Wisdom literature existed before the Jewish writings of Hebrew scriptures. Generally, all wisdom literature offers sagacious, insightful commentary through story, poetry or hymn, on how to manage human life. Sometimes the tone is proverbial — that is, how to have a successful life — and sometimes it is cautionary, reminding one of mortality and the need either to live in harmony or for the present moment.
The earliest form of the literature originated about 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and Egypt, despite how modern it may sound now. The literature spread to China, India, and Greece. Much of the books of Genesis and Job contain echoes of Mesopotamian works. References to older Wisdom traditions also can be found in the Book of Proverbs, the Wisdom of Sirach, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
This ancient tradition encourages people to think deeply about the meaning of life rather than living like busy squirrels. Developing a variety of ideas and practices, Christianity developed a relationship between Jesus and Wisdom. In Proverbs 8, the writer says that wisdom:
“The Holy One brought me forth as the first work,
before the deeds of old;3 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
Then I was constantly at God’s side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in God’s presence,
rejoicing in the whole world
and delighting in humanity.
And in the Gospel of John the author writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life; and the life was the light of all people.”
Richard Rohr, discusses these ideas about Jesus: “…within the wider Near East (including Judaism itself), there was… the teacher of wisdom, one who taught the ancient traditions of the transformation of the human being. …Jesus was not a priest. He had nothing to do with the temple hierarchy in Jerusalem, and he kept a respectful distance from most ritual observances. Nor was he a prophet in the usual sense of the term: a messenger sent to the people of Israel to warn them of impending political catastrophe in an attempt to redirect their hearts to God….
His message was not one of repentance…. Rather, he stayed close to the ground of wisdom: the transformation of human consciousness. He asked those timeless and deeply personal questions: What does it mean to die before you die? How do you go about losing your little life to find the bigger one? Is it possible to live on this planet with a generosity, abundance, fearlessness, and beauty that mirror Divine Being itself?”
And Marcus Borg commented: “Jesus was a sage, a teacher of wisdom, a rabbi. …[B]ut what was he a teacher of? Some have thought that he was primarily a teacher of beliefs; …Jesus was not primarily a teacher of either correct beliefs or right morals. Rather, he was a teacher of a way or path, specifically a way of transformation.”
Why is it helpful to think about Jesus in this way? I think it offers us a way to talk about his teachings without the complications of ideas that developed after his time and about which he had little or nothing to say. Although he respected the temple and the practices of his era of Judaism, he did not see himself as bound by them. In the same way, we can consider the benefits of his teachings and the wisdom he offered us without being constrained by doctrine, but with respect and appreciation of our traditions. For example, the openness of Jesus’ table challenges our ideas about who is a member in community. His ideas about repentance as the opportunity to learn a better way, for ourselves and for the world, challenges our ideas about sin and shame. When Zacchaeus, afraid and ashamed, hides in the sycamore tree, Jesus says that he better come down and make lunch for him. When the Syrophoenician woman challenges his bias, he acknowledges her insight and treats her with respect. When Jesus’ disciples want to promote him as the Messiah, he tells them to be quiet because it is the teaching that matters, not the teacher. Jesus wants us to be free to think, free to grow into our best selves, free to live with appreciation, with openness, and in community.
Here is one of The Odes of Solomon written around 100CE for your contemplation:
The simple heart finds no hard way.
Good thoughts have no barriers.
Deep in the illumined mind is no whirlwind.
Surrounded on every side by the beauty of open country,
one is free of doubt.
Below is like above.
Everything is above.
Now you know grace.
It is for your salvation.
Trust and live and be saved. Hallelujah.