WISDOM’S WEALTHY: THE RICH IN MT PROVERBS, LXX PROVERBS, AND SIRACH by Yong Hyun Cho Bachelor of Arts, 2002 Yonsei University Seoul, South Korea Master of Divinity, 2005 Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary Seoul, South Korea Master of Theology, 2007 Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary Seoul, South Korea Master of Arts, 2011 The Theological School, Drew University Madison, New Jersey Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Brite Divinity School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Interpretation Fort Worth, TX May, 2018 WISDOM’S WEALTHY: THE RICH IN MT PROVERBS, LXX PROVERBS, AND SIRACH APPROVED BY DISSERTATION COMMITTEE: Timothy J. Sandoval Dissertation Director Ariel Feldman Reader Francisco Lozada, Jr. Reader Jeffrey Williams Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Joretta Marshall Dean WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish photocopy or reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ···························································· 1 Statement of Thesis ·································································· 1 The Scope of This Research ························································ 7 History of Scholarship ······························································· 11 MT Proverbs ··································································· 11 Social or Historical Contexts ······································ 13 Complicated Perspectives ·········································· 16 Figurative Dimensions ············································· 20 The Scholarly Neglect of the Sayings about the Rich ········· 21 Honor and Shame ··················································· 24 Moral Agent/Agency ················································ 26 LXX Proverbs ································································· 33 Gillis Gerleman and the Influence of Hellenistic Culture ···· 34 Critiques of Gerleman’s Argument ······························· 37 Scholarly Disregard of the Rich ··································· 40 Sirach ············································································ 42 Victor M. Asensio ····················································· 43 Benjamin G. Wright ·················································· 44 Wright and Claudia V. Camp ······································· 46 Bradley C. Gregory ··················································· 47 Samuel L. Adams ····················································· 49 iv Hermeneutical Perspective and Methodology ···································· 50 An Exegetical Approach ······················································· 50 A Linguistic Analysis ·························································· 51 Cultural Anthropology ························································· 54 The Contribution ······································································· 61 CHAPTER 2: THE RICH IN MT PROVERBS ············································· 63 Introduction ············································································· 63 The Rich in the Hebrew Bible ······················································· 64 64 ·············································· שׁע י ר A Philological Analysis of 67 ··············································· שׁע י ר A Contextual Analysis of An Economic Term: People Who Possess Wealth ·············· 68 A Socio-Political Term: The Ruling Class/Elites ··············· 69 The Explicit Critiques of the Rich ································· 72 The Implicit Critiques of the Rich ································· 75 The Exegetical Analysis of the Rich in MT Proverbs ·························· 78 The Rich: Possessors of Economic and Social Power ···················· 79 An Economic Term: Possessors of Wealth ······················· 79 A Socio-Political Term: A Ruling Class ··························· 81 The Ethical Component: The Rich as Moral Agents ······················· 83 The Rich Trust Wrongly, or Too Much, in Their Wealth ······ 84 The Rich Seek Their Own Advantage in Social Relations ····· 94 The Rich Oppress the Poor ········································· 103 v The Rich Demonstrate Intellectual and Moral Hubris ·· ······ 111 The Moral Failure of the Rich ····································· 117 Rich and the Rhetoric of Honor and Shame ····································· 120 Honor and Shame in MT Proverbs ·········································· 120 The Evaluation of the Rich Through Honor and Shame ··················· 130 Conclusion ·············································································· 131 CHAPTER 3: THE RICH IN LXX PROVERBS ··········································· 134 Introduction ············································································· 134 The Relationship between MT Proverbs and LXX Proverbs ················· 135 The Rich in the LXX ··································································· 139 A Philological Analysis of πλοῦσιος ········································· 139 A Contextual Analysis of πλοῦσιος ·········································· 140 Possessors of Material Wealth ······································ 140 Ruling Elites ··························································· 142 Negative Characters ·················································· 144 Those Who Boast of Their Wealth ································· 146 The Exegetical Analysis of the Rich in LXX Proverbs ························· 147 Overview ········································································ 147 The Rich as Possessors of Economic and Social-Political Power ······· 148 The Rich as Moral Agents ···················································· 149 The Rich Wrongly Trust in Their Wealth ························ 150 The Rich Are Liars and Delude Themselves ····················· 159 vi The Rich Seek Their Own Advantage in Friendship ·········· 166 The Rich Oppress the Poor ········································· 176 The Rich from the Viewpoint of Honor and Shame ··························· 184 Honor and Shame in LXX Proverbs ········································ 184 The Evaluation of the Rich through Honor and Shame ·················· 190 Conclusion ·············································································· 192 CHAPTER 4: THE RICH IN SIRACH ······················································ 195 Introduction ············································································ 195 Introductory Matters of Sirach ···················································· 195 A Philological Analysis of the Rich in Sirach ···································· 199 The Exegetical Analysis of the Rich in Sirach ··································· 201 The Rich as Possessors of Material Wealth and Social Power ·········· 201 Possessors of Material Wealth and Social Power ·············· 202 A Ruling Class ······················································· 204 The Rich as Moral Agents ··················································· 208 The Rich Love Gold ················································· 209 The Rich Exploit Others in Social Relations ···················· 217 The Rich Prey on the Poor ········································· 226 The Rich Are Blameworthy ········································ 233 The Rich and the Rhetoric of Honor and Shame ······························· 242 Honor and Shame in Sirach ·················································· 242 The Evaluation of the Rich Through Honor and Shame ·················· 248 vii Conclusion ············································································· 252 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ································································ 254 Summary of the Argument ·························································· 254 A Sketch of the Rich as a Literary-Moral Type ································· 257 The Epistle of Enoch (1 Enoch 91-107) ···································· 258 The Rich’s Trust in Wealth and Divine Judgment ············· 262 The Rich Oppress the Righteous ·································· 264 The Rich Sin by Virtue of Evil Spirits ···························· 269 Other Second Temple Texts ·················································· 275 The Wisdom of Solomon ············································ 275 The New Testament ·················································· 278 BIBLIOGRAPHY ·············································································· 282 viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Statement of Thesis Scholars who have studied the rhetoric of wealth and poverty in the traditional wisdom books of the Hebrew Proverbs (MT Proverbs), the Septuagint