The concept of wisdom in Ancient Greece had its own “Odyssey.” Initially, wisdom had to do with artistry, mastery, perfection and the effectiveness of its master. But it gradually begins to be thought through the duality of human and divine wisdom. Greek philosophy - contrary to popular masses and “natural religion” - comes to the conclusion about the remoteness of the gods, their “loftiness” and even in some sense transcendence (Plato, Epicurus). As a result, classical Antiquity and Hellenism consider reason to be the best tool for deciphering the divine craft and organizing the world. However, in the future, “perfectionism” and “scientific” in the understanding of wisdom under the influence of the Biblical narrative give way to the understanding of wisdom as a unity of knowledge of “external” and “internal”, moral taste and existential attitude.In the second section of the article, peculiarities of the Biblical concept and perception of wisdom and its dominants are revealed; also ways of acquiring knowledge are considered. Wisdom lies at the basis of the universe, which is created by the Lord in accordance with it and through it. Wisdom is with God, but it descends into the earthly world, from the very beginning being the connecting link between the Most High, the universe and man. Its origin is in the worship of God, expressed primarily in ethical aspects, striving for righteousness and justice. Biblical wisdom, as a rule, is not speculative, but dynamic - it is acquired in the course of the religious and social activity of the sage and is realized par excellence in this very activity. Realizing the uniqueness of a particular person, the Biblical sages “measure” its place in the historical process not only with the “things” of the earthly world (as Protagoras and Aristotle do, for example), but also with the eternal essences of the higher world. Using the connotation of the term ʻôlām “eternity as the world”, the sage Ecclesiastes (3:10-11) expresses the idea of the comprehension of all being by the mind of a subject cognizing “the world” (hā-‛ōlām); on the other hand, a man comprehending the universe, has hope of actualizing God’s “eternity” (hā-‛ōlām) “put” in his mind, in the course of the endless process of cognizing the constantly changing world.
Translated title of the contributionThe “Odyssey” of the Notion of Wisdom in Ancient Thought and Some Peculiaritiesof the Concepts of Wisdom in the Bible
Original languageRussian
Pages (from-to)114-127
Number of pages14
JournalВОПРОСЫ ФИЛОСОФИИ
Volume2020
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020

    Scopus subject areas

  • Philosophy

    Research areas

  • ANCIENT INTERPRETATION OF WISDOM, HUMAN AND DIVINE WISDOM, ANCIENT UNDERSTANDING OF WISDOM, BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF WISDOM, BIBLICAL LITERATURE OF WISDOM, WISDOM AND ETHICS

ID: 51347740