Conflicted Boundaries in Wisdom and Apocalypticism.

• Author: Adams, Samuel L.
• Position: Book review

Conflicted Boundaries in Wisdom and Apocalypticism. Edited by BENJAMIN G. WRIGHT III AND Lawrence A. WILLS. SBL Symposium Series., vol. 35. Atlanta: Society of- Biblical Literature. 2005. Pp. vii + 240. $32.95 (paper).

The relationship between the generic constructs of "wisdom" and "apocalypticism" is notoriously difficult. Gerhard von Rad famously made the argument that the apocalyptic worldview can be traced to the wisdom tradition. Other commentators, while not accepting von Rad's premise, have noted the mixture of sapiential and apocalyptic motifs, especially in Second Temple and early Christian works. The need to address this issue more directly led to the formation of the Society of Biblical Literature Wisdom and Apocalypticism Group in 1994. This volume is a collection of some of the most important papers from the first decade of the Group's efforts. It consists of twelve essays in three sections, with an introduction by the editors and an appendix of all papers and respondents from this group.

Part one. "Issues and Outlook," includes an introductory essay by George W. E. Nickelsburg. "Wisdom and Apocalypticism in Early Judaism: Some Points for Discussion" (pp. 17-37), written at the outset of the Group's work. He points to the scholarly tendency to "distill, abstract, and often reify terms like 'wisdom' and 'apocalyptic'" (p. 19), thus weakening the value of the designations. According to Nickelsburg, one must also remain attentive to the social background for this literature. A helpful overview of the relevant texts, both Jewish and early Christian, is provided, including books that "complicate the categories" (e.g.. the Wisdom of Solomon). In a response to Nickelsburg's seminal paper, Sarah J. Tanzer provides further clarification on some of the preliminary issues (pp. 39-49). She rightly notes that evaluations of texts often proceed without an articulation of what the commentator means by the term "wisdom, either as a literary genre or as a worldview" (p. 41). Nickelsburg offers a summary reflection at the end of this section of the book and poses some questions for future research (pp. 51-54).

Part two. "Wisdom and Apocalypticism in Early Judaism," contains five essays that address the context of Second Temple Judaism. In "Wisdom, Apocalypticism, and the Pedagogical Ethos of 4QInstruction" (pp. 57-67), Matthew J. Goff takes up the longest sapiential text found near the Qumran settlement. 4QInstruction combines mundane warnings...