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Al Munday

Biblical Wisdom is Innocent as doves and shrewd as vipers

Seedling — an early exploration

•1 min
biblebiblical-studieshermeneutics

Jesus’ words—“innocent as doves and shrewd as vipers”—encapsulate the two sides of biblical wisdom ethics. Faithfulness requires moral innocence and a refusal to become like the powers one is resisting; wisdom also requires shrewdness, practical discernment and an honest reading of how the world works.

This essay could explore how Proverbs holds these dimensions together, and how Jesus gathers them into a single pattern of faithful life.