Wisdom

views updated

Wisdom (Heb., ḥokhmah, binah, ‘discrimination’). An ethical and religious quality of life as advocated by the Hebrew scriptures. Wisdom is sometimes used in the sense of ‘intelligence’ (e.g. Ecclesiastes 2. 3), but it came to symbolize a particular cultural tradition within Judaism. The wisdom books of the Bible are Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. The Apocrypha includes Ecclesiasticus (Ben Sira) and the Wisdom of Solomon.

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

Wisdom

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article

Related Content