The Pursuit of Wisdom at Qumran: Assessing the Classification “Wisdom Literature” and Its Application to the Dead Sea Scrolls

In recent years, the category of Wisdom Literature, primarily a designation for a type of biblical literature, has been applied to texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the same time, the usefulness of Wisdom as a literary category has been questioned. This situation prompts us to examine why we have the category, what its limitations and problems are, and also to assess its value. Genre theory encourages us to understand the nature of Wisdom as a literary category, recognizing that it is not simply a taxonomic scheme but also an etic and constructed convention of reading. Employing this category to classify texts, from both the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, has pragmatic value for interpreters despite its limitations, since it helps us recognize the affinities between texts so classified and better understand the pedagogy of ancient Judaism.