"Ḥokma of the Hands" in early Jewish sapiential tradition and the Letter of James. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wold, Benjamin
• Is Part Of: Journal for the study of the Pseudepigrapha. Volume 30:Number 2(2020:Dec.)
• Page Start: 74
• Page End: 86
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: Ben Sira -- James -- Qumran -- sapiential literature -- semitic idioms -- Wisdom; Apocryphal books -- Periodicals; Apocryphal books (Old Testament) -- Criticism, interpretation, etc -- Periodicals; 229.9106
• DOI: 10.1177/0951820720949456
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0951-8207

Abstract

In early Jewish wisdom literature, a Hebrew idiom occurs that combines "hands" with "wisdom." This construct has been overwhelmingly translated along the lines of "manual wisdom" and implying craftsmanship or the work of an artisan. This article examines "wisdom of the hands" and argues that its meaning relates to acting wisely, as distinguished from merely acquiring knowledge or cognitive assent, and is used especially in the context of wielding authority. As such, this idiom may inform another rare expression, namely being "doers of the word" and not only "hearers" in James 1:22.