WISE MEN AND WISDOM

Authors

• Narayana Rao

Contributers

• Spiros Kakos
• P V Ariel
• Ann P

Published

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

Version 34

Last edited: 04 Dec 2009

Exported: 26 Nov 2011

Original URL: http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/2utb2lsm2k7a/1793

Who Are Wise men? 

 

In  Genesis 41:8 there is a passage that  says  the pharaoh "called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men" [Hebrew: chakam] to interpret his dream. Chakam means intelligent, skillful, artful or cunning man. This same word is used throughout the rest of the Old Testament, except in the Book of Daniel.

 

In Daniel 2.12, the word used in the original language is chakamim or chakkiym.  At this time, “wise men” apparently consisted of three different types: (1) astrologers, (2) Chaldeans, and (3) soothsayers.

 

In the New Testament, three different words are translated into English as “wise men.”

 

The first word translated “wise men” is the Greek word magos. This is the same as magus, an old Persian word equivalent to the chakam of the Old Testament (above). Magi is the plural of magus.

 

In Matthew 2, it is recorded that wisemen came from the East to Jerusalem looking for “he that is born King of the Jews.” These were magi, a priestly caste of learned men.

 

The second is the Greek word sophos, that appears in Matthew 23:34 which is translated as “wise” men.

 

The third is Phronimos, that  appears in 1 Cor 10:15, "I speak as to wise men…" This word means thoughtful, i.e. sagacious or discreet (implying a cautious character).

 

Source: http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/wisemen.html

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

What is Wisdom?

 

1. "Ideally, wisdom is total perspective -- seeing an object, event, or idea in all its pertinent relationships."

"Obviously we can only approach such total perspective; to possess it would be to be God." Will Durant.

Source: http://www.willdurant.com/wisdom.htm

 

2. Spinoza defined "wisdom as seeing things sub specie eternitatis, in view of eternity."

Source: http://www.willdurant.com/wisdom.htm

 

3. S is wise iff (if and only if)

S has extensive factual and theoretical knowledge.

S knows how to live well.

S is successful at living well.

S has very few unjustified beliefs.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wisdom/ 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

Suugestions for Improving Wisdom

 

Invite the great men of the past into your homes. Put their works or lives on your shelves as books, their architecture, sculpture, and painting on your walls as pictures; let them play their music for you. Attune your ears to Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy. Make room in your rooms for Confucius, Buddha, Plato, Euripides, Lucretius, Christ, Seneca, Montaigne, Marcus Aurelius, Heloise, Shakespeare, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Gibbon, Goethe, Shelley, Keats, Heine, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Spengler, Anatole France, Albert Schweitzer. Let these men be your comrades, your bedfellows; give them half an hour each day; slowly they will share in remaking you to perspective, tolerance, wisdom, and a more avid love of a deepened life.

 

Don't think of these men as dead; they will be alive hundreds of years .... They live in a magic City of God, peopled by all the geniuses -- the great statesmen, poets, artists, philosophers, women, lovers, saints -- whom humanity keeps alive in its memory. Will Durant

Source: http://www.willdurant.com/wisdom.htm

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Wisdom Day Celebration

A knol author and Secretary of Knol Author Foundation, Mr. Sajid Khan suggests celebration of Wisdom Day and is in the process of organizing it. 

An open letter to all those who want to change the world.

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Wise men in Various Categories

 

Wise men of  Religion and Social Conduct

_______________________________________________________

Christ and His Followers

 

St. Francis of Assisi,

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Chinese Religions

Lao Tse Tung

 

Confucius and His Followers

 

Confucius,

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Hinduism

 

Brihaspati (Guru of Devas), Shukracharya (Guru of Asuras), Vasishta, Visvamitra,

 

Manu, Apastmaba,

 

Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Gurunanak

 

Sri Rama, Sri Krishna

 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Shirdi Saibaba,

 

Kanchi Sankaracharya Sri Chandra Sekhara Swamiji,

 

Aurobindo, Sri Sri Sri RaviShankar, Saibaba,

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Mohammed, The Prophet and His Followers

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Moses and His Followers

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Wise men - Philosophers

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Greece

 

Bias of Priene (flourished 6th century bc), Chilon of Sparta (flourished 6th century bc), Cleobulus of Lindus (flourished 6th century bc), Periander of Corinth (died 585 bc), Pittacus of Mytilene (650?-570? bc), Solon of Athens, Thales of Miletus,

 

Pre-Socratic philosophers

• Heraclitus
  
• Parmenidis
• Thalis
• Anaximandros

 

Socrates (Gr. Σωκράτης): One of the most important figures in philosophy. So important that all philosophers before him were characterized as "pre-socratic". Human was the focal point of his philosophy. He believed that we all hold the truth within us and he used various techniques to make his fellow-listeners realize that. He thought that knowing yourself is ultimately the best kind of "knowledge" you can achieve ("Know thyself" - Gr. "Γνώθι σε εαυτόν" was his motto). He used to talk to the ancient Market (Agora, Gr. Αγορά) and never wrote a book. He believed that written speech is of lower quality than oral one, since it does not have the same "liveness" as does the debate you do when talking to someone face-to-face.

 

Post-Socratic era

• Plato: Student of Socrates. He teached that all things we see and feel and know as we live are projections of perfect ideal things that exists in another "level", called "ideas" (Gr. "ιδέες").
• Aristotle
  

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

England (UK)

 

France

 

Germany

 

U.S.A.

