POETIC ETHICS IN PROVERBS Th e book of Proverbs frequent use of binary oppositions righteous and wicked, wise and foolish has led many to assume that its vision of the moral world is relatively simplistic. This study demonstrates that Proverbs in fact presents a remarkably sophisticated response to ethical questions of profound concern to the Israelite sages who crafted the book: What motivates human beings? How do they learn? How does the power of desire shape human character? analyzes Proverbs multifaceted collection of images and metaphors to reveal their complex understanding of the development of the moral self, which suggests that character formation requires educating all of the senses and not simply the cognitive faculties. One of few works to make explicit connections between the poetic form of Proverbs and its pedagogical function, Poetic Ethics in Proverbs will appeal to all those interested in literary approaches to the Bible. is Director of External Relations at Princeton Theological Seminary. Her essays have appeared in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, the Harvard Theological Review, the Women's Bible Commentary, and the Encyclopaedia of the Bible and Its Reception.
POETIC ETHICS IN PROVERBS Wisdom Literature and the ANNE W. STEWART Princeton Theological Seminary
32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Information on this title: /9781107119420 2016 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2016 Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc. A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Dat a Stewart, Anne W., 1983 author. Poetic ethics in Proverbs : wisdom literature and the shaping of the moral self /, Princeton Theological Seminary. pages cm ISBN 978-1-107-11942-0 (hardback) 1. Bible. Proverbs Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Hebrew poetry, Biblical. 3. Ethics in the Bible. I. Title. BS1465.52.S74 2015 223.706 dc23 2015026749 ISBN 978-1-107-11942-0 Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URL s for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents Acknowledgments page vii 1 Poetry, Pedagogy, and Ethos 1 The Poetry of Character and the Character of Poetry 2 Overview of Chapters 4 Character, Knowledge, and the Moral Self 6 Part I Character and Poetry 2 Character Ethics and the Shaping of the Self 11 Character Ethics and Biblical Studies 15 Character Ethics and Narrative 20 3 Form Criticism and the Way of Poetry in Proverbs 29 Proverbs and the Genre(s) of Biblical Hebrew Poetry 36 Proverbs and/as Didactic Poetry 41 Didactic Strategies in Proverbial Sayings 43 Didactic Strategies in Proverbs 1 9 55 Proverbs beyond Didactic Poetry 61 Proverbs and the Genre(s) of Biblical Hebrew Poetry (Again) 69 Part II Models of MÛSĀR Introduction: Proverbs and the Simplicity Thesis 71 The Models of Mûsār in Proverbs 78 4 The Model of Rebuke 80 The Model of Rebuke 83 The Poetics of Rebuke 88 The Model of Rebuke and the Moral Self 97 5 The Model of Motivation 102 The Model of Motivation 104 Paradigms of Motivation in Proverbs 107 v
vi Contents The Form of Motivation 114 The Model of Motivation and the Moral Self 126 Proverbs and Moral Motivation 127 6 The Model of Desire 130 The Ubiquity of Desire in Proverbs 135 Typologies of Desire 138 The (Poetic) Patterning of Desire 145 Desire and the Moral Self 161 7 The Model of Imagination 170 Proverbs and the Imagination 171 Cognitive Science, Ethics, and the Moral Imagination 173 Proverbs and Moral Prototypes 177 Metaphor and Moral Reasoning 181 Imagining Alternatives 191 The Moral Imagination of Proverbs as Didactic Poetry 197 Part III Narrative, Poetry, and Personhood 8 Narrative, Poetry, and Personhood 203 The Emplotment of Character 204 The Emplotment of Proverbs 207 The Emplotment of the Wisdom Tradition 213 The Moral Landscape of Israelite Wisdom 216 Bibliography 221 Index of Names 239 Index of Scripture and Ancient Sources 243
Acknowledgments Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed. (Prov 15:22) I am deeply grateful for the many advisers whose wise counsel has shepherded this project to its completion. This work grew out of my doctoral dissertation at Emory University, and I am indebted to the members of my committee. Joel LeMon provided helpful feedback and thoughtful questions. Christine Roy Yoder has for many years been for me a valued source of wisdom on all matters of biblical literature, theological education, and life itself. And I could not have found better or wiser advisers than Carol Newsom and Brent Strawn. They have consistently modeled for me how to pursue excellence in scholarship while cultivating the virtues of generosity, collegiality, and good humor. I also wish to thank the many other wise voices who have commented on versions of this work, including William Brown, Joel Kaminsky, Timothy Sandoval, and Nicole Tilford. Their insight has sharpened my thinking, and where errors remain, the sages of Proverbs would no doubt chastise me for failing to heed the counsel of others. Finally, and most importantly, words cannot express my deep appreciation and love for my parents, Richard Stewart and Dr. Mary Simmonds. This work is dedicated to them, my first and best teachers of wisdom. vii