A SERIES OF WORKS FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURES PRESENTED IN MODERN LITERARY FORM THE PROVERBS EDITED, WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY RICHARD G. MOULTON, M.A. (CAMB.), PH.D. (PENN.) PROFESSOR OF LITERATURE IN ENGLISH IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. All rights reserved Set up and electrotyped November, 1895. Reprinted January, April, July, November, 1896; January, July, No- Norwood Press J. S. Cushing & Co. - Berwick & Smith INTRODUCTION IN the wide range of books described by the collective title 'The Bible' a department that stands out separate from all the rest is Wisdom Literature. Side by side with prophets defending the theocracy and singers taking their inspiration from Temple service, with historians compiling annals of kings and scribes expounding the law, there was a class of Wise Men, who had habits of thought and forms of literature peculiar to themselves. Prophecy has much in common with the lyric psalms; prophecy again overlaps with history, and the line between historic and epic narrative is difficult to draw. But every reader feels how the proverbs of practical life differ from prophetic denunciations of sin, and how widely apart are the lyrics of worship and lyric celebrations of wisdom. Yet this is a distinctness in which there is no clashing: the wise have reached the same conclusions as the prophets and psalmists, only they have reached them by a different route. It is true that the name of Israel is found in only one of the books of wisdom, and only two give any recognition to JAN -31917 379754 |