Britain & Europe: what would wisdom say?

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Britain and Europe: What would wisdom say? Christopher D. Hancock1

Introduction As debates rage ahead of the June 23 referendum on Britain’s continuing membership of the EU, and with pollsters predicting a close-run contest, it is surely right to ask, ‘But is the voice of wisdom being heard?’2 Arguments based on business, economics, Britain’s global profile and its legal independence, on freedom to travel, security and the threat of mass migration from North Africa and the Middle East, abound.3 Less common are questions of justice and neighbourliness, prudence and morality, diligence and benevolence, history and family4; in short, these and the many other issues ‘wisdom’ traditions characteristically address.5 When the social sciences and contemporary realpolitik have (albeit sometimes reluctantly) admitted the cultural, ethical and religious, or ‘affective’ dimension to contemporary geopolitical analysis, it is striking that these themes are largely absent in contemporary debate about Britain’s continuing membership of the EU. This is, arguably, more significant given the prominent religious influence on post-War thinking about Europe and the original Marian symbolism in the circle of stars on the EU’s flag.6 My aim in this paper is, then, to quarry wisdom’s words from the Old Testament Book of Proverbs7 for rhetorical questions voters on June 23 might be wise to consider. But let me be clear: more is at stake here than pious platitudes. Such is the pressing, contemporary prominence (and self-evident security implications) of questions of cultural identity and religious coherence – to say nothing of the

1 Christopher Hancock is Director of Oxford House, an academic agency that provides high-level consultancy

advice on religion, morality and contemporary geo-politics. Dr Hancock is an Honorary Fellow of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, a former Dean of Bradford Cathedral, professor of theology, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in China at King’s College, London. He has taught at China’s leading universities and been a visiting professor at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, Bangalore since 1996. Contact: chancock@oxfordhouseresearch.com. 2 For arguments for and against EU referendums per se, see http://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/infobox-

arguments-for-and-against-eu-referendums. See also Abbott, Lewis F. British Democracy: Its Restoration & Extension. Manchester: Industrial Systems Research, 2012. 3 For a recent survey (April 29) of some of the claims and counter-claims regarding the implications of Britain

staying or leaving the EU, see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/28/eu-referendum-fact-checking-the-big-claims: accessed May 9, 2016. 4 NB. the text and conclusion of the May 2016 HMG brochure delivered to every household, Why the

Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the U.K. and its summary conclusion, ‘This is the way to protect jobs, provide security, and strengthen the UK’s economy for every family in this country – a clear path into the future, in contrast to the uncertainty of leaving’. 5 Cf. I am using the expression ‘Wisdom traditions’ here in a generic sense to denote classical sources of

Wisdom literature, rather than in the theologically potent sense ascribed to it by scholars such as Huston Smith (b. 1919). Smith popularised the term ‘Wisdom Tradition’ to denote a mystical, non-institutional core in all religions that empowered an individual’s access to the divine and their personal spiritual development (otherwise known as ‘Perennialism’). See Smith, Huston. The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions (orig. title The Religions of Man). New York, NY: Harper Colophon, 1958; and multiple revised editions). See also, e.g. Novak, Philip. The World's Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World's Religions. San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1994; McCool, Gerard. ‘The Christian Wisdom Tradition and Enlightenment Reason’. In Examining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Anthony J. Cernera & Oliver J. Morgan, eds. Fairfield, CT: Sacred Heart UP, 2000. 6 For useful summaries of the origins, development and initial formation of the European Union in 1991, see

http://www.britannica.com/topic/European-Union: accessed May 5, 2016; also, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book:European_Union: accessed May 5, 2016. NB. The stars in the EU flag are now officially intended to symbolise the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony. 7 I use here – lightly adapted at times for the sake of clarity – the New International Version of the Bible.

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popularly assumed virtue of tolerance – the neglect of wisdom may cause key arguments for and against Britain’s continuing membership of the EU to be overlooked. More troublingly, a careless socio-political disrespect for wisdom risks alienating the cultural and religious majority in Europe who continue to esteem her. Christians, Jews and Muslims8 – estimated to number more than 50% of Europe’s population in 20129 – unite in honouring Psalm 111: 10 (echoed in Proverbs 1: 7 & 9: 10), ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’.10 To this majority God is the true origin of wisdom. Their faith seeks to honour this divine priority and to live the wisdom their God inspires. Wisdom is not of peripheral significance to many voters on June 23: it is central to their whole way of life.11 My paper is addressed, then, to adherents of the Abrahamic faiths and to their public servants – and, indeed, to those humanists who follow Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) and legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin’s (1931 – 2013) ‘devoutly religious’ sense of awe toward mysteries which ‘manifest themselves in the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, and which our dull faculties can comprehend only in the most primitive forms’.12 In short, can or should the voice of wisdom be heard on Britain’s membership of the EU? Absolutely! Wisdom does not always say the palpably profound: it does make sure the obvious is not forgotten. Wisdom, realism and bias

8 I am aware ‘wisdom’ per se is a common religious theme. My focus here on the three Abrahamic faiths arises

from their shared textual heritage and my desire for thematic focus. 9 Precise statistics on the religious demography of the EU are both elusive and fluid. However, conservative

estimates indicate that in 2012 religious/non-religious affiliation in the EU was Catholic (48%), Protestant (12%), Orthodox (8%), Other Christian (4%), Non believer/Agnostic (16%), Atheist (7%), Muslim (2%), Other religion/None stated (3%). Recent mass migration into Europe, especially from Syria, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and Afghanistan, will have increased the Muslim population within the EU (data tbc). For sources of recent data, see ‘Discrimination in the EU in 2012’ (PDF), Special Eurobarometer, 393. Brussels: European Union: European Commission, 2012: accessed May 5, 2016; Miller, Tracy ed. Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population (PDF). October 2009: accessed May 5, 2016; DellaPergola, Sergio. American Jewish Year Book. New York, NY: The Jewish Agency for Israel, 2002. Pew Research Center figures for 2010 confirm Sergio DellaPergola’s estimate that, in light of the decline of European Jewry (especially from Eastern Europe and France) there are now less sadly than a million Jews resident in the EU. See http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/09/europes-jewish-population: accessed May 5, 2016. 10

NB. The presence of this verse and theme within the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Old Testament is matched by singular Islamic respect for the theological and devotional significance of Psalm 111: 10 per se. On the exalted status of the Zabur (Arabic: زبور ), or the holy ‘song book’ of David, alongside the Tawrat (Torah) of Musa/Moses and Injil (Gospel) of Jesus see Qur'an 4:163, 17: 55, 21: 105. See also, Ali ibn al-Husayn. Al-Sahifat al-sajjadiyya: The Psalms of Islam. Transl. W. C. Chittick, Oxford: OUP, 1988. On Islamic respect for Solomon’s wisdom, see Qur’an 21: 79. 11

Please note: I would be very interested to see how Muslim and Jewish scholars applied their own, unique rich wisdom traditions to the referendum debate. On wisdom traditions in the Abrahamic faiths, see Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 2010; Estes, Daniel J. Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005; Murphy, Roland E. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2002. Among various works on Islam by John Renard, see Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2011. See also, Lyons, Jonathan. The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization? London: Bloomsbury, 2008. 12

Quoted in Frank, Philipp. Einstein: His Life and Times. New York, NY: Knopf, 1947, 284; see Dworkin, Ronald. Religion without God. Cambridge, Mass; Harvard University Press, 2013.

