Symbols of Wisdom in James 1:17
Although scholars have often recognized that wisdom is the ‘gift’ mentioned in Jas. 1:17, they have not given much attention to how the giving of wisdom answers the problem of persecution as discussed in the preceding verses. The best solution to this puzzle is to adopt the understanding of wisdom&#...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2006
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
Year: 2006, Volume: 57, Issue: 1, Pages: 57-75 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | Although scholars have often recognized that wisdom is the ‘gift’ mentioned in Jas. 1:17, they have not given much attention to how the giving of wisdom answers the problem of persecution as discussed in the preceding verses. The best solution to this puzzle is to adopt the understanding of wisdom's role that we find in 4 Maccabees: wisdom is a sort of direct antidote to persecution. An investigation of the religious background of the language of Jas. 1:17 supports this interpretation. Philo speaks of divine wisdom as a shadowless light, in terms very similar to James, while the Qumran scrolls evince a fully developed theology of the priestly oracles (Urim and Thummim) as symbols of divine wisdom. Not only does the Qumranic profile of the Urim and Thummim answer to the theme of wisdom and to James's pleonastic use of ‘lights’ and ‘perfect’, but the Qumran scrolls also enlist the operation of the urim and thummim as a sort of bulwark or antidote against persecution, similarly to how wisdom functions for James. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4607 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of theological studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jts/fli267 |