Steven Carr

He knew that building houses on rock led to more stable houses than houses built on sand, and that not all seeds planted on stony ground grew into plants.

Chili

Duhrer was an artist and the art of his art works tell the story.

Of course, Socrates was a philosopher which is the finest of fine arts.

Cubeless Academian

It would be nice if you'd give us some specific examples of his alleged wisdom so we know exactly what you're talking about. I don't find him to be exceptionally wise. For example, here's Jesus "outsmarting the scholars":

So the elders ask Jesus a question he doesn't want to answer, so he changes the subject and asks them a question they don't want to answer. What's so wise about that? Every two-bit politician knows that trick.

Steven Carr

What is so clever about Jesus outsmarting Pharisees, even if he did do so?

Jesus had the opportunity to give divine words of wisdom to speak to mankind throughout the ages, but chose instead to indulge in petty point-scoring with people he didn't like.

penumbra

I see that Strong's Greek Lexicon shows the following for Tekton:

"1) a worker in wood, a carpenter, joiner, builder
a) a ship's carpenter or builder
2) any craftsman, or workman
a) the art of poetry, maker of songs
3) a planner, contriver, plotter
a) an author"

I kinda like that "contriver, plotter" one!!

Not_Registered

Many people have asked me for proof that Jesus was wise. Well this thread deals with how Jesus was so wise. If Jesus was wise at all is another topic for another thread. If you believe Jesus not to be wise then that is for another thread. Please, only reply here if you believe Jesus to be wise, but have an explanation for why that is so. If the majority of the people posting don't even believe Jesus to be wise then I will either start a new thread or redirect the subject of this thread to fit that. But, let me offer my reasons why I believe Jesus was wise. He didn't just disprove the scholars of His day, He completely dismantled their arguments and left them with absolutely no choice but to agree with Him. If you don't believe the pharisees and others, who Jesus preached and teached to, to be the scholars of that time then I would like to know who you do consider the scholars of Jesus' era. Also, being wise, or wisdom, isn't a trait easily identified such as height and weight. Among other things, wisdom can be seen through one's actions, knowledge, and insight. If you read Jesus' words I believe them to be evident of one who is wise and obtains much knowledge. Jesus did not speak like a fool or like a normal person for anyone of His time or ours. I believe this to be true; others may have different opinions. Jesus didn't ramble, babble, or drivel. He spoke clear and competently. If you view Jesus to be unwise then I would dare to know how you view the rest of mankind. If you can truly sit back and viewing Jesus' words and His intangible insight and knowledge of things and say He was unwise then that would amaze me, but maybe I'm missing something, cause I ain't as wise as Jesus.

Amaleq13

If, for the sake of argument, we must assume the Gospel depictions to be reliable, then it is pretty obvious that they depict him as a wise teacher whose wisdom ultimately derives from God.

Your suggestion that the depiction is something unusual or requiring some kind of special explanation ignores similar examples of "astounding wisdom" shutting down opponents that can be found in stories of Cynic sages. Burton Mack provides several examples in his book Who Wrote the New Testament?.

If I'm not mistaken, Jewish Wisdom literature is also chock-a-block full of similar examples.

I suspect this is not a coincidence any more than the fact this same literature also depicts the wise man as being persecuted and/or mistreated on earth but redeemed in heaven.

seeker

I have to disagree with you on this. I don't think it is realistic to examine the 'how' of Jesus' wisdom without agreement on what he was wise about.

Can you specifically say that this or that particular statement made by Jesus was wiser than anyone else at the time could have made? If not then that is just as much a part of this question as any. I think assuming that he was wise puts us in the position of assuming the conclusion as well.

Infidelettante

Jesus was a shrewd observer of people and their actions, attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. He was an excellent communicator who used a variety of teaching skills to convince his listeners that he offered a world view in which they would play a roll in the final days of a corrupt and evil age.

You have not shown that he possessed a intellectual or mental capacity that was unusual for his day. What you have done is try to frame the debate in such a way that you can present your belief that Jesus was an extraordinary individual whose abilities can’t be explained outside a Theist context while preemptively shutting down any contrary arguments.

If you have an argument which presents Jesus as an exemplary intellectual force whose abilities exceed those of other theological and philosophical personages of his time please offer it. Then we can debate the source of his abilities. Only by proving his extraordinary intellectual character will you convince others here that there is anything worth discussing.

JT

Chris Weimer

If Jesus was wise, then he was wise for the same reason why anyone was wise. Because of his brain. The question is totally ludicrous and irrelevant to any conversation.