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I am acutely aware a plausibility gap may exist for some between the present urgency of all that surrounds the vote on June 23 and reflection on the wisdom of antiquity.13 Not to feel that gap would be as unwise as presuming present perspectives are always right; after all, most subscribe to the adage, ‘Hindsight has 20:20 vision’! That said an appeal to the perspective of ancient wisdom in today’s modern, or postmodern world needs to be justified. Much could be said. Two things are pressing. First, to those cognizant of ancient wisdom traditions, it is their contemporary relevance that amazes. Whether it be in the Analects of Confucius, epigrams of Proverbs or other Ancient Near-Eastern Texts, a profound sense of humanity’s timeless foibles and moral potential shines through.14 The sluggard, the liar, the upright and the beneficent are introduced with consummate skill and unerring, timeless accuracy. Indeed, it is not wisdom’s unrealistic irrelevance that strikes the impartial reader of these ancient texts but their prescient judgement and pungent criticism. Here is human life laid bare, its options described.15 Second, part of wisdom’s power and appeal is its very otherness. It speaks from outside and apart into and through the immediate. We read it as given not negotiated, its contextual antiquity subordinate to its compelling durability; as is said of Old Testament wisdom literature, ‘Their steady gaze penetrates to the very nature of created reality and leads us toward peace and human flourishing’.16 Thank God (literally) there exist other options than the ranting and raving of myopic modernism or a manipulative media. The intellectual, moral, cultural and religious displacement of wisdom is the buoyancy ring it flings the consciously drowning. Of course, the self-confident swimmer need not apply, nor ever will admit their need; not so, the humble and prudent. Wisdom’s appeal is to the open-minded and teachable not the ideologically bigoted or historically barbaric.17 We study ancient wisdom as we would any classic masterpiece with a sense of awe and dutiful respect. For, here is the distillation of mature reflection on the wondrous ways and repeated woes of the human animal, the summation of millennia of lived experience. To ignore this rich perspective is to impoverish insight and imperil judgement: it is to be cast adrift on the grey seas of banality and bias. How wisdom works

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NB. I am aware this may not be so true of those who find in the dubious ‘New Age’ category ‘Ancient Wisdom’ resources to access higher knowledge for life, management, wealth-creation and healing, see e.g. Cramer, Todd & Doug Munson. Ancient Wisdom for Today – How past lives, dreams, and Soul Travel help you find God. Minneapolis, MN: Eckankar, 1993; Rogers, Michael. Ancient Wisdom for Wealth Creation: Discover Financial Freedom to Live the Life You Deserve. n.l: Author House, 2004. 14

For a useful recent edition of The Analects (lit. edited conversations), see Confucius Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Transl. Edward Slingerland. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett. 2003. 15

For useful recent treatments of biblical wisdom literature, see Bartholomew, Craig G. & Ryan P. O’Dowd. Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011; McKane, William. Proverbs: A New Approach. The Old Testament Library. London: SCM, 1970; Penchansky, David. Understanding Wisdom Literature: Conflict and Dissonance in the Hebrew Text (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012; Weeks, Stuart. An Introduction to the Study of Wisdom Literature. London: T&T Clark/Continuum, 2010. My comparative studies of Confucius’ Analects and the New Testament have confirmed for me the quite remarkable legacy of wise teaching found in both, see e.g. Hancock, Christopher D. ‘Wisdom as Folly: Comparative Reflections on a Pauline Paradox’. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 33.3 (2006): 421-438. (transl. & repubd. in Journal of Comparative Literature (ET), 2008); - ‘Memory, rite and tradition: A comparative Confucian-Christian literary analysis’. Frontiers of Chinese Philosophy (ET), 9.2 (2013): 301-317 (transl. and repubd.); - ‘The seven-fold wisdom of love: A comparative Confucian-Christian reading of 1 Corinthians 13’. International Journal of Sino-Western Studies (ET), 6 (2014): 109-120 (transl. and repubd.). 16

See Bartholomew, Craig G. & Ryan P. O’Dowd. Old Testament Wisdom Literature, cover-piece. 17

See the sustained warning against ignoring wisdom in Proverbs 1: 22 – 32, and the specific caution against complacency in v. 32.

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Reading Proverbs (as I try to a little every day) can be disturbing. Like morning sun after a late night, its nine hundred and thirty sayings can be irritatingly bright. It can also be like the mirror we prefer not to look at first thing! Here is candour, honesty, criticism and a breadth of reach that leaves little room for the foolish or unwary. Yes, Proverbs can at times state the obvious and seem to some offensive; more often, it speaks with compelling common-sense and invites careful consideration. Read it to see for yourself. To the pliable here is as much to charm as to chastise; more playful wit than dull pedantry. Here is wisdom in content and in style. Of course, Proverbs does not address the specific issue of Britain’s continuing membership of the EU – nor a host of other contemporary social, moral or cultural questions – as ever, its wisdom is neither that relevant nor that irrelevant! For Proverbs speaks with striking clarity about predictable threats to individuals and societies, and then balances this with a comparable set of benefits accruing to the corporately, or individually, wise. This is wisdom for life; practical, pointed, pertinent, shrewd, ‘a fully prepared counsellor, who is competent to guide men (sic) in the art of living’.18 But wisdom is her own best advocate. I would fail her if I did not let her speak to make her own case. Wisdom works best – indeed, perhaps only really works – when she is allowed free rein to cajole and scrutinise, to woo and prod, to challenge and enlighten. She speaks in ways contemporary politeness and political correctness might avoid – and is perhaps the more memorable for doing so. She has no agenda but human flourishing. Her blessings and curses are for our good. The prudential tone is always strong; hence, we begin with seven classic warnings from Proverbs for voters on June 23. Wisdom’s seven warnings First, Proverbs consistently names the reality of enmity.19 With characteristic pungency it juxtaposes ‘love for the Lord’ with ‘hatred of evil’ (8: 13), and names ‘six things the Lord hates’ (6: 1620). It also speaks (accurately, surely) of hatred (like greed, 28: 25) ‘stirring up dissension’ (10: 12) and of harsh words ‘stirring up anger’ (15: 1). By way of contrast, love ‘covers over all wrongs’ (10: 12) and a gentle answer ‘turns away wrath’ (15: 1); as Marvin Tate puts it, ‘A wise man (sic) avoids the hot retort…Polemical speech is inflammatory and divisive’.21 In 29: 10, bloodthirsty people are said to ‘hate a man of integrity’: in 29: 11 it is the fool who ‘gives full vent to his anger’. We learn bad habits from having angry friends (22: 24). A major section of Proverbs ends dramatically, ‘The righteous detest (lit. abominate) the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright’ (29: 27). The vividness of this language may shock modern minds and, indeed, be used by cynics to justify their criticisms. But, how wise of Proverbs to address enmity in everyday life: and, how perverse to ignore it when it is hard currency in modern cultural exchange. After all, isn’t the zealot for a cause or author of a complaint habitually – and, according to culture, legitimately – described as ‘angry’? Isn’t anger popularly justified by new style ‘Identity politics’? 22 And, as if to counter this, isn’t ‘anger management’ a prominent feature of much modern psychotherapy? We may boast of being a pool of Buddhist calm, but others around are palpably not. Enmity exudes capitalist competitiveness as much it seems, as

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See Tate, Marvin E. Proverbs. Broadman Bible Commentary. Clifton J. Allen gen. ed. Vol. 5. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1971, 31. 19

On the character and ‘legitimacy’ of hatred in Proverbs, see Sun, Myung Lyu. Righteousness in the Book of Proverbs. Forschungen zum Alten Testamentum 2. 55. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012, 70f. 20

NB. This is what is called technically a ‘graded numerical saying’, see Roth, W Wolfgang M.W. Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum, 13. Leiden: Brill, 1965, 86. 21

Tate, Proverbs, 49. 22 Cf. Cressida Heyes, ‘The laden phrase “identity politics” has come to signify a wide range of political activity

and theorizing founded in the shared experiences of injustice of members of certain social groups” (‘Identity Politics’. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Politics, 2002, revised 2016; http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity-politics: accessed May 6, 2016.

