Character in Crisis: A Fresh Approach to the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament

In Character in Crisis, William P. Brown helps to demonstrate that the aim of the Bible's wisdom literature is the formation of moral character, both for individuals and for the community. Brown traces the theme of moral identity and conduct throughout the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, with a concluding reflection on the Epistle of James in the New Testament, and explores a range of issues that includes literary characterization, moral discourse, worldview, and the theology of the ancient sages. He examines the ways in which central characters such as God, wisdom, and human beings are profiled in the wisdom books and shows how the characterizations impart ethical meaning to the reading community, both ancient and modern.