atheism: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psa 14. 1; 53. 1-Wisdom Psalms). It amounted to a practical denial of God's moral government of the world. The Wisdom Psalms are particularly concerned that the reward and retribution shall be constantly evident, in order that the righteous may be saved from "the reproach of the foolish" (Psa 39. 8).

Evidently, two objections may at once be brought against this view of life. It may be said that it is not true, and also that it appeals to inferior motives for ethical conduct. But these objections must not be made too easily. There can be no doubt that taking human life all in all, first and last, there is a great truth in this practical wisdom. Sloth, extravagance, sensuality, falsehood, pride are barriers to success and often bring about the complete wrecking of a life; while industry, thrift, sobriety, honesty, cheerfulness, kindness are conducive to prosperity and health. Injustice, tyranny, unneighborliness are responsible for the major part of the world's woe, which generosity and good feeling would remove. Thus the wise man gave to his disciples the advice which every father gives to his sons, and every teacher to his pupils, showing the intimate relationship of worldly success and good character. Doubtless there are direful facts which this optimistic philosophy does not take into account, but as far as it goes it is true, and most significantly true.

Moreover, it is not a fair objection to this philosophy of the wise men to say that it is a merely prudential ethics. "Honesty is the best policy" does not seem to appeal to very lofty motives; and it is always dangerous in view of the examples of success of dishonesty. But to the Hebrew sage this was more than a counsel of prudence-it was a statement of religious faith. Righteousness is urged as the way of success because it belongs to the very constitution of things, since God is God. It is not mere selfishness, it is religion. Consequently, if there seem to be exceptions to the principle, the religious man must regard them as exceptions,

There is a more semos pritvem than that of safering, samein, whether it is has any signdance in view of me msatisfactoriness of so much of human striving. The Book of Ecclesiastes fares this goeson with a very hopeful and However, Hebrew religion was too well founded to remain long in pessimistic mood, and the teaching of the ugh food regained its happier tone. The Son of Sirach represents a calmer mood as he finds again that He is good vé a goizess is to be found in keeping the law, in obetrante dinne will and in the vaines of wisdom Fito the moble work called the Book of Wisdom indicates

the attitude of the pious Jews who have followed the divine wisdom rather than the maxims of worldly prudence, and finds the resolution of the difficulties that have embarrassed earlier sages in the great reorganization of things in the future life.

§ 3. THE SOCIAL QUALITY OF HEBREW WISDOM

At first view it might seem that the teachings of the sages are speculative on one side and individualistic on the other. They are concerned with the problems of human life especially in their theological significance, and they are addressed, not to the nation in its solidarity, but to the disciples who gather to listen to the master. Has Hebrew wisdom, then, any social quality at all?

It must be noted that there is a practical interest at the basis of all the speculation. The question with which the sage is really concerned is whether there is any adequate motive for right conduct. He sees first of all a society in which happiness inevitably follows goodness; and if that could be maintained, there would result a very effective social motive. When, however, doubt is cast upon this foundation principle in the social order, the sage is at pains to discover other grounds for ethical motive, but the question remains one of practical moral interest. He is sure that men ought to be good: he is trying to offer them a sufficient

reason.

As regards the distinction between individualistic and social teachings, it must be recognized that it is at best a superficial one. We sometimes say to-day that a man is individualistically good but socially bad. Thus he may be an excellent father but an execrable politician. However, this is a question of social degree. Parenthood is a social relation as truly as citizenship. The fact is, rather, that the man has a limited sense of social obligation. He is socialized only within the small group and not within the larger group. Properly speaking, there is no virtue, as there is no

vice, that is not social. All conduct that is good and all conduct that is bad is so in its social effects.

It is true that the wise men had little to say of national solidarity. They were not much concerned with national sins and obligations, with the relation of Israel as a whole to God, or with the clash of classes. They saw evil as the acts of individuals, and they saw the opportunities of personal worth and duty. Their teaching was social inasmuch as a man cannot be virtuous or vicious by himself, but only in relation to the members of the society in which he belongs. Industry, truth, honor, fairness, kindness, chastity are social virtues, and their opposites are social evils.

DIRECTIONS FOR STUDY

1. Read Prov I. 1-6. What does this indicate as the purpose of Hebrew Wisdom?

2. Read Job 28. Note the wonderful comparison between the search for wealth in the mine and the search for Wisdom. Note also the religious basis of Wisdom.

3. Read Prov 8. 1-21. What does this suggest as to the value of Wisdom in the world? How would you modernize the idea? 4. Read Prov 8. 22-31. Note Wisdom as personified and present with God in creation. Compare with this the Alexandrian doctrine of the Logos (John 1. 1-10).

5. Read Eccl 4. 1-3; 8. 9-13; 9. 13-18. What were the social difficulties that disturbed the earlier doctrine of good and evil? 6. Read Job 24. 1-17. Note that this is a declaration of the immunity of the wicked. How would this affect the orthodox theory of the sages?

7. What is the proper place in social ethics for the idea that

righteousness brings prosperity?

8. How could the theory of the sages be applied to such problems as those of social diseases?

9. Has the theological consideration of the relation of God to the world anything to do with social ethics?

10.

In the practical work of religious and moral education what is the difference between individual and social ethics?

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE ETHICAL TEACHING OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

THE necessary limits of our treatment preclude any detailed study of the uncanonical books. We have used these books freely for the light which they throw upon the social condition. Any adequate treatment of the subject of Hebrew wisdom would involve a careful consideration of two of its noblest products-the book of the Son of Sirach, and the book of Wisdom. We must be content with urging the student to make their acquaintance, at least to the extent of reading them.

The books of Job and Ecclesiastes throw much light on social conditions in Judaism, and we have had frequent occasion to refer to them for this contribution. Moreover, they convey incidentally many of the ideas of the wise men upon social matters. Their main purpose, however, is the discussion of the great problems to which reference was made in the last chapter, and therefore a detailed study of them does not fall within our province. For the student who is concerned with the main ethical teachings of the wise men the best course to pursue is to make a study of the book of Proverbs.

§ I. WISDOM AND FOLLY

The difference between good and evil is presented as fundamentally that between wisdom and folly. Righteous conduct is so eminently sane and reasonable; it conduces to personal and social health; it softens the asperities of life; it promotes all things desirable. Evil conduct to the sage is