Why should advice on proper manners be considered sacred literature? Why do you think this book is included in the Bible?
What does the nearly verbatim overlap between Proverbs and the Wisdom of Amenemope mean for our understanding of the origins of the Bible? What difference does it make?
To what extent does the way in which proverbs are presented to us frame our understanding of them? How does the reality that their order has changed over the course of history impact our reading of them?
Applying the Text:
In what contexts have you most often heard proverbs? Why do you think that is?
Do you think Jesus followed traditional proverbial wisdom in his life? Should we follow traditional proverbial wisdom in our own lives? How precisely?
How does the general ethics of Proverbs, that those who do good will be rewarded, and that those who are successful must therefore have done good, relate to contemporary political and social debates? What about religious positions?