One of the reasons why I wanted to start a blog is to post my theological discoveries.
I have always had an interest in the spiritual and academic study of religion - especially sociological theology and a few other specific areas. Of course one of my favorite things to do is study the ancient writings and try to find connections.
In my first semester of seminary I took Old Testament. I found the book of Proverbs to be interesting so I spent some time there. I remember reading Proverb 15. It stuck out to me when we were studying the different kinds of criticisms (literary, form, redaction, etc).
This past semester I took Greek and New Testament. When I studied the book of James I found that the entire book was very similar to Proverbs 15.
The Bible is full of practical knowledge, themes, and many other various dynamics. It is used by religious practitioners to further their purposes spiritually, communally, and in many other ways. One of the things scholars are interested in is the academic study of the countless hidden connections that are to be found throughout scripture. Wisdom literature is one of the disciplines that a scholar may study for an entire lifetime. James wrote a letter of wisdom that was directed to Jewish Christians. It would later be dispersed among the Jews of the Diaspora, as James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. This writing is thought of as wisdom literature of the New Testament. The Proverbs of Solomon are also considered wisdom literature of the Old Testament. As I studied these two ancient documents my goal was to compare and contrast the writing of James and Proverb 15 in terms of their form and various thematic literary and thematic elements.
The two most noticeable similarities have to do with their audience and content. James and Solomon are both writing to Jews. Of course their audiences are hundreds of years apart but they are Jews nonetheless. Solomon wrote timeless wisdom literature that never ceased to be studied so it is safe to say the Jews of the first century were familiar with the Proverbs as well as the writing they received from James. You wouldn’t want to forget that not ALL Jews of the first Century were familiar with James.
The book of James and Proverb 15 are also similar in terms of content. Both have elements of works, moral instruction, sayings of wisdom, courage, form, and literary and thematic elements. Some specific themes are mentioned by scholars include trials and temptations, wisdom from above, faith and works, and rich and poor. All of these themes are also present in Proverb fifteen. There are other themes that are present in both writings. I would add the speech and the tongue, understanding in addition to wisdom, and the fear of God’s judgment, to the list of comparable themes present in both writings.
There are also many differences in the two writings. Some of the other differences have to do with content. While there are many themes that are present in both writings, there are some themes that are distonctive. For example, James includes a lot of things that are to be done and actions that need to be taken that are not included in Proverb 15. James also includes certain illustrations that do not appear in Proverb 15 such as Abraham acting by faith in sacrificing Isaac, and the illustration of bearing fruit. One reason why this occurs is because the Book of James is five chapters long while proverb fifteen is only thirty-three verses.
Another difference is seen when doing a careful analysis of their form (form criticism). When analyzing the form of these writings one may see the themes more clearly. James wrote five chapters that are all very similar in what they include. One example is the theme of rich and poor. It seems as if the theme of rich and poor begins in chapter 1 and 2 and picks up again in at the end of the letter in chapter 5. The first two chapters speak of how the rich will disappear like a flower in the field and how they shouldn’t make distinctions between rich and poor. In chapter 5 James speaks of how the rich should mourn for coming judgment. One might note how the element of rich and poor is present at the beginning and the end of the letter. The form of Proverb 15 may be analyzed in terms of verses rather than chapters. The theme of rich and poor is present at the beginning in verse 6 saying, “the house of the righteous contains great treasure” and picks up again at the end of the writing in verse twenty-seven saying, “the greedy bring ruin to their households.” This is an example of how the form of the two writings is similar. Each writer begins and ends with elements of rich and poor.
There are many other literary elements that characterize the writing of James and
Solomon (Literary criticism). James wrote from a first century, Jewish perspective. James experienced life with Jesus as his brother and died the death of a martyr. Some say the writer could have been a different James but I choose to go with the stance taken by the NOAB. James is characterized as including many rhetorical and stylistic similarities to Greco-Roman literature, especially those philosophical writings that employ the literary technique called “diatribe” which engages the audience in direct conversation. Solomon wrote from a very different perspective. He lived and wrote as a king in ancient Israel. Solomon destroyed the nation of Israel, led them into Babylonian captivity, and possibly died an apostate. His writing style is very poetic and proverbial. James’ writing is prose - a sermon that would later be a letter to be dispersed.
One of the literary elements that characterize the writing of James and the Proverbs is a sort of poetic, ABAB, antithetical phrasing that is often found in the Psalms and Proverbs. The times when James uses this method they are elaborated more than the Proverbs. One example is in James 3:16-17 where he says, “where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, the peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” Here James begins with a negative statement, inserts a conjunction, and continues with the opposing, positive statement. This literary element is all throughout Proverb fifteen as well. The first verse says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” This is an example of the same literary element used in both writings.
Each of the two writings conveys truth in a different way. James often asks questions and follows with an answer. Some examples of these questions are, “Who is wise and understanding among you (James 3:13)?” and “are any among you suffering (James 5:13)?” James asks rhetorical questions to get the audience thinking about the issue he wishes to address. Proverb 15 is written to give the reader a sense of wickedness or evil followed by something righteous and good. There are times throughout the writing where it switches so Solomon is writing of something righteous and good first followed by something wicked or evil. This leads one to believe that Solomon was conveying truth by way of contrast. One can understand the truths of this writing clearly because the negative and positive elements are always in line.
One dynamic of these sayings of wisdom is how they function in a social context. When thinking of the social aspects the theme of the tongue and judgment are prominent. The themes of works, moral instruction, and sayings of wisdom aren’t as functional in the social context as the theme of speech and judgment. Speech is an appropriate theme in the social context because it has to do with the way people interact with each other. This theme is present in many ways throughout the book of James. He encourages his audience not to make distinctions (2:1), to be careful what they say because the tongue being a small member boasts great exploits (3:5), not to speak evil against one another (4:11), not to grumble (5:9), not to swear (5:12), and to confess sins (5:16). Proverb fifteen also mentions speech in almost every verse. Each occurrence in James and in Proverbs has something to do with social interaction.
The other theme that is prominent in terms of social context is judgment. Both writings mention judgment several times but they are somewhat different in their approach. James is encouraging people not to judge each other, that we are all to be judged by the law of liberty, and how God is the Ultimate Judge. Proverb 15 incorporates this theme in the context of family and the household. Solomon says to heed the instruction given by parents and that the Lord tears down the house of the proud. Proverbs also includes some of the same notions James includes by speaking of God’s judgment to humanity. The parts that are of interested in the social context would be judging others and how God judges the actions that take place within families and households. One may see the similarities and differences through the various literary styles and inclusion of the authors. The practice of analyzing a text is crucial in understanding the countless hidden connections that are to be found throughout scripture. Wisdom literature is one of the disciplines that a scholar may study for an entire lifetime and wisdom comes from careful reading and analysis of the text. There are endless themes and literary elements present in scripture if we are willing to look for them.
These are some of the sources I used in this study:
Walter Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: With the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books.
John Dart's “Scriptural Schemes: The ABCBAs of Biblical Writing.”
Mark Allan Powell - Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey.
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