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the machinations of global terrorists. But, Proverbs 17: 19 is clear, ‘The person who loves a quarrel loves sin’. And the verse goes on to warn of that protectionist mindset which builds a ‘high gate’ (physically and psychologically) that symbolically ‘invites destruction’. Wisdom is right to name anger: she sees its destructive power and, as St. James reminds Christians, ‘Human anger does not advance God’s righteous cause’ (James 1: 20). It would be foolish, then, to presume the referendum on June 23 is not at risk from enmity. As a human action and political event, it is at risk from principles soured by prejudice and perception distorted by anger. Anger is a fact of life. Speech is a flammable substance. The challenge for voters on June is to safeguard a space in which to think clearly and to consider which party best represents a vote for or against anger. Wisdom warns, first, then: watch out for anger. Attitudes can threaten as much as actions. Have an eye to those motivated by senseless enmity inside or outside Britain. June 23 must not be a vote motivated by, or conducive to enmity in or between Britain and Europe, that would be simply unwise. Wisdom warns, next, of the risk of provocation by misperception. If what Proverbs says of anger is to some predictable, what it teaches about provocation is more subtle. It is often noted that for an ancient text Proverbs (like the Old Testament Book of Psalms) is impressively modern in its understanding of the working, if not the naming, of human psychology.23 In this case, it reckons with that critical social and political dynamic, perception. Intentions can be misread. Perception is potentially flawed. It is the ‘discerning’ who keep wisdom in view (17: 24). Hence, Proverbs 18: 17 points out litigiously, ‘The first to present their case seems right, till another comes forward to question it’. Proverbs 11: 12 is equally astute: ‘A person who lacks judgment derides their neighbour, but a person with understanding holds their tongue (lit. keeps his opinions to himself)’. Proverbs is clear. The need to ‘preserve sound judgment and discernment’ is crucial: both must not be allowed ‘out of your sight’ (lit. to slip away) (3: 21). Hence, the wise are never brow-beaten into doing what their conscience rejects24, nor seduced by the allure of money, sex and power; as 2: 12 states assuringly, ‘Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked people, from those whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways’. Time and again ‘perversity’ is named and ‘integrity’ praised.25 Wisdom’s gift lies in its naming and exposé of all that is false, ill-advised, dangerous and shallow. Conversely, it empowers what is good, right, fair and honourable. The wise neither ‘provoke’ deliberately, nor are easily provoked; as 20: 3 states, ‘It is to a person’s honour to avoid strife; every fool is quick to quarrel’ (esp. here after a drink!). The wise don’t make snap decisions or misread people or situations. Wisdom warns us that the vote on June 23 is at risk from superficiality and from deliberate and accidental misperception, and so from false provocation. It is too important a decision not to work hard to resist and avoid this. Wisdom’s appeal is always to punch through perception in search of the truth. It invites us to do this when we vote on June 23. Third, akin to misperception, Proverbs warns of the danger of deceit. The Bible transposes deceit into the personal figure of ‘Satan’ (lit. the great deceiver; Revelation 12: 9) such is its pointed power. Proverbs is equally clear about the more general problem of deception. If the plans of the righteous are ‘just’, the advice of the wicked is ‘deceitful’ (12: 5; Hebrew mirmah). Habitually, a false witness ‘tells lies’ (12: 17). And, if ‘the wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways’, in Proverbs

23

See (pace Tate, Proverbs, 51) the catena of psychological reflections in Proverbs 15: 13, 14, 15, 21, 23, 30. 24

See Proverbs 1: 10f, 5: 1ff, 6: 20 - 7: 27. 25

See Proverbs 3: 32, 4: 24, 10: 9, 11: 3. Cf. Derek Kidner’s pungent comment on 4: 24, ‘Superficial habits of talk react on the mind; so that, e.g., cynical chatter, fashionable grumbles, flippancy, half-truths, barely meant in the first place, harden into well-established habits of thought’ (Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: IVP, 1974, 68).

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14: 826, ‘the folly of fools is deception’; that is, it is neither true nor substantive. There is self-reflexively and corrosively, ‘deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil’, according to Proverbs 12: 20. In contrast, a wise, righteous life does not bring a case against another without cause nor deliberately speak to deceive (24: 28). Bringing together the themes of anger and perception, Proverbs 26: 24 – 26 warns:

24A malicious person disguises themselves with their lips (lit. like glaze; as in v. 23), but in their heart they harbour deceit. 25Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their heart. 26Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

Of course, this is brutally direct and offensive to those more optimistic of human integrity, but we shouldn’t write off Proverbs’ warning. Veracity assumes many guises in the political arena. Wisdom is not naïve about the economics of political truthfulness and the prudence of verbal restraint. ‘The way of the guilty is devious’, we are reminded, but ‘the conduct of the innocent is upright (lit. straight, or true)’ (21: 8). How wise the adage, ‘Nothing to hide, nothing to fear’. Habitual veracity doesn’t need to have a good memory: its speech is always straightforward and truthful. Voters on June 23 cannot assume data from either party are free of bias or of wilful distortion. A case is frequently cast in the most favourable light. Threats of economic meltdown and promises of financial security are equally deserving of careful scrutiny. Political power is a powerful drug to those possessing it or craving it; as Prime Minister David Cameron said angrily in the Commons (February 22, 2016) of Conservative members supporting the ‘Leave’ campaign, ‘I won't dwell on the irony that some people who want to vote to leave apparently want to use a leave vote to remain. Such an approach also ignores more profound points about democracy, diplomacy and legality’. With timely vigour, Proverbs 20: 17 warns, ‘Food gained by deceit (lit. lies; Hebrew sheger) tastes sweet to a person, but they end up with a mouth full of gravel’.27 What does wisdom say, then, about which party to support on June 23? Surely this: ‘Beware, neither side may be entirely truthful’. It is an obvious point; not so obvious, though, that it is prominent in media coverage or party manifestos. June 23 should be a vote against deception and a vote for Britain’s commitment to political integrity. Next, the social character of much proverbial wisdom finds expression in Proverbs’ warning about the threat of dissent. Harmony is a priceless treasure. Political and social disruption – beloved of the lawless and mindless – is to be consciously and carefully avoided. The person who brings ‘trouble’ on his family is warned they will ‘inherit only wind’ (11: 29). The young are counselled to ‘fear the Lord and the king’ and ‘not to join with the rebellious’ (24: 21).28 The ruler is urged to sift out the wicked so that their throne is ‘established through righteousness’ (25: 5)29; as Proverbs 22: 10 urges, ‘Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended’. Time and again Proverbs names the schemer and plotter, the mocker and enemy, the quarrelsome, foolish, violent and lazy.30 A man without ‘self control’ is likened to a city with broken walls: for he lacks shape and is an easy target (25: 28). A tetchy neighbour is to be avoided (especially early in the morning, 25: 17) and a fool

26

Cf. Kidner, ‘…this saying makes moral reflection the essence of shrewdness, whereas we tend to reduce shrewdness to business-sense. Likewise the essence of folly is mental dishonesty: not merely falling short of the truth (as we must) but side-stepping it’ (Proverbs, 107). 27

See also Proverbs 31: 30, ‘Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised’. 28

Cf. similarly 1 Peter 2: 17, Romans 13: 1-7. 29

Cf. Tate’s comment on this verse, ‘We may think of the teacher holding these standards before young men aspiring to service in the royal establishment’ (Proverbs, 79). 30

See e.g. 24: 8, 6: 6, 20: 4. See Kidner’s fair observation, ‘Disagreement and bad blood sometimes arise not from the facts of a situation but from a person with a wrong attitude, who make mischief’ (Proverbs, 148).

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answered in kind (26: 4, 531) or with silence (23: 9): this is the only way to shut him up! All such people jeopardise social harmony and disturb society’s peace of mind. If Proverbs warns of the dangers of disharmony, it is also describes ways of making and preserving peace. A ruler or boss, we are urged, can be won over by patience, just as ‘a gentle tongue can break a bone’ (25: 15). An enemy (irritated initially) can be appeased by the offer of food and drink (25: 21). And the person whose ways are ‘pleasing to the Lord’ finds even their enemies ‘live at peace with them’ (16: 7). To Proverbs, then, peace is a real possibility, but it is always at risk. In light of which, wisdom surely alerts voters on June 23 to have an eye to the path of peace and the real risk of disruption. Peace is fragile. European history reminds us of the cost paid to secure and preserve it. We may resist the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker’s seemingly desperate reference (March 9, 2016) to the ‘enormous stupidity’ of forgetting the European crisis of two World Wars, but there is wisdom in his warning: ‘Peace is never a sure thing. Anyone who thinks that peace is set in eternity is fundamentally wrong’. Like any wise vote, June 23 is ultimately a referendum on peace. Fifth, wisdom is also clear about what we might call, the frowardness of folly: that is, foolishness is seen in the perverse and deliberately contrary, the brash and bombastic, the viscerally confident and verbally incautious. In the raunchy imagery of a prostitute hawking for custom, folly lures her victims. The fool in Proverbs in not Shakespeare’s clever peasant who outwits his social superiors, she is ‘loud’ (lit. course) and ‘undisciplined’ (9: 13; lit. slovenly), ‘hot-headed and reckless’ (14: 16). Such people ‘hate knowledge’ (1: 22), ‘find pleasure in evil conduct’ (10: 23), ‘trust in themselves’ (28: 26) and take ‘delight in airing their own opinions’ (6: 12; 8: 13; 18: 2). To honour or hire this person is likened to ‘tying a stone in a sling’ (26: 832) and ‘shooting at random’ (26: 10). The fool’s mouth is particularly dangerous; though ultimately their undoing (18:7), in the interim it tends to incite conflict (18: 6). In contrast, wisdom is calmly reasonable, cautious in friendship, well-informed, discerning, prudent, diligent, and self-disciplined (see e.g. 1: 2 – 4, 16: 23). We spoke of the style of wisdom earlier. Proverbs 15: 28 contrasts folly and wisdom in this way: ‘The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil’. As that other Old Testament book of wisdom, Ecclesiastes, puts it,

As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words (5: 3; see also 10: 14).