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Wise men - Scientists

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Adam Smith, Karl Marx

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Wise men - Kings and Statesmen

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

'SOLOMON' THE WISEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED

                                                                  P V Ariel

If we look at the long list of history’s wise men, Solomon the king of Israel will be seen at the top of the list.  No doubt Solomon stands apart from all other wise men of this world.   He is considered as the wise man ever lived on earth.  There is none like him who obtained the wisdom in the whole earth.  His wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.  His wisdom is not obtained from people or from a school or a college but he obtained this from the God of Israel.  He spoke 3,000 Proverbs and his songs were 1,005.  These ascribed wise sayings are recorded in the Holy Bible in 3 separate books called Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

 

Solomon the son of King David born of Bathsheba, though not in line for the succession yet he was chosen by David and approved of God to be David’s successor.  Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the statues of his father David and he did what is pleasing in the sight of God.  One day as he was at Gibeon the great high place to offer burnt offerings to God, by night, Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”  Solomon asked for an understanding heart to judge your people that I may discern between good and evil”  this desire pleased the Lord  and He said, ”Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; “Behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.  “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.   So “if you walk in my ways, to keep my statues and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”(1 Kings 3: 3-14) More: http://knol.google.com/k/p-v-ariel/solomon-the-wise-man-ever-lived/12c8mwhnhltu7/119

 

 

Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi,  Edmund Burke

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Wise men - Businessmen

____________________________________________________________________________________

Henry Ford

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Wise men - Authors

P V Ariel Posted  few knols on some wise men author's quotes under the title:

 

DR. WOODROW KROLL’S QUOTES FROM GIANTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (PART I, II, III)

Read more on these links:

http://knol.google.com/k/p-v-ariel/dr-woodrow-kroll-s-quotes-from-gaints/12c8mwhnhltu7/134 

http://knol.google.com/k/p-v-ariel/dr-woodrow-kroll-s-quotes-from-gaints/12c8mwhnhltu7/136

http://knol.google.com/k/p-v-ariel/dr-woodrow-kroll-s-quotes-from-gaints/12c8mwhnhltu7/139

____________________________________________________________________________________

 Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain

 

Vishnu Sharma (Pancha Tantra Stories),

 

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Some Web Sites

 

http://greek-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_seven_wise_men_of_greece

2500 adages of Imam Ali

http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/adg/adg07.htm

Ecclesiastes

http://religion.ucumberlands.edu/hebrew_bible/hbnotes/eccnotes.htm

Comments

Untitled

http://www.rolexwatchessale.org rolex replica http://www.infowowgold.com wow gold http://www.daliled.com/en LED power supply http://www.breitlingwatchesstore.com breitling watches http://www.ebuypainting.com animal oil paintings http://www.quickbooksbuy.com QuickBooks
http://www.replica-watches-uk.co.uk replica watches uk http://www.lv2buy.co.uk louis vuitton uk
http://www.moncleroutlet-sale.com moncler outlet http://www.flamereader.com text to speech software http://www.wholesale-charm.com wholesale charm

chanel replicas - 28 Jan 2011

Seasons Greeting

Hi Prof. Here comes a bit belated Diwali Greetings. Love PV

P V Ariel - 27 Oct 2009

YES PROF. ITS A GREAT IDEA.

P V Ariel - 27 Oct 2009

Thank you.
I think this knol can be used for greetings on various festivals and important days of various regions and communities. It is nice that US congress recently passed a resolution appreciating the role of Mahatma Gandhi in creating change in the world through nonviolent protests. Obama celebrating the Diwali is also a great gesture to bring about unity among with the different religious faiths.

Recently in Times of India, a muslim scholar wrote that different religious faiths is a god created challenge to see how people on earth love each other despite differences in various forms. It is a real challenge with each group feeling it was subjected to injustice by some other group.

Narayana Rao - 18 Oct 2009

I just posted a knol

Dear KVSS,
I just posted a knol in the wisdom knols new category, just check it there is some problem to connect.some problem with the title. pl. advise, if you can provide you direct email id it will be good, so that i can clear some doubt on this post and the following upcoming ones. hope you do shoot a mail to my yahoo id, since there is some problem with my gmail id. hope you do respond to this.

P V Ariel - 07 Oct 2009

Thank you for the modification

Narayana Rao - 07 Oct 2009

My gmail id is kvssnrao50@gmail.com.
I shall send a mail to your yahoo id.
It will be more convenient, If you open a knol under you name on King Solomon and give the link on this knol. Finally, this knol will have the names of wisemen may be some of the concepts or areas they emphasized with links to detailed knols by various authors. That way we can cover many wisemen and provide a very comprehensive resource to readers and visitors.

Narayana Rao - 05 Oct 2009

I am sorry my yahoo id is not given, here it is pvariel24@yahoo.com

P V Ariel - 04 Oct 2009

Welcome, Spriros Kakos

Thank you for additing names of Pre Socrates Philosophers.

Narayana Rao - 29 Sep 2009

Great Idea.

This is a wonderful idea. To collect and put together the great men and their vision and ideas of the past from different field and different region and religion. Good thing you made this possible to work for it. Thanks for your invitation. PV

P V Ariel - 28 Sep 2009

this knol is part of the collection: related knols

(see [Search for uses of this page -> collected this page])

btw. i think a wiseman is a man who is a pattern or model or prototype for all mankind .

Kalle Schwarz - 27 Sep 2009