This book project revisits the enduring question of wisdom in light of contemporary challenges and recent scholarship. It will produce an edited volume of approximately 30 essays examining wisdom in the Bible, church history, and modern disciplines. Contributors from diverse fields will explore the nature and significance of wisdom, demonstrating its continuing relevance for Christian thought, academic inquiry, and public life.
Primary Discipline(s): Biblical Studies, Theology, Church History, Philosophy, Ethics
Base Community: Mission Group
Leader: Craig G. Bartholomew, Benjamin T. Quinn, Matthew A. O’Kelly
Staff Liaison: Craig G. Bartholomew
Primary Author(s): Craig G. Bartholomew, Benjamin T. Quinn, Matthew A. O’Kelly, and enlisted contributors
Collaborators:
Acknowledgements:
Partner Organisations: T&T Clark
Funding: None
Problem: The need for wisdom in the world of today can scarcely be overstated. And yet how ought wisdom be understood? As Job asks the question, “Where can wisdom be found?” In 1999, Stephen Barton edited a volume that sought to “throw light on the many faces of wisdom.” Such an endeavor, Barton noted in the introduction, was timely: in the face of the global tumult leading up the turn of the millennium, the question was particularly pertinent, “what is wisdom and where is it to be found?” Much has taken place since then, both in world events and in scholarship focused on wisdom in the Bible, theology, and the contemporary world to justify asking the question afresh.
Process:
The current project is working towards producing a substantial volume of around 30 essays, akin to that edited by Stephen Barton, published in 1999 (Where Shall Wisdom be Found?, T&T Clark). The volume will be divided into three main sections: wisdom in the Bible, throughout church history, and across a range of disciplines in the contemporary world. Specialists across the range of disciplines covered under these three headings will weigh into the discussion of what is wisdom, and where shall it be found?
Aims and Outcomes: The project looks to explore how wisdom has been variously understood over time and in various fields, to show why wisdom is important for Christians and society today, and to engage wisdom’s intersection with various contemporary disciplines, highlighting its place in current academic and public discussion.
Production Goals: Publication of a book, currently under contract with T&T Clark.
If you have something to contribute to the following questions, email your thoughts to tota@kirbylaingcentre.co.uk.
When the team has a need for help or an area in which collaboration could be beneficial, their requests will be listed here.
Your contributions are greatly appreciated and are integral to our vision of collaborative, interdisciplinary research. We endeavor to acknowledge all the efforts of our collaborators and to give due credit, but note that we can’t guarantee that any contribution will be used in the final product.
If anyone has access to background information, documents, or key works that provide information about Kirby Laing, or to archives that may contain such information, please email ian.m.randall@gmail.com.
If anyone has access to background information, documents, or key works that provide information about Kirby Laing, or to archives that may contain such information, please email ian.m.randall@gmail.com.
When the team produces research components and additional resources that may be of public interest, these will be made available here.
