Early Israelite Wisdom

This study of the nature and origins of the earliest material in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible draws on evidence from Israel and the neighbouring Near East. This literature has been widely believed to have originated as pedogogical material, designed for the education of future administrators in the royal bureaucracy from the time of Solomon. That belief has played in important part not only in the interpretation of the texts, but in reconstructions of Israelite society and history. In this book, Stuart Weeks challenges this belief, arguing that it is largely founded on assumptions which are now widely discredited, and he sets out to re-evaluate the evidence in the light of more recent research. The conclusions should have important implications for the future study of this material and for the understanding of ancient Israel's society and history.