The Development of the Characters of Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly in Judaic Literature

Abstract

This book contributes to the knowledge in the studies of Judaic wisdom literature by covering a vast body of literature and analyzing and comparing several applicable texts within their contexts. It gives a comprehensive list of texts from the Judaic corpora that personify wisdom and/or folly; it interprets and engages all these texts in intertextual and extratextual studies. This study adds to the discussion on the character(s) and attributes linked to wisdom and/or folly, its development, and the function or content of the concept of wisdom and/or folly. It covers a large field of contextualization and extratextual reading in the Judaic corpora and links it to the texts and the changes in the character of wisdom and/or folly. According to the author’s knowledge, no previous single study has dealt with all these texts together. Furthermore, no previous, detailed discussion on the development of the attributes and character of Lady Wisdom/Lady Folly exists. Previous studies also have not linked developments in the portrayal of Lady Wisdom/Lady Folly to differing contexts and/or ideologies. The comprehensive and encompassing study on the Lady metaphor in Judaic literature and the development of the Lady metaphor over the centuries in Judaic literature make this book a basic source for established scholars and students in Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism and Biblical Studies.