What is the difference between ecclesiastes and proverbs

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Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments How would you define wisdom? And why is wisdom necessary for human flourishing?

Intelligence and reason can be brought to bear on any area of human endeavor, from curing cancer to robbing a bank.

Wisdom, by contrast, is practical know-how, aimed at human flourishing. All cultures seek and pass down wisdom. Wisdom is about following a life-giving path; we depend on those who have walked ahead of us, and our attempts to stay on the path of wisdom guide those who will come after us. Yet Proverbs knows that some paths are wicked and deadly.

Choosing the right path and staying on it requires imagination and discernment. The proverbial form is itself a good example of this relationship between wisdom and community. Proverbs are a communal genre, the verbal distillation of common experience. The challenge of staying on the path of wisdom is ongoing.

We often think of wisdom as something that comes with age or something that shows up in the political realm—Solomon as a wise king, Lincoln as a wise president. However, both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes focus significantly on the ordinary and the daily. Wisdom is about negotiating ordinary human life, so all people need wisdom to live well.

Their wisdom is important because what they do has such a big effect on others. Many readers probably know that Woman Wisdom—Wisdom personified as a woman—appears in Proverbs.

Why is this figure important and what is essential for us to know about her? Most of Proverbs consists of concrete advice about everyday matters such as relationships, money, sex, alcohol, and work.

She was present with God at the creation of the world, and all our earthly efforts to be wise are to be guided by her.