• Franciscan School of Theology Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages
• Ph.D., Catholic University of America
• S.T.B., Old Mission Theological Seminary

“Spare the rod and spoil the child.” “The patience of Job!” “Nothing new under the sun.”

You have no doubt heard these expressions and have probably used them yourself. Did you realize that they all derive from the Wisdom Literature of the Bible—from Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes respectively? Now you can explore these extraordinary books (and others) and the timeless wisdom they contain, with top scripture scholar and master teacher Fr. Michael Guinan, O.F.M. as your guide.

You will learn the biblical meaning of “wisdom,” as Fr. Guinan unlocks the riches contained in these too-often-neglected books. Most people are more familiar with the major themes and figures of the Old Testament such as Moses, Exodus, Sinai, Isaiah and Jeremiah but much less familiar with wisdom and the Wisdom Woman. But wisdom has now become one of the most colorful and interesting areas of biblical research. You will uncover new insights that are exciting to scholars and non-scholars alike.

“Wisdom” is a universal human, social phenomenon. As such, the wisdom of the Bible is part of the wisdom of the ancient Near East. After briefly surveying this wider setting, you’ll travel through the history of Israel paying particular attention to wisdom issues, e.g., what is the role of Solomon?

You will explore each of the wisdom books: Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Ben Sira(ch)/Ecclesiasticus, and Wisdom of Solomon.

Listen as Fr. Guinan discusses the vexing moral and theological questions raised by these books. Does Proverbs offer a unified theological vision? What does Job show us about the suffering of the innocent? How should we read Song of Songs—as a mystical meditation on God and Israel, Jesus and the church or soul, or a healthy view of human sexuality, or all of these interpretations? What should we make of Ecclesiates’ apparently negative outlook?

Wisdom literature deals very much with everyday life and experience. How do we live, learn, and cope in the day-to-day struggles and joys of life? Biblical wisdom is also open to learn from cultures outside of itself in an “ecumenical” way.

Wisdom is important also in the New Testament. Jesus himself taught as a wisdom teacher, and when the early Christians came to think and talk about who Jesus was, some of them drew on the rich background of OT wisdom. What are some of the implications of this for our own lives?

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