It is the gushing, pushy, unboundaried nature of folly and her words that Proverbs warns against repeatedly. To some, of course, this behaviour is forgivable or acceptable: it expresses personality or enables promotion. It is the way to get on in the world, they say. The weak and meek are pushed to the wall, after all. The microphone, tweet, limelight and blog are best beloved pals of such froward and foolish types, who believe others consciously crave – or definitely deserve – their fine opinions. Contrast this with the discerning who ‘keep wisdom in view’ (17: 24), are ‘even tempered’, ‘use words with restraint’ (17: 27, 19: 1f), and are not quick to speak nor easily angered (19: 11, 19, 20). To some, linking this warning to the referendum on June 23 will be all too evident: ‘It is them’, they will say (pointing to opponents), ‘who are guilty of such folly. Not me or we’! Wisdom might say to voters on June 23, ‘Who speaks before they think? Who answers before they are asked? Who seems to hear more clearly?’ June 23 should be a referendum based on balanced judgement not on proud bombast and blind bigotry.

31

NB. Some Rabbinic interpretations used the charge of inconsistency in these verses to undermine the texts canonicity; better perhaps to see as aptly capturing the dilemma of reasoning with the unreasonable. 32

As Kidner comments, ‘…the procedure is nonsensical, for the stone is there to be slung out. So is the fool’ (Proverbs, 162).

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Sixth, Proverbs is a political text.33 Yes, it speaks about types of personality and styles of behaviour, but it also warns about corrupt rulers and what we might call the terror of tyranny. For private anger and wilful deceit, dangerous as they are, are frequently dwarfed in the public realm by the abuse of power and the manipulation of position. Here is Proverbs 28: 15 and 16,

15Like a roaring lion or a charging34 bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people. 16A tyrannical ruler lacks judgement, but the person who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

Proverbs 28: 28 puts the same warning rather differently: ‘When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding’; likewise, Proverbs 29: 2 and 4:

2When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. 3By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

Proverbs 29: 12 is equally clear: ‘If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked’. Or, as President Nixon infamously declared, ‘When the President does it that means that it is not illegal’. In a variety of ways, then, Proverbs speaks to the complex relation between ruler and ruled, and highlights the right exercise of power as essential for a healthy polis and a stable society. Power is a central issue for voters on June 23. How much power should Britain devolve to Brussels? Is it time for Britain to repatriate sovereign freedoms and circumscribe British justice? Who determines the British way of life? These are persisting topics of debate.35 As important, surely, is consideration of safeguards against the abuse of political power in Britain whichever decision is taken by the British people with respect to Europe. Like peace, power is always at risk both from its detractors and from its executors. A culture, or habit, of governmental good practice and electoral responsibility is hard won and quickly lost. Electors and elected are both more at risk than the apparently consummate expression of democracy in a referendum, suggests. For tyrannical power is wielded as much by an angry mob as by a corrupt ruler. If a right exercise of power in Britain is central to the vote on June 23, a responsible view of power per se and a healthy respect for the freedom of every British citizen should also be firmly in view. Wisdom warns against any, and every form of tyranny, be it political, domestic, social, ethnic, religious or ideological. Does not wisdom suggest June 23 should be a vote for the most reliable and responsible government? Lastly, wisdom warns of the idolatry of indolence. The theme of idleness is prominent in Proverbs. The sluggard is censured along with the blaggard and the foolish, wicked, adulterous, ill-disciplined and imprudent (10: 4; 19: 15); and this, in contrast to praise heaped on the hard-working, prudent, righteous and diligent (lit. sharp, or keen) (21: 5; 31: 27). Hence, Proverbs 6: 6 famously declares: ‘Go to the ant, you sluggard’.36 The lazy person ‘turns on his bed’ (6: 9; 26: 4), ‘buries his hand in his clothing’ (19: 24), avoids ploughing (20: 4), protests imagined threats (like a lion outside the door, 26: 13), finds his way ‘blocked by thorns’ (real or imagined, 15: 19) and still has no doubt of his rectitude (26: 16)! Proverbs has no respect for such, with biting irony complaining, ‘The sluggard buries his hand in the dish: he will not even bring it back to his mouth’ (26: 15). But the types of

33 For an interesting study of the proverbial in political discourse, see Mieder, Wolfgang. The Politics of

Proverbs: From Traditional Wisdom to Proverbial Stereotypes. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997. 34

NB. The verb translated ‘charging’ here is used in Joel 2: 9 of the decimating effects of a plague of locusts. 35

For longer studies of this theme, see Emerson, Michael. Britain's Future in Europe: Reform, Renegotiation, Repatriation or Secession? London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015; Tournier-Sol, Karine & Chris Gifford eds. The UK Challenge to Europeanization: The Persistence of British Euroscepticism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015; Sorhun, Engin, Umit Hacioğlu & Hasan Dinçer eds. Regional Economic Integration and the Global Financial System. Hershey, PA: IGI Global/ Business Science Reference, 2014, 42ff. 36

According to Kidner, the ant is the harvester ant common in Palestine (Proverbs, 72). See also Proverbs 30: 25 for the inverse ratio of the ant’s physical size and commercial acuity.

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individuals and behaviour Proverbs censures, though varied, are united in being subject to cravings they cannot control and habits they cannot break. The problem with the idle is they turn laziness into an end they justify and a god they worship. Any other way of life is, to them, less deserving of their pitiful commitment. However, Proverbs solemnly indicts this ‘world of wishing’37: ‘The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work’ (21: 25). If this seems harsh or irrelevant to June 23, then what of the dark side of heated debates about EU subsidies and migrant benefits, the threat to UK jobs and the wonky expense claims of MPs and MEPs?38 Behind each of which lies, we sense, the lazy quest to get ‘something for nothing’. What horror, then, to the indolent to have to work for anything! However, as we have seen above, the way of the slothful is in the end self-destructive: they ruin their body (through physical inaction), their mind (by perverse imagination) and their soul (by spiritual rebellion). But there is again a social side to laziness, too. Why does wise, responsible behave matter? because its opposite is not only individually, but also socially destructive. The lazy are a drain on society: they are, in Proverbs’ terms, ‘brother to one who destroys’ (18: 9); or as Oesterley puts it, ‘The sage teaches that he who leaves a work undone is next of kin to him who destroys it’.39 Like it or not June 23 is a referendum on work: it is a theme we must return to again. For wisdom in Proverbs and elsewhere unashamedly celebrates work and censures idleness – and so should good, just and responsible government.40 So, wisdom warns voters in the June 23 referendum of threats from enmity and misperception, from deceit and dissent, forwardness and tyranny, and lastly, as we have seen, from sheer inactivity. All of these are risks individuals and communities always face; to this extent, wisdom does not say much that is new with regard to the debate about the UK’s relationship to the EU. However, insofar as the obvious is often omitted from public and private reflection, wisdom’s warnings are worth honouring. Our troubled world doesn’t need more troubles: it needs actions and people that are wise. Wisdom as a positive virtue Ancient wisdom traditions would not have long survived if all they offered were cautionary tales and grim moral judgements. The fact is, of course, wisdom is inherently positive: it looks for good to celebrate and promises life to those who find it; as Proverbs ends its famous paean of praise to wisdom in chapter 8, ‘Whoever finds me find life’ (v. 35; also 3: 1 - 18). Here is something ‘better than fine gold and choice silver’ (8:I9). Blessed is the person who listens to wisdom, ‘waiting daily at its doorway’ (8: 34). Perhaps I should have begun with wisdom’s alluring invitation. It seemed more important to end on a high note rather than with wisdom’s seven sober warnings! But we need to be careful about the way wisdom’s positive message is articulated. If Proverbs’ seven warnings are at risk from construal as pious, kill-joy platitudes, its positive message risks manipulation by pedlars of false promises and the ghoulish trickery of a ‘Prosperity Gospel’.41 Yes, wisdom offers much good,

37

Kidner, Proverbs, 145. 38

Cf. the recent admission (March 3, 2016) by Frank Antoine-Poirel, who oversees MEPs’ expense claims, that only on ‘very limited occasions’ would MEPs be asked for ‘real proof’ of MEPs allowances; see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/12182738; accessed May 5, 2016. 39

See Oesterley, William O.E. Proverbs. Westminster Commentaries. London: Methuen, 1929, ad loc; quoted in Kidner, Proverbs, 128. 40 For a recent discussion of the status of a legal ‘right to work’ in Britain and Europe, see Mantouvalou,

