Wisdom & Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature

Wisdom literature, asserts the author, is grounded in the theological tradition of creation. For the Wisdom writers of Israel and early Judaism, God is the maker of heaven and earth, whose creativity both forms and sustains the world. The very nature of God is to create life, to sustain it, and to ensure that it flourishes. God's originating acts of creation and sustaining providence provide the basis for faith, worship, and ethics. Leo G. Perdue grounds his reconstruction of the theology of Wisdom in the creation metaphors residing witin the language of the sages--metaphors that derive from Israelite creation traditions and the mythologies of the ancient Near East. He focuses on the differences and interactions between two sets of creation metaphors: those dealing with the creation of the world (cosmology), and those centering on the creation of humankind (anthropology). The contemporary importance of the creation theology of Wisdom literature, says the author, is that it can move the church away from one-sided emphasis on salvation history and eschatology to a serious participation in environmental concerns and social justice. Wisdom and Creation provides a thorough yet accessible discussion of the theological message of this important part of the Bible.