Richard J. Clifford, S.J. The Book of Proverbs and Our Search for Wisdom
ISBN 0-87462-575-0 (1995, Lecture 26). $15
“It is safe to say that the Book of Proverbs is not widely regarded today as a vital part of the Bible and a great resource in living one’s life, at least by contemporary North Americans and Europeans. It is not ranked among the top ten, not even among the top forty, of biblical books. Its lack of popularity in North America is particularly striking, given that many of its concerns are those of perennial best sellers by F. Scott Peck, Parker J. Palmer, and others books on finding meaning in life. Themes of contemporary spirituality are everywhere in Proverbs: for example, discernment, making difficult choices, and finding God in all things.
Many themes of moral philosophy or theology also appear: Are there any moral absolutes? What is the right thing to do? Will I be punished for bad actions and rewarded for good actions? What do I tell my children about the blessed life? Interest in these questions runs high in our culture.” — Richard Clifford, from the Introduction
Marquette University Press