Virginia ed. The Right to Work: Legal and Philosophical Perspectives. Oxford & Portland, OR: Hart, 2015, 228f. 41 Recent expressions of a ‘Prosperity Gospel” or “prosperity theology” emerged among Christians in 1950s

America as a belief that the God of the Bible (esp. of the Old Testament) intended health and wealth for his people, and that these could and should be secured by faith, donations to Christian ministries and a positive frame of mind. The movement has subsequently spread as a global pandemic. For a critique, see Jones, David

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but its approach is never naïve; for that would contradict its core nature as both prudent and profound. As a positive virtue, wisdom’s promises are always conditional, their presentation carefully nuanced. The controlling text behind all Proverbs says of wisdom is, as we saw before, the clear, conditional promise, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (1: 7; 9: 10). In the end, there is no way round this theistic premise; however much new style fundamentalist atheism protests any and every invocation of (a) God. Wisdom becomes a positive power in an individual, institution or society’s life not by human effort but by humble, self-disciplined devotion and determined obedience. Here is another version of Proverbs’ central theme: ‘The fear of the Lord teaches a person wisdom, and humility comes before honour’ (15: 33). We turn to seven promises, or opportunities, wisdom might associate with the June 23 referendum, mindful that Muslim, Christian and Jewish believers, who all honour Psalm 111: 10 (echoed in Proverbs 1: 7 and 9: 10), invite God to be central to shaping the way arguments for and against Britain’s membership of the EU are expressed and look to Him to order the final outcome of the vote. If wisdom is to be allowed to speak on June 23 so must God. Seven positives wisdom proffers So what of positive perspectives wisdom offers voters on June 23? With an eye to some of the major themes present in much of the debate about Britain’s continuing (albeit renegotiated) membership of the EU, let me again suggest seven. First, the possibility of coming to a common mind: the fact that Jews, Muslims and Christians all honour Psalm 111: 10 is significant at many levels; especially, in light of their numerical, majority presence in Britain and Europe. As we saw earlier, here is a majority of the population that not only honours God, but looks to God as the source of wisdom. Religious conflict and fundamentalist zeal are popularly (and rightly) represented as pressing problems. Psalm 111: 10 and Proverbs 1: 7, 9: 10 offer a shared resource to develop, and celebrate, a common religious mindset. We know militant extremists are a minority in each of the Abrahamic faiths. However, the peaceful majority have in Psalm 111: 10 a text to unify, expound and celebrate together. This is integral to the three faiths’ common heritage and essentially textual identity. But we may go further in two specific directions. First, if Britain and Europe struggle to preserve cultural identity and social coherence, this is not (or should not be) the case for adherents of the three Abrahamic faiths. Whatever the result on June 23, the possibility of religious, cultural coherence will be – and, surely, must be – preserved by Europe’s majority Muslim, Christian and Jewish citizenry. Far from being the source of Europe’s ills, a positive case can be made for this majority community playing its part as an instrument in Europe’s healing and renewal.42 Religious communities are (again, rightly) theologically provisional in their nationalism; a higher, global allegiance refines their patriotic fervour. The possibility of British Jews, Muslims and Christians collaborating with their European counterparts offers the possibility of trans-national coherence and cross-Channel respect regardless of the way Britain votes on June 23. Indeed, I would go so far as to suggest secular citizens are justified in holding these religious communities to account for their success or failure in demonstrating religion’s cohesive power; after all, as sociologist Emile Durkheim famously claimed, ‘If religion has given birth to all that is essential

& Russell Woodbridge. Health, Wealth & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2011. 42 For commentary on Europe’s past and present religious identity and the role of religion as an instrument of

social cohesion, see the multiple works of the French scholar Danièle Hervieu-Léger and Professor Grace Davie. In particular, see Hervieu-Léger’s article ‘The role of religion in establishing social cohesion’ (First pubd. as

‘Conditions of European Solidarity’. In Michalski, Krzysztof ed. Religion in the New Europe, Vol. II. Budapest:

Central European University Press, 2006): see http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2006-08-17-hervieuleger-en.html; accessed May 8, 2016.

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in society, it is because the idea of society is the soul of religion’.43 Second, in the act of three (religious) communities acknowledging a shared text and thereby coming to a common mind, exists the possibility of others doing the same. This is hugely important. Examples inspire further action: presumed impossibility ends. To some commentators, even if Britain votes to stay in Europe on June 23 the European project is already compromised: fragmentation is inevitable.44 The counter-intuitive act of religious groups contradicting the centrifugal forces that drive Europe’s fracturing has, surely, the two-fold effect of: a. undermining the significance of the vote on June 23; and, b. challenging the presumed impossibility of communities coming to a common mind. Would self-confident secularists rest content if they appeared incapable of achieving the coherence of those wretched religionists?! Pan-European pessimism looks, quite simply, less plausible if major religious communities publically affirm their social and cultural coherence: this is, surely, part of the promise wisdom offers Europe. Second, wisdom nurtures practised neighbourliness; that is, as a social resource Proverbs offers not only the conditionalities for creating community, but also the ground rules for simply getting along. It addresses relational habits conducive to social harmony. We are not only amusingly advised not to greet our neighbour loudly in the morning (27: 14), but also not to ‘seldom set foot in their house’, for, we are warned, ‘too much of you (lit. sated), and they will hate you’ (25: 17). Sound advice! Neighbours, good manners, and the practise of neighbourliness are prominent themes in Proverbs. In the nineteen occasions the ‘neighbour’ is spoken of the need for respect, sensitivity, generosity, caution and discretion is clear (see 3: 28, 29, 11: 9, 16: 29, 21: 10, 24: 28, 25: 8, 9, 18). Indeed, it is tellingly said, ‘A person who lacks judgement derides his neighbour, but someone with understanding holds their tongue’ (11: 12)45; and, ‘A person who despises their neighbour sins, but blessed are those who are kind to the needy’ (14: 21). Legal action against a neighbour is to be avoided (24: 28, 25: 8), as is the bearing of ‘false testimony’ (25: 18), with flattery as dangerous as outright deceit (26: 19; 29: 5). The relevance of this should be clear: the referendum on June 23 is all about being and relating to, our geographic European neighbours. Despite its encouragement of generosity and neighbourliness Proverbs does not, crucially, commend an uncritical – we might say an ‘open border’ – approach to neighbours. Yes, we are told not to ‘despise’ – and certainly not to ‘deceive’ – our neighbour, but neither are we to be careless or naïve about them: they are as much a threat as a gift. Neighbourly wisdom finds expression in restrained words and respectful actions, in generous deeds and in what we night call ‘awareness of (their) boundaries’. In this regard Proverbs 3: 28, 29 say much:

28Do not say to your neighbour, ‘Come back later: I’ll give it tomorrow’ – when you now have it with you. 29Do not plot harm against your neighbour, who lives trustfully near you.

Proverbs offers a picture, then, of ordered relations with neighbours that recognise the inherent difficulty and the unique possibility implicit in their proximity and necessary otherness. So, let’s be clear: Proverbs commends neither wilful isolationism nor wanton inclusivity: it recognises personal

43

See Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. London: Allen and Unwin, 1971, 254. For a contemporary Muslim application of Durkheim, see Ameli, Saied Reza, Aliya Azam, Arzu Meral, British Muslims’ Expectations of the Government. Secular Or Islamic? What Schools Do British Muslims Want for Their Children? Wembley: Islamic Human Rights Commission, 2005, 11f. 44 For discussion of the end of the European dream, see Taylor, Paul. The End of European Integration: Anti-

Europeanism Examined. Abingdon: Routledge, 2008; Marquand, David. The End of the West: The Once and Future Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2011. In addition to widespread political and media commentary on the faltering EU, see Harriss, Joseph A. ‘End of the European Dream? It’s time to admit that euro rhymes with fiasco’. American Spectator (May 2014): http://spectator.org/articles/58757/end-european-dream; accessed May 8, 2016. 45

See Kidner’s astute comment on this verse, ‘The most misleading way to feel wise is to feel superior…, for one is denying that God is the only competent judge of human worth’ (Proverbs, 91).

