Towards Holistic Scholarship: A Review of Selected Works on Israelite and Yoruba Wisdom Traditions

Abstract

Wisdom exists among the human inhabitants of the earth; it is peculiar to humanity. What makes the concept of wisdom an outstanding one is that it is uniquely ubiquitous and perennial, and every culture produces its own store of wisdom. The similarity in nature and forms of expression of Israelite and Yoruba wisdom traditions provide a wealth of comparative data. Interestingly, there are numerous parallels between Israelite wisdom tradition and that of the Yoruba people. The people of ancient Israel, like those of the surrounding nations, had developed a wisdom tradition that contains many wise sayings. These sayings were fruits of experience that contain valuable lessons for everyone but were used, especially, to inculcate good judgement into young people to enable them avoid or overcome many of life’s pitfalls. To achieve this objective, young people are instructed on how to live in such a way that they would find personal fulfillment and contribute to the welfare of the community. This traditional emphasis on wisdom offers an illuminative contact point for Israelite and Yoruba cultural affinities. In other words, the Israelite concept of wisdom and its importance in the life of the people is also a unique phenomenon among the Yoruba. As in ancient Israel, Yoruba people see wisdom as precious diadem, and are fully aware of its colossal value. Wisdom is highly esteemed and can never be compared with money or other valuable possessions. For holistic scholarship and deeper understanding of these puzzling, but exciting, affinities between the Yoruba socio-cultural heritage and the way of life in ancient Israel, this paper reviews some existing works on wisdom done by various scholars from both cultures. Exploring these two wisdom traditions, the paper established that there are various issues in the Old Testament through which Africans, particularly the Yoruba people, have regarded the Old Testament as an affirmation of their cultural and religious heritage.