. Proverbs such as,
Every purpose is established by counsel,
And by wise guidance make thou war,
suggest that, as in the days before the exile, they were still active in
connection with the civic, social, and national life of the people, and
that by influencing public policies they conserved the moral welfare of
the individual as well as the state. Many references to "wisdom's voice
crying aloud in the public places" suggest that, like the earlier
prophets, the wise men at times taught in public, in the market-places, in
the open spaces within the city gates, or wherever men were gathered
together. They appear also to have taught in private, by wise counsel
delivering the individual disciple who resorted to them from the
perils that beset his path, or aiding him by prudent advice in solving
successfully his individual problems.
In 6:32-37 Ben Sira has given a vivid sketch of the schools of the wise,
which are clearly the forerunners of the later rabbinical schools:
My son, if you wish, you will be instructed,
And if you pay attention, you will become prudent.
If you are willing to hear, you will receive,
And if you listen attentively, you will be wise.
Stand in the assembly of the elders,
And whoever is wise, stick close to him.
Be willing to listen to every discourse,
And let no illuminating proverbs escape you.
If you see a man of insight, hasten to him,
And let your foot wear out his threshold.
Let your mind dwell upon the law of the Most High,
And meditate continually on his commands.
Thus he will enlighten your mind,
And teach you the wisdom you desire.
It requires little imagination to picture these ancient prototypes of
our modern universities. Like all Oriental teachers, the wise doubtless
sat cross-legged, with their disciples in a circle about them. They
trusted largely to question and answer, and poured out from their own
and their inherited experience wise maxims such as would guide the
simple and inexperienced and develop efficient manhood.
VIII. Their Important Teachings. In the opening chapters of Proverbs the
wise describe the character and value of that wisdom which represents
their teaching as a whole. In chapters 8 and 9 "Wisdom" is personified.
Inasmuch as the Hebrew word for "wisdom" is feminine, it is spoken of as a
woman. Chapter 9 describes, in a form intended to arrest the attention of
the most inattentive, the feast that Wisdom offers to her guests. This is
contrasted with Foll
|