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individuality and social responsibility. Wisdom reminds voters on June 23 to respect and be good neighbours; for a good neighbour offers us a chance to enlarge our family and express generosity. Proverbs is, next, rich in principles relevant to the pursuit and practice of justice. Justice has many faces in Proverbs: a variety of terms are employed. Fundamentally, in word and deed human justice and right behaviour mirror and seek to satisfy God’s character and expectations; indeed, justice per se, apart from this divine origin and spiritual inspiration, is vain, empty and ineffective.46 The breadth, depth and scope of justice in Proverbs are breath-taking. Justice is honoured throughout in ruler and ruled by lives submitted to God’s wisdom and law and the promptings of God-inspired conscience. Justice punishes the guilty and acquits the innocent – and perceives the difference between them (16: 11; see also Leviticus 19: 36)! Like wisdom, this God-sourced sense of justice promises life, hope, honour, wealth, divine guidance and blessing, and the well-being of individuals and of societies.47 Here’s a taste of Proverbs inclusive, practical, and vividly pictorial, view of justice in chapter 16:

8Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice…10The lips of a king should speak as an oracle, and his mouth should not betray justice. 11Honest (Heb. mishpat: lit. just, true) scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making. 12Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness (Heb. tsedaqah: lit. rightness, justice).

In short, wisdom is given and finds expression (at least in part) in ‘doing what is right and just and fair’ (1: 3). Hence, we read in Proverbs 8: 15, ‘By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just (Heb. tsedeq: lit. right)’; as Kidner comments, ‘If men (sic) in authority (15, 16) need wisdom, it is for justice, not for advantage’.48 God cannot be bought; hence, Proverbs 21: 3 solemnly points out, ‘To do what is right and just (Heb. tsedaqah: lit. rightness) is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice’. Religious observance is ultimately less pleasing than ‘justice’ or doing what God reckons ‘right’. Crucially, Proverbs does not speculate on justice: it presents it at work in the lives of ‘just’ people (Heb. tsaddiq: lit. right, righteous, just and firm). Their speech is like ‘choice silver’ and ‘nourishing’ food (10: 20, 21). Their minds are open to learn (99: 9). Their lives are marked by joy (21: 15) and integrity (20: 7). Their family, home and memory are richly ‘blessed’ (3: 33; 10: 6, 7; 11: 9). It is this ‘just’ or ‘righteous’ life, wisdom nurtures. This is the positive case for justice wisdom presents – and the foolish, lazy, violent, deceitful and self-deceived avoid it like the plague! Applied to June 23, Proverbs indicts careless, secular claims that British justice will be better out of Europe: no, in light of Proverbs the more important point to make is that British justice is better under God. Having a clear sense of the transcendent origin and ultimate accountability of law to God frees it from the constraints and limitations of a merely human legislative act. Jews, Muslims and Christians agree on the theological ground of human law-making. Furthermore, justice is, in light of Proverbs, not so much now about my grasping ‘what is owed to me’, but my accepting ‘only what is mine’. Law and justice limit greed and depravity. Yes, the laws that govern life in Britain and Europe matter: they shape and protect the way we live alongside others. Of greater import to the referendum on June 23 is a common, pan-European commitment (regardless of the result of the vote) to seek and to defend wisdom that is just and justice that is wise. This is the calm, generous approach Proverbs commends. The disillusionment with intrusive EU laws and Brussels’ labyrinthine bureaucracy that pundits report arises, surely, from a sense that justice has fallen foul of socio-political and cultural pressure.

46

Of course, the nature of justice and its origin in God have been widely debated from Plato onwards. It is wrong to project onto Proverbs a bifurcation of ‘divine command’ and ‘social contract’ theories of justice. The God of Proverbs is immanent in the life of a wise community, while the righteous are spiritually and morally bonded to God and others in their active pursuit of justice. 47

See e.g. 3: 33, 8: 18, 20, 10: 2, 6, 7, 24, 11: 4, 5, 6, 19, 12: 12, 13: 6, 16: 8, 12, 21: 21, 24: 16). 48

Kidner, Proverbs, 78.

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The referendum on June 23 must be about the integrity of justice in the UK and in the EU, with all that entails for individuals and communities. For wisdom always favours the way of justice. Fourthly, mindful of the prominence economics plays in the referendum debate, we must address next the positive case Proverbs makes for principled prudence. Money matters, and therefore comes under wisdom’s searching scrutiny and careful instruction. Proverbs is not unique: ancient wisdom traditions consistently address the risk and rewards of riches and poverty, greed and generosity, frugality and thrift for an individual and a society.49 Wisdom and wealth are often linked.50 To ignore what wisdom says about public and private finances would be an act of gross cultural, if not spiritual, negligence. So what does Proverbs say to voters preparing for the referendum on June 23? Three key things stand out. First, wisdom per se is inherently prudent; as Proverbs 8: 12 puts it, ‘I wisdom dwell with prudence’. Hence, Proverbs introduces its overall purpose in chapter 1:

…2for attaining wisdom and discipline, for understanding words of insight; 3for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young…(1: 2-4).

So, ‘the wise in heart are called prudent’ (16: 21; lit. discerning) and the prudent are described as those who ‘overlook an offence’ (12: 16), heed correction (15: 5), keep their own counsel (16: 23), act out of knowledge (13: 16), give thought to their ways (14: 8, 15), anticipate (and so avoid) danger (22: 3, 12), and are ultimately ‘crowned with knowledge’ (14: 18), for they take time to procure it. Second, prudence in Proverbs is also characteristically linked to money. The wise accumulate wealth ‘little by little’, while dishonest money ‘dwindles away’ (13: 11). Homes of the prudent ‘contain great treasure’ (15: 6; 10: 4), and are full of ‘rare and beautiful treasures’ (24: 4); in contrast, ‘lovers of wine and oil’ will never be rich (21: 17, 23: 20). Though people always love a rich person (14: 20, 19: 4), the ruthless pursuit of wealth is foolish and destructive (23: 4; 28: 20). Godly justice and generosity encompass the accumulation and the dispersal of wealth (5: 10, 13: 11, 22, 19: 14).51 For wealth is not, as many believe, inviolable (11: 28): it breeds pride and a false sense of security (10: 15, 18: 11), it affords no safety on the ‘day of wrath’ (11: 4); and, anyway, as Proverbs warns vividly, riches are apt to ‘sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle’ (23: 4). Wisdom promises insight, then, into the right and wrong way to handle money. Given the crises that have plagued the UK and EU in recent years, wisdom’s prudential light is important: it offers voters on June 23 sound criteria to assess the managers and maintenance of Britain’s international and domestic finances. A false privileging of economic issues now appears as unwise as fiscal greed and monetary infidelity.52 Proverbs agrees with economist John Maynard Keynes’s (1883 – 1946) famous reply to the Archbishop of York: ‘Economics more properly called political economy is a side of ethics … essentially a branch of ethics’.53 Thirdly, Proverbs’ positive economic vision embraces the complexity and reality of poverty. Crucially, it does not teach that wise people are always rich or that poor people are necessarily foolish. Rather, it identifies debts owed the rich and the poor (albeit of

49 For recent discussion of the classical theme of prudence, see Hariman, Robert. Prudence: classical virtue,

postmodern practice. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 2003. 50

See e.g. Proverbs 3: 16, 8: 18, 14: 24, 22: 4. 51 On Proverbs and economic justice, see the discussion in Sandoval, Timothy J. The Discourse of Wealth And

Poverty in the Book of Proverbs. Leiden: Brill, 2006, 142ff. 52

For recent discussion of the emergent field of ‘economic morality’, see e.g. Wight, Jonathan. Ethics in Economics: An Introduction to Moral Frameworks. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2015; Cowton, Christopher & Michaela Haase eds. Trends in Business and Economic Ethics. Berlin & Heidelberg: Springer, 2008, esp. 36ff. 53 Quoted in O'Donnell, R.M. Keynes: Philosophy, Economics and Politics: The Philosophical Foundations of

Keynes’s Thought and their Influence on his Economics and Politics. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 1989, 165.

