Order one!

I wonder how long this has been up? I just saw it last night for the first time.

Proverbs: An Eclectic Edition with Introduction and Textual Commentary
Michael V. Fox

ISBN 1628370203
Status Forthcoming
Price: $69.95
Binding Hardback
Publication Date November, 2014
Pages 200 (It's a lot more than that! More like 400...)

Here's a screen shot of the description. They don't have a cover design on the page yet...

How about that price? And hardcover, no less. That's just a bit more than 1/2 the price of the BHQ Proverbs fascicle (which is paper)...

It isn't really closed

Both creative expansions and recombination of phrases can be found throughout wisdom literature and can be the work of a scribe, a translator, or a copyist in subsequent transmission.—M. Fox in Proverbs, HBCE (forthcoming), sub 16:17

Where's the dividing line?

[I]t [the book of Proverbs] heightens the significance of the secular everyday life, not by emancipating it from the sacred but by blurring the boundary between sacred and secular, not by pushing the boundaries of the secular as far as possible but by seeing the secular in the light of the regular.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 210

<idle musing>
We live our lives in the exact opposite way, don't we? We try to put the sacred in a little box that we can trot out when we need help or are feeling guilty, or...you get the idea. But that's not the scriptural view, is it? Even in a supposedly "secular" book like Proverbs, with its emphasis on discovering wisdom in the things around. Even there, the undercurrent is the presence of YHWH, giving meaning and purpose to everything.

By the way, that's the final post from this book. I had lost a portion of the quotation and finally found the rest of it over the weekend. Hope you enjoyed the excerpts and will consider reading the whole thing.
</idle musing>

You've already chosen

I've been busy the last few weeks—and not just with the cabins. As most of you know, we get our house and utilities paid by working as cabin caretakers/maintenance. But we still have to eat (and the garden doesn't supply everything we eat! At least not yet...) and pay other bills. In order to do that, I do copyediting and proofreading for various publishers. One of the publishers I work for is the Society of Biblical Literature. I've done several books for them, but this summer I started working on a project that I am really enjoying and hope to for a long time to come: The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition. Right now I'm working on Proverbs. I was reading through the introduction when I ran across this little gem:

It should be stressed that those who prefer a Masoretic reading or an entire Masoretic edition are in effect participating in this construction of meaning, albeit passively, by aligning themselves with one text state, a medieval one.

That's right, not to decide is actually to decide. And you've probably chosen a version that is further from the original than an eclectic text. Think about that for a while before deeming the HBCE a useless exercise.

Just an
</idle musing>

The beginning of wisdom - and the end

Wisdom in Proverbs is easily accessible in one sense yet not that easy to gain in another. No one can claim that he or she grasped her fully, but everyone has to be constantly open towards her. To revise slightly one of the important statements of Proverbs: wisdom only has a beginning (the fear of the Lord) but not an end. As there is a certain continuity between the Lord and wisdom, maybe it is arguable that these characteristics of wisdom in Proverbs tell something of Proverbs’ view of God, too. This understanding of divine hiddenness is not so much connected to a feeling of divine passivity or invisibility in the (secular) life, but, to an ever deepening relationship, even to participation in (but not possession of) the divine.— Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 244

<idle musing>

Whodda thunk! Theosis in Proverbs! Or at least a shadow of it...

That's the final post from this book. Monday I'll start posting from another book. Not sure which one yet, but I trust you will find it an intersting one : )

</idle musing>

Is Wisdom a thing? or an attitude?

Wisdom is not something one can possess forever without the possibility of losing it. No one can say that ‘I am wise’ in the sense of having comprehended and possessed wisdom. Being wise is at least as much a character trait as possessing a sharp mind and having vast experience. Being wise is being humble, ‘denying our knowledge’ in the sense of leaving behind our knowledge constantly and listening to instruction, being ready to change. It is more about having an attentive relationship with wisdom than having wisdom herself. In other words, it is accepting and being open to the incomprehensibility of wisdom.

If this reconstruction of Proverbs’ thought-world is correct, then ‘hiddenness’ in it is not so much about being invisible but about human inability to see and comprehend wisdom fully. This inability can be caused by false (i.e., proud) thinking and by human limitations, not being able to comprehend and possess wisdom in its fullness. As a consequence, Proverbs is not so much about human autonomy as about being attentive, listening humbly, and constantly being willing to change and leave behind one’s own ‘precious’ wisdom.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 238

<idle musing>
And for that very reason, Wisdom is so difficult. It means that our pet theories and ways of looking at things might just have to be modified--or worse yet, jettisoned entirely. Perish the thought!

My precious views wrong? Impossible! God would never do that to me! Or, should it be "my god would never do that to me"--note the lower case god. My god, not the God...Lord deliver us from our pride!
</idle musing>

Common goal, different path

This surprising phenomenon of not specifying instruction in Proverbs can not only be understood as suggesting that the content is given somewhere else (law, or some other parts of Proverbs), but also as suggesting that the attitude of humble listening is not less important than the content of the instruction itself. Maybe, if they had met, the different authors of Proverbs would have had a debate about what the best source of correction is but they would have definitely agreed that the way towards wisdom is being open for correction.— oward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 237

<idle musing>

In other words, if the attitude is right, even if the course is a bit crooked, you'll get there. But if the attitude is full of pride and arrogance, look out! You're heading for a fall...

