The Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting 2021 - San Antonio, TX
Wisdom in Israelite and Cognate Traditions Unit
There are vestiges of the ancient Near Eastern wisdom tradition not only in biblical wisdom literature, but also in Jewish writings of the late Second Temple period. This continuum of this tradition across ages is identifiable by tracking the topic of divine retribution, which was both evident in Ancient Near Eastern wisdom writings (e.g., Ludlul, The Babylonian Theodicy) and prevalent in the biblical wisdom tradition. The Dead Sea Scrolls demonstrate that divine retribution continued to be at the forefront of Jewish thought through the late Second Temple period. This is not, in and of itself, surprising, but what is notable is that the sectarian writings of the Qumran community were particularly concerned about retribution upon the wicked who were in positions of power (e.g., Psalms Pesher [4QpPsa] on Psalm 37). The community used imagery similar to that of ancient Near Eastern and biblical wisdom literature in order to broach the topic of just retribution upon the wicked—for example, the dichotomy between light and darkness (e.g., The War Scroll [1QM]), and lion imagery (e.g., Commentary on Nahum [4Q169]).
The New Testament authors also use similar imagery to that which is found in ancient Near Eastern and biblical wisdom literature. For example, imagery related to swallowing the possessions of the vulnerable as an act of wickedness appears in the Instructions of Amenemope 14.5-8, Job 20:12-14, and Mark 12:40 (cf. Lk 20:47). However, some of these vestiges of ancient Near Eastern wisdom writings took on a new theological purpose for Jewish authors of the late Second Temple period. For example, some of this imagery was used to portray the New Testament teaching that the wicked might prosper and not necessarily be punished for their misdeeds during their lifetime, but they would eventually suffer retribution in the eschaton, or in the life to come.
In this paper, I will present imagery that appears in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, trace it through the biblical wisdom tradition, and explore its usage in Jewish literature of the late Second Temple period. This paper will conclude with suggestions concerning the ways in which following imagery related to just retribution facilitates a heightened awareness of how retribution dogma progressed in the late Second Temple period.