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different kinds) and highlights some of the causes and consequences of poverty. With customary vigour Proverbs 6: 9 – 11 (also 24: 33f) warn,

9How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – 11and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Or, more succinctly, ‘Do not love sleep or you will grow poor’ (20: 13). That said, Proverbs is clear poverty is also caused by wilful indiscipline (13: 18), ‘chasing fantasies’ (28: 19), stinginess (28: 22), drunkenness and gluttony (23: 21), violence (30: 14), injustice (28: 3; 28: 15), oppression (28: 3), and ‘spiritual contempt’ for the God of the poor (14: 31). Poverty is ruinous both for the poor (10: 15), who lose friends (19: 4), security and respect (22: 7), and for its heartless perpetrators (22: 16), who risk alienation by God and their neighbour (21: 13; see also Luke 16: 19 – 31). Proverbs’ prayer for sufficient resources and its concise conclusions are clear: ‘Give me neither poverty nor riches…otherwise I may have too much and disown you…or I may become poor and steal and so dishonour the name of my God’ (30: 8, 9); ‘Better a poor person whose walk is blameless than a rich person whose ways are perverse’ (28: 6); ‘The person who increases their wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor’ (28: 8) – for they can never evade God’s righteous will; and, ‘A rich person may be wise in their own eyes, but a poor person who has discernment sees through them’ (28: 11). Wisdom and wise rulers may not be able to end poverty, but they can read people and situations aright and work against injustice and oppression (29: 7, 14, 31: 9). So, Proverbs famously states: ‘A person who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord’, adding, ‘and he will reward them for what they have done’ (19: 17; also 14: 21, 22: 9, 22). Here are tough filters for assessing the nature of poverty in the UK’s relationship to the EU. Not every appeal for help is just, nor every act of kindness wise: but, crucially, some are, and for responding justly and generously, wisdom promises heaven’s blessing. The vote on June 23 is rightly seen as a vote not only for sound national finance but also for just British care. Continuing the financial theme, Proverbs also commends selfless generosity; as we read in 11: 25, ‘The generous person will prosper; those who refresh others will be refreshed’. But wisdom gives above and beyond money: it gives itself and commends self-giving as a practical, social virtue. If pride is foolish and self-centred, wisdom is humble and altruistic. Of course, Britain’s national interests matter: the issue is, are they best served by asking, ‘What can Britain get from EU membership?’ or, ‘How can Britain best give to European neighbours?’54 This may not be electorally attractive, but it may be prudent and wise; as Proverbs 22: 9 confidently promises, ‘A generous person will be blessed’. Wisdom as ‘gift’ is a recurrent theme in Proverbs. Hence, wisdom is said to call out ‘on the heights along the way, where the paths meet’ (8: 2) and cry aloud ‘beside the gate leading into the city’ (8: 3). Likewise, when an imagined father commends wisdom and urges its active pursuit, he promises his son: ‘The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding’ (2: 6; also 4: 2, 9). Imitating this gracious act, ‘the righteous give without sparing’ (21: 26), ‘share their food with the poor’ (22: 9, 28: 27) and deliberately ‘instruct a wise person’ so they become wiser still (9: 9). Of course, there are unwise and empty gifts (25: 14) – specifically to bribe (15: 27), commit adultery (5: 9f), subvert justice (17: 23, 29: 4), and flatter the rich (22: 16) – but there are also wise gifts to pacify enemies (21: 14), make friends (19: 6) and win attention (18: 16, 17: 8). The wise are exhorted, therefore, ‘Do not say to your neighbour, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow” – when you have it with you now’ (3: 28); as the old adage runs, ‘He gives twice who gives promptly’. Generosity does not delay, or seek to nurture dependency; rather, it gives lavishly and promptly

54 From the mountain of literature on Brexit, see e.g. Baimbridge, Mark & Philip B Whyman. Britain, the Euro

and Beyond. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008; Liddle, Roger. The Europe Dilemma: Britain and the Drama of EU Integration. London & New York, NY: I.B. Tauris, 2014; MacShane, Denis. Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe. London & New York, NY: I.B. Tauris, 2015.

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because this is the wise, just and righteous thing to do, which pleases God and satisfies our neighbour. One of the great problems with discussion of the referendum on June 23 is that moral commentary is stifled by political pragmatism, relativist secularism and a cynical populism – or so we are led to believe.55 If, however, as indicated at the outset, a majority of Europe’s citizenry are religiously alert, discussion of generosity and prudence, integrity and relational purity are not irrelevant electoral themes.56 Quite the reverse, in fact: they constitute pillars of propriety in light of which parties will be assessed and Britain’s relation to the EU ultimately adjudged. Muslims, Jews and Christians may not agree on many things: they do accept the centrality of philanthropy to spirituality – and, indeed, like many of their secular neighbours, believe it is good and right to give. Wisdom suggests, perhaps, that the vote on June 23 should be a vote for which party is most likely to inspire a generous society. The corollary to Proverbs’ severe warnings about laziness is, next, its positive promise(s) about work. Purposeful and productive labour is a recurrent theme in this and other ancient books of wisdom. The timeliness of Proverbs’ teaching is again striking. The rubber hits the road on Britain’s relation to the EU over jobs and job security, the ‘right to work’ of EU citizens and European commercial law, London’s global banking profile and minimum pay for men and women. In general terms, though Proverbs aptly warns, ‘Do not wear yourself out (Heb. yaga: lit. labour) to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint’ (23: 4), it also encourages a strong work ethic. It isn’t – or certainly shouldn’t be – simply the workers’ hunger that drives them on (16: 26). Work is originally God’s wisdom in action in creation (8: 22: Heb. miphal, lit. doing, act, work). As a consequence, work is always to be done with God and wisdom in view57. It is to be carefully planned, taking ‘first things first’58. It is then to be diligently overseen (27: 26), executed (24: 30 – 34) and justly rewarded (24: 12, 11: 18); as Proverbs 12: 11 pictorially promises, ‘The person who works their land will have abundant food’. Indeed, the diligent, truthful worker is – and will be – praised (16: 13; 31: 31) and their deeds widely honoured. What’s more, the quality of a person’s work reveals their true character (20: 11, 21: 8) and creates a predictable, practical and moral reaction; as Kidner summarises this theme, ‘Clear conscience, clear path’.59 So, ‘diligence’ is in Proverbs a sound basis for profit and riches (10: 4; 21: 5), and the necessary mindset of a responsible leader (12: 24). Likewise, skill and graciousness in work or business (Heb. melakah) open doors to the great and the good (22: 11, 29). Conversely, those ‘hoarding grain’ are cursed by others (11: 26), those caught stealing are despised (6: 30), the land of the lazy is ‘covered with weeds’ (24: 30), while boastful fools make pledges (like ‘clouds without rain’) they can’t possibly keep (25: 14). As Proverbs 10: 16 sombrely promises, then – in light of God’s ordering of human affairs and determination of what is good, wise and just – ‘The wages of the righteous brings them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment’. This may all seem far removed from the vote of June 23. How does it impact, say, banking regulation or

55 For web-based discussion of the moral dimension to Britain’s continuing membership of the EU, see ‘Is there

a moral case for Brexit or Bremain?’ April 24, 2016: https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-moral-case-for-Brexit-or-Bremain; accessed May 8, 2016. 56

NB. There is an interesting body of literature on Britain’s future relationship to the EU from European academics from different disciplines that integrates moral reflection in social science commentary; see e.g. Weiler, Joseph H. H. ‘Brexit: No Happy Endings’. European Journal of International Law 26. 1 (2015): https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5053192; accessed May 8, 2016; Taberno, Josep & Fortunato Ciardiello, ‘Brexit: a European perspective’. Lancet Oncology 17. 5 (May 2016): 558 – 9: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(16)30062-6; accessed May 8, 2016. 57

See Proverbs 16: 3, ‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do (Heb. maaseh: lit. deeds, acts, work), and your plans will succeed’. 58

See Proverbs 24: 27, ‘Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house’. 59

Kidner, Proverbs, 142.

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employment legislation? Well, the latter illustrate all too clearly the harmful effects of wisdom’s neglect. The referendum takes place against the background of compromised public confidence and increased workplace tension. Business ethics tries to nurture integrity at work, yes, but abuses of every kind are clearly still widespread. In light of this, wisdom surely says to voters on June 23: Back the party most likely to uphold good governance in the workplace, lest work and pay, workers and pensioners (continue to) suffer unjustly. Vote for a future in which diligence will be rewarded, management is held accountable, and skill is allowed to shine. Yes, June 23 is a vote about work. Wisdom proposes it might also be seen as a referendum on where and when British business will be most diligently undertaken and responsibly managed – and on wisdom’s terms this is all possible. Lastly, wisdom presents a winsome picture in Proverbs of generational cohesion. It is all too easy to forget that June 23 is both about those who can vote and those who can’t inside and outside Britain. Like the Scottish referendum in September 2014, it has been called a ‘once in a generation’ issue.60 But it is more than that. It reaches generationally and geographically beyond the British electorate. As we have glimpsed already, wisdom’s scope is also trans-historical, it’s telling insights inter-generational. Proverbs commends a sense of responsibility that transcends the immediate. Its repeated appeal not to move ‘an ancient boundary stone’ (22: 28, 23: 10) is less about territorial rights than historical consciousness: the past shapes the present and thereby determines the future. Voters on June 23 should feel a burden of responsibility: their actions have trans-historical, multi-generational import. To vote for what feels right on the day, forgetting the past and ignoring the future, would be in Proverbs’ terms both foolish and faithless. For wisdom is self-aware and intentional: it lives in the present, yes, but remembers the past and honours the future. Wisdom affords a positive vision of individuals and institutions, societies and rulers being consciously motivated by priorities that transcend pragmatism and profit, power and position. Repeated references to the ‘father’ in Proverbs as teacher and role-model, encourager and law-maker should not be understood restrictedly61: in the father practical wisdom and the parental role (for good and ill) are personified. Hence, the warm, intimate, domestic tone of Proverbs 4: 1 – 6:

1Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction: pay attention and gain understanding. 2I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. 3When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, 4he taught me and said, ‘Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. 5Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you…’

The corollary to the parent’s role is receptivity and responsibility in their off-spring. Proverbs does not pull any punches about the heartache children can cause (see 10: 1, 15: 5, 20, 17: 21, 19: 13, 26, 28: 7, 30: 11, 17). It is also clear, ‘A wise son brings joy to his father’ (15: 20; also 10: 1, 13: 1, 23: 24, 25, 29: 3). Hence, its appeal to off-spring, ‘Listen to your father, who gave you birth, and do not despise your mother when she is old’ (23: 22). And, again, extending laterally this parental respect, ‘Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father’, with the interesting additional advice, ‘…and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes – better a neighbour nearby than a brother far away’ (27: 10). What the parent has learned of wisdom is to be transmitted to and reflected in their child; as Proverbs 28: 7 illustrates, ‘He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father’. If a wise father ensures an inheritance for his children, wise children keep alive the good memory of their parents by modelling themselves on them. The strong familial culture envisioned here is germane to Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities. It is

60

See Prime Minister David Cameron’s Q & A with workers at the launch of the referendum debate on February 23, 2016. 61

See on the ‘father’ in Proverbs 1: 8, 3: 12, 6: 20, 10: 1, 13: 1, 5, 15: 20, 17: 21, 25, 19: 13, 26, 20: 20, 23: 22, 24, 25, 27: 10, 28: 7, 24, 29: 3, 30: 11, 17.

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not surprising there has been a strong reaction to EU legislation that challenges the family values of a majority of its citizens. Wisdom commends a sense of familial coherence and inter-generational responsibility. Voters on June 23 would be wise to ask, which party will best support these aims; not in denial of natural cultural progress, but to honour also an ‘ancient boundary stone’. But Proverbs 7: 4 sets every familial relationship – indeed, every human relationship – in their true and ultimate light, pleading: ‘Say to wisdom, “You are my sister”, and call understanding your kinsman’. Conclusion The warnings and promises wisdom speaks through the pages of Proverbs offer voters on June 23 a set of rhetorical questions about principles applicable to Britain’s present and future relationship to the EU. As indicated at the outset, the issues raised are both strikingly immediate and consciously other. They are issues members of the Abrahamic faith communities naturally orientate towards. They prod and probe conscience and behaviour, government action and social structures. I have not sought to suggest a direction to the voter, except in terms of honouring, and calling governments to honour, the gift and enlightenment of ancient wisdom. Like visitors to an art gallery, voters are not required to approve wisdom’s quality: it is already an established masterpiece. The challenge is to live and vote in light of the world of righteousness and truth, peace and good order, this classic inspires. Bibliography Abbott, Lewis F. British Democracy: Its Restoration & Extension. Manchester: Industrial Systems Research, 2012. Ali ibn al-Husayn. Al-Sahifat al-sajjadiyya: The Psalms of Islam. Transl. W. C. Chittick. Oxford: OUP, 1988. Ameli, Saied Reza, Aliya Azam, Arzu Meral. British Muslims’ Expectations of the Government. Secular Or Islamic? What Schools Do British Muslims Want for Their Children? Wembley: Islamic Human Rights Commission, 2005. Baimbridge, Mark & Philip B Whyman. Britain, the Euro and Beyond. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008. Bartholomew, Craig G. & Ryan P. O’Dowd. Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. Confucius Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Transl. Edward Slingerland. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett. 2003. Cowton, Christopher & Michaela Haase eds. Trends in Business and Economic Ethics. Berlin & Heidelberg: Springer, 2008. Cramer, Todd & Doug Munson. Ancient Wisdom for Today – How past lives, dreams, and Soul Travel help you find God. Minneapolis, MN: Eckankar, 1993. Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 2010. DellaPergola, Sergio. American Jewish Year Book. New York, NY: The Jewish Agency for Israel, 2002. Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. London: Allen and Unwin, 1971. Dworkin, Ronald. Religion without God. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2013. Emerson, Michael. Britain's Future in Europe: Reform, renegotiation, repatriation or secession? London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Estes, Daniel J. Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2005. Frank, Philipp. Einstein: His Life and Times. New York, NY: Knopf, 1947.

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Hancock, Christopher D. ‘Wisdom as Folly: Comparative Reflections on a Pauline Paradox’. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 33.3 (2006): 421-438 (transl. & repubd. in Journal of Comparative Literature (ET), 2008). - ‘Memory, rite and tradition: A comparative Confucian-Christian literary analysis’. Frontiers of Chinese Philosophy (ET), 9.2 (2013): 301-317 (transl. and repubd.). - ‘The seven-fold wisdom of love: A comparative Confucian-Christian reading of 1 Corinthians 13’. International Journal of Sino-Western Studies (ET), 6 (2014): 109-120 (transl. and repubd.). Hariman, Robert. Prudence: classical virtue, postmodern practice. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 2003 Jones, David & Russell Woodbridge. Health, Wealth & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2011. Kidner, Derek. Proverbs: An Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: IVP, 1974. Liddle, Roger. The Europe Dilemma: Britain and the Drama of EU Integration. London & New York, NY: I.B. Tauris, 2014. Lyons, Jonathan. The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization? London: Bloomsbury, 2008. Marquand, David. The End of the West: The Once and Future Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, McCool, Gerard. ‘The Christian Wisdom Tradition and Enlightenment Reason’. In Examining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Anthony J. Cernera & Oliver J. Morgan, eds. Fairfield: Sacred Heart UP, 2000. McKane, William. Proverbs: A New Approach. The Old Testament Library. London: SCM, 1970. MacShane, Denis. Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe. London & New York, NY: I.B. Tauris, 2015. Mieder, Wolfgang. The Politics of Proverbs: From Traditional Wisdom to Proverbial Stereotypes. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, 1997. Murphy, Roland E. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2002. Novak, Philip. The World's Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World's Religions. San Francisco: Harper, 1994. O'Donnell, R.M. Keynes: Philosophy, Economics and Politics: The Philosophical Foundations of Keynes’s Thought and their Influence on his Economics and Politics. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 1989. Oesterley, William O.E. Proverbs. Westminster Commentaries. London: Methuen, 1929. Penchansky, David. Understanding Wisdom Literature: Conflict and Dissonance in the Hebrew Text. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012. Renard, John. Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2011. Rogers, Michael. Ancient Wisdom for Wealth Creation: Discover Financial Freedom to Live the Life You Deserve. n.l: Author House, 2004. Roth, Wolfgang M.W. Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum 13. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1965. Sandoval, Timothy J. The Discourse of Wealth And Poverty in the Book of Proverbs. Leiden: Brill, 2006. Smith, Huston. The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions (orig. title The Religions of Man). New York: Harper Colophon, 1958. Sorhun, Engin, Umit Hacioğlu & Hasan Dinçer eds. Regional Economic Integration and the Global Financial System. Hershey, PA: IGI Global/ Business Science Reference, 2014. Sun, Myung Lyu. Righteousness in the Book of Proverbs. Forschungen zum Alten Testamentum 2. 55. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012

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Tate, Marvin E. Proverbs. Broadman Bible Commentary. Clifton J. Allen gen. ed. Vol. 5. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1971. Taylor, Paul. The End of European Integration: Anti-Europeanism Examined. Abingdon: Routledge, 2008. Tournier-Sol, Karine & Chris Gifford eds. The UK Challenge to Europeanization: The Persistence of British Euroscepticism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. Weeks, Stuart. An Introduction to the Study of Wisdom Literature. London: T&T Clark/Continuum, 2010. Wight, Jonathan. Ethics in Economics: An Introduction to Moral Frameworks. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2015. Cowton, Christopher & Michaela Haase eds. Trends in Business and Economic Ethics. Berlin & Heidelberg: Springer, 2008.

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