Ancient Wisdom

These are the proverbs of ancient wisdom, where the ancient meets the present to enlighten the 21st century with a wisdom that has largely been left behind. Solomon lived four centuries before Confucius and Buddha, five before Socrates and Plato, ten centuries before Jesus, fifteen before the beginning of Zen. His proverbs predate any body of comparable wisdom in recorded history. Yet Solomon's proverbs are astonishingly modern for our current culture. In these stimulating essays for...
More Description

These are the proverbs of ancient wisdom, where the ancient meets the present to enlighten the 21st century with a wisdom that has largely been left behind. Solomon lived four centuries before Confucius and Buddha, five before Socrates and Plato, ten centuries before Jesus, fifteen before the beginning of Zen. His proverbs predate any body of comparable wisdom in recorded history. Yet Solomon's proverbs are astonishingly modern for our current culture. In these stimulating essays for daily reading, the anxious sage steps out of Mideast antiquity irradiating practical wisdom and personal direction for our contemporary culture. His proverbs reflect a penetrating analysis of human nature and social needs that flow throughout all generations. They appeal to enduring human interests that are not eroded by time. Multiple subjects are addressed in various areas---human relations, communication, social science, economics, business ethics, principles of leadership, personal integrity, social evil and moral goodness, wealth and poverty, pain and pleasure, happiness and sorrow, war and peace, wisdom and folly, freedom and security, success and failure, rationality, responsibility, work ethic, personal attitudes, physical health, relation with God . . . On and on! The Subject Index includes 186 items. Solomon "comes at" many of them from various angles, depicting them in different real-life situations, and showing how virtues interrelate and vices contribute to each other. In this volume, the author gives a one-page treatment to each proverb in a total of 367 essays. His lines are lean and terse, thoughtful and insightful, and reflects a broad background of experience. Most of Murphree's support material comes from classical literature, from 211 sources listed in Works Cited. The Subject Index and Works Cited are ready references for writers, lecturers, preachers, and teachers.