is of theological importance as well. He offers much essential information on the sapiential background of ancient Jewish wisdom and the Jesus tradition that was influential in the shaping of earliest Christology. He corrects misguided opinions and leads us into the heart of the teachings of Jesus. He thereby contributes to our knowledge of earliest Christian thought, its Jewish background as well as its creative and innovative identity."
—Martin Hengel
—Martin Hengel
Table of Contents
Preface
PART ONE: FROM SOLOMON TO JESUS
1. Beginning the Journey: Drinking from the Fount
5. Wisdom's Legacy: From Q to James
Bibliography
Scripture Index
PART ONE: FROM SOLOMON TO JESUS
1. Beginning the Journey: Drinking from the Fount
- Background and Foreground
- The Book of Meshalim: The Fountainhead
- Ecclesiastes: A Public Malaise
- Wisdom Gains a Name: The Contributions of Ben Sira
- Spirit of Wisdom/Wisdom as Spirit: The Wisdom of Solomon
- Conclusions
Table 1: The Profile and Pilgrimage of Wisdom
- The Legacy of Alexander in the Holy Land
- Non-Cynical Conclusions
- The Narrative Meshalim and a Theory of Language
- Figures of Speech: Jesus' Parables and Aphorisms
- Jesus: The Wisdom of God
5. Wisdom's Legacy: From Q to James
- Right on Q: Doubting Thomas
- Table 2: The Sapiential Agenda of Q
- James and Traditional Wisdom
- Tuning Up
- The Servant Song: Philippians 2:6–11
- Ode to the Cosmic Christ: Colossians 1:15–20
- The Vindication Verse: 1 Timothy 3:16
- The Radiance Reprise: Hebrews 1:2b–4
- The Logos Hymn: John 1
- Conclusions and Further Implications
- When Thought Worlds Converge: Eschatological Wisdom
- Wisdom on the Cross and the Wise Master-Builder: 1 Corinthians 1–4
- The Christian Shema and the Christ of the Exodus: 1 Corinthians 8:10 and 2 Corinthians 3–4
- With Faithfulness and Justice for All: Romans 1–2; 9–11
- Conclusions and Conjectures
- Matthew and John: Different Sons of the Same Mother
- Matthew: A Word to the Wise
- John: The First and Last Word
Bibliography
Scripture Index