</idle musing>

Hiding in plain sight

[W]hy is it so difficult to find wisdom, when she is so close and visible; and why cannot one consider him- or herself wise when finding wisdom is not only possible but the aim of the whole enterprise? In fact, Proverbs does provide explanation for how one can miss Lady Wisdom even when she is clearly visible. Possible causes for failure are the tempting presence of Lady Folly (Proverbs 9) or the alluring prospect of gaining riches through unwise means (Prov 1:11-14). However, there is a further difficulty which is especially relevant for our questions: pride and unwillingness to listen to advice and instruction prevent people from becoming wise.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 235

<idle musing>
That does indeed seem to be the main problem. We don't want to appear stupid or ignorant, so we don't ask questions if we don't understand. Or, when someone offers advice, we assume we know better...pride. No, better PRIDE writ large. May God deliver us that we may become truly wise!
</idle musing>

Let's clarify it a bit

The invisible God is completely visible through the (extraordinary and ordinary) visible phenomena of the world. Yet, God’s essence is incomprehensible. It is a dark abyss, vastness, otherness which is completely beyond human perception. This is what is called God’s hiddenness in many patristic, medieval, and even modern theological discussions and not that God and his activity are not visible in mundane everyday reality.— Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 220

Wise living is temple building

Thus, we can conclude that the house-building motif goes through the whole book of Proverbs hand in hand with allusions to the tabernacle/temple. The interpretation towards which all these point is that the whole universe is Wisdom’s house (byt ḥokmah)and this house is at the same time God’s temple (byt YHWH). Human beings can join Wisdom in her house (i.e., the Lord in his temple) by being wise in the world. Building one’s own earthly household and human relationships through being wise equals building the temple of the Lord, so to speak.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 201

<idle musing>
Of course, some people live as if he said "delusions" or "illusions" instead of "allusions"! : (
</idle musing>

You need wisdom for that?!

People in the twenty-first century tend to connect wisdom to the existential decisions of everyday life. It is also understandable that creating the world requires some wisdom. We would, furthermore, understand that the decision of whether to build a temple or not might require wisdom, but that the actual building activity itself requires wisdom could sound a bit unusual for modern readers. It seems that in the ancient Near East, and the Old Testament is not an exception, wisdom was connected to everyday life, creation, and (especially temple-) building. This becomes more understandable if we consider the close connection between temple-building and creating the world in biblical thinking.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, pages 194-195

Who's getting sanctified?

The thrust of the book seems to be to encourage the reader to experience Yahweh in the world. In this sense, it is more about the ‘sanctification’ of the ‘secular’ world than about worldliness.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, pages 188-189

Just do it!

[T]hough I do not wish to deny the mental aspect of being wise, the latter part of Proverbs depicts wisdom at least as much as wise living as wise thinking. This means that in order to experience God’s presence in one’s life it is inevitable not only to think the right things but also to do them, according to Proverbs.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 185

<idle musing>
Once again our "brains on a stick" mentality doesn't cut it when you look for it in scripture. Orthodoxy = orthopraxy.
</idle musing>

No doubt

The opposite of trust in God in Proverbs is not so much ‘doubt’ in God (which is seldom mentioned if at all, at least not explicitly) but trust in oneself (cf. 3:5 vs 3:7; 28:25-26.) No wonder the reader of Proverbs is so often reminded about the dangers of pride.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 150

The source

Proverbs 2 does not teach that the ‘world order’ is independent from Yahweh. On the contrary, the order of reality is that wisdom, and therefore justice and protection, proceed from Yahweh. The teaching is not about Yahweh and the world order but about Yahweh’s mind as the world order. If one longs for understanding the world properly, then he or she has to understand God first, as he is the order of the world. God is the reality.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 149

Brains on a stick?

As for the ‘knowledge of God,’ we have seen that most commentators understand it in Hosea in a covenantal framework in which it refers both to history and law. We have also seen that in the case of history it means more than simply being aware of the historical facts; it also means knowing that it is Yahweh who is behind those historical facts. It very probably also means more than simply being aware of some legal precepts, in the case of law. Knowledge is not enough: true knowledge is expressed by action.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, pages 139-140

<idle musing>
Indeed! This is a healthy corrective to our cerebral christianity...
</idle musing>

Backwards, as usual

Wisdom repeatedly claims about herself that she provides riches, so, though it is not stated explicitly, one can logically deduce that wisdom is better than riches because wisdom can provide riches, whereas riches do not lead to wisdom. Furthermore, the context of some of the ‘better than’ sayings suggest that this virtuous character is useful for survival and protection.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 125

<idle musing>
Of course, we get it backwards, as usual. We want riches, thinking they will take care of us; but they won't. They can't. Only God can. And wisdom is a gift from God...
</idle musing>

So?

The transition from industrial society to post-industrial societies . . . brings a polarization between Survival and Self-expression values. The unprecedented wealth that has accumulated in advanced societies during the past generation means that an increasing share of the population has grown up taking survival for granted. Thus, priorities have shifted from an overwhelming emphasis on economic and physical security toward an increasing emphasis on subjective well-being, self-expression and quality of life.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 114

<idle musing>
And what does that mean to us, as we read the book of Proverbs? It will be interesting to see him develop this...
</idle musing>

Missing the point

Therefore, the special emphasis of wisdom is on long life and the ability to avoid dangerous situations. This emphasis is too little recognised in scholarly discussions, maybe because of wisdom’s special connection with the wise and fabulously rich Solomon, and maybe also because of the sociological context of many modern western interpreters, who are probably more interested in prosperity than in survival.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, page 114

<idle musing>
Bingo! He hit the nail on the head with that last statement. We are so assured of our survival—probably incorrectly so!—that we want prosperity. That pretty much marginalizes Proverbs...
</idle musing>

Look out!

[T]he most significant feature of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, [is] namely, that it is a tool to survive. Proverbs sees the world as a fundamentally dangerous place. Whybray notes in connection with chapters 10:1–22:16 and 25–29 that it is dominated by the language of disaster. No less than 103 verses (out of 513) are about different possibilities of personal disasters.—Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs, pages 110-111

<idle musing>
20%! I wonder how many different disasters there are...
</idle musing>