The Instructions of Amenemope (1)

Extend your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge;  Proverbs 22:17  NASB

Words of the wise – Many years ago I led a Bible study on the book of Proverbs.  When we reached this section (which runs to 24:22), I remarked that this material was most likely adopted from Egyptian sources.  In fact, there are so many parallels that virtually all scholars acknowledge that the Hebrew text is a translation via Aramaic of the Egyptian wisdom literature.  The host of our study group came to me afterwards and said, “I can no longer have this study at my home.  All of this is making me lose my love for Jesus.”  So sad.  What she really meant is that her religion required her to believe that every word of the Bible came from God directly.  To discover that Hebrew scribes copied material from “evil Egypt” was just more than she could take.  Doctrine not only interfered with learning; it prevented any hope of understanding the religious world of the ancient Semites.

Robert Alter comments on these two sections in Proverbs: “The first of these sub-units, as most scholars for nearly a century have agreed, is an adaptation of an Egyptian Wisdom text . . . In all likelihood, the Egyptian text was first translated into Aramaic, perhaps in the seventh century B.C.E., by which time Aramaic had become a diplomatic lingua franca in the Near East. . .  It is notable that the Hebrew of this section incorporates a number of Aramaic usages.”[1]

Why should we be dismayed—or surprised?  Did we suppose that Israel had exclusive copyright protection on God’s words?  That God spoke only to the children of Abraham and Jacob?  Abraham Heschel, as staunch a Jew as anyone, once wrote:

“As far as I can judge, and I try to judge God’s will from history, it seems to be the will of God that there be more than one religion.  I think it’s a very marvelous thing to realize.  You know, if I were to ask the question whether the . . . Metropolitan Museum should try to introduce that all paintings should look alike, or I should like to suggest that all human faces should look alike—how would you respond to my proposal? . . . I think it is the will of God that there should be religious pluralism.”[2]

It certainly appears so, if we’re willing to put aside our doctrines and look at the text.  The phrase in Hebrew incorporates all material that leads to God’s ways.  “The essential idea of ḥākam represents a manner of thinking and attitude concerning life’s experiences; including matters of general interest and basic morality. These concerns relate to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of the Lord.”^[3]  As such, dibrê ḥākāmimisn’t constrained to a single source.  God communicates through all of His creation.  Israel may be the locus of our attention, but that doesn’t restrain God.  Perhaps we should consider this the next time a “non-believer” says something that penetrates the heart.  If Egyptian priests can guide us to holy wisdom, why should we close our ears on the basis of ethnic religion?  Heschel would probably tell us to be in awe that God is so diversified.

Topical Index: religious pluralism, Egypt, words of the wise, dibrê ḥākāmim, Proverbs 22:17

[1] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Vol. 3 The Writings, p. 420.

[2] I am unable to locate the source of these citations since many of my Heschel books are safely tucked away in storage someplace.  If you happen to know the references, please tell me.

^[3] Goldberg, L. (1999). 647 חָכַם. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 282). Chicago: Moody Press.