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A Correlative Study of the Virtue of Prudence in the Book of Proverbs and Thomistic Moral Thought

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A Correlative Study of the Virtue of Prudence in the Book of Proverbs and Thomistic Moral Thought The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2016 A correlative study of the virtue of prudence in the Book of Proverbs and Thomistic moral thought Joseph Tedesco The University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Philosophy Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Tedesco, J. (2016). A correlative study of the virtue of prudence in the Book of Proverbs and Thomistic moral thought (Master of Theology (Thesis)). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/141 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A CORRELATIVE STUDY OF THE VIRTUE OF PRUDENCE IN THE BOOK OF PROVERBS AND THOMISTIC MORAL THOUGHT By Joseph Tedesco Research Thesis Submitted for the Fulfilment of Degree of Master of Theology School of Philosophy and Theology The University of Notre Dame Australia 19 Mouat Street Fremantle Western Australia 6959 June 2016 Supervisor Dr Peter Black 1 Declaration of Authorship This thesis is the candidate’s own work and contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution. To the best of the candidate’s knowledge, the dissertation contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the dissertation. ___________________ __________ Joseph Tedesco Date 2 Contents Declaration of Authorship ........................................................................................................... 2 Contents .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Abstract............................................................................................................................................... 5 Abbreviations Used and Other Notes ....................................................................................... 6 1. Overview: Moral Theory, Scripture and Virtues ....................................................... 8 1.1 Scripture and the Moral Framework of Virtue Ethics ................................................................... 8 1.1.1 Overarching Approach to Scripture and Morality...................................................................... 8 1.1.2 Recent Approaches to Virtue-Based Ethical Exploration in Proverbs and the Virtue of Prudence .................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.2 The Virtues in the Thomistic Tradition and a Comparative Look at Biblical Wisdom .. 18 1.2.1 The Backdrop to Virtues: The Premise of Natural Law and Providential Creation ... 18 1.2.2 Morality in the Thomistic Tradition: The Place of the Virtues and Prudence .............. 22 1.2.3 Theological Backdrop to Biblical Wisdom and its Relationship to Creation ................ 29 2. The Nature of Prudential Wisdom in Proverbs ....................................................... 40 2.1 Words for Wisdom ...................................................................................................................................... 40 2.1.1 Ḥokmāh/Ḥăkam ................................................................................................................................... 41 2.1.2 Śēkel/Śākal ............................................................................................................................................. 43 2.1.3 Bînāh/Mēbîn ........................................................................................................................................... 45 2.1.4 Tĕbûnâ ...................................................................................................................................................... 46 2.1.5 Mĕzimmâ ................................................................................................................................................. 47 2.1.6 Tûšiyyâ ...................................................................................................................................................... 48 2.1.7 ʿormâ ......................................................................................................................................................... 49 2.1.8 Mûsār ......................................................................................................................................................... 50 2.1.9 Daʿat .......................................................................................................................................................... 51 2.2 Overall Composition of Proverbs ......................................................................................................... 52 2.2.1 Overarching Moral Framework of Proverbs .............................................................................. 52 2.2.2 Social-Political Influence in Proverbs and the Political Dimension of Prudential Wisdom ...................................................................................................................................................................... 58 2.2.3 The Particular and Universal Scope of Proverbs...................................................................... 66 2.2.4 Fullness of Life and Theological Imagery in Proverbs ........................................................... 73 3. Truthful Vision and the Parts of Prudence that Aid It ........................................... 82 3.1 Truthful Vision: Seeing Reality Rightly .............................................................................................. 82 3 3.2 Memoria ........................................................................................................................................................... 84 3.2.1 ‘True-to-Being’ and ‘True-to-Self’ Understanding ................................................................... 84 3.2.2 Proverbs and the Concept of Memoria ......................................................................................... 86 3.3 Docilitas ........................................................................................................................................................... 90 3.3.1 Docilitas: Acquiring the Virtues by Being Open and Teachable ......................................... 91 3.3.2 Proverbs and the Concept of Docilitas.......................................................................................... 94 3.4 Solertia ............................................................................................................................................................. 99 3.4.1 Solertia: Timely Decisiveness ......................................................................................................... 100 3.4.2 Proverbs and the Concept of Solertia ......................................................................................... 102 4. Thomas Aquinas in Dialogue with Proverbs: Socio-Political and Theological Dimensions of Prudence .......................................................................................................... 107 4.1 Thomistic Political Prudence .............................................................................................................. 107 4.2 Theological Imagery and the Infused Virtues .............................................................................. 117 4.2.1 Infused Prudence as a Hermeneutical Aid for Proverbs ...................................................... 126 4.2.2 The Natural and Supernatural in Proverbs ............................................................................. 130 Concluding Remarks ................................................................................................................. 135 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 137 4 Abstract The virtues are central to our understanding of character-based morality and in the Aristotelian and Thomistic tradition at least, prudence is considered the first of all cardinal virtues – vital and necessary to the virtuous life. Similarly, the claim of this study is that prudence is a central feature of Proverbial wisdom and, as such, the book of Proverbs is a useful biblical source to allow Scripture to enrich our understanding of the virtuous life and of prudence in particular. In this vein, this thesis engages in a correlative study between an understanding of prudence informed by Thomistic thought and prudential wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Part of this correlative study also takes in the broader context of the virtuous moral life, including notions such as the natural law and the virtues in general. This study highlights that wisdom as portrayed in the book of Proverbs can inform contemporary theological understandings of prudence, especially those with their roots in the Thomistic tradition.
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