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).
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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.
2. Spinoza defined "wisdom as seeing things sub specie eternitatis, in view of eternity."
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.
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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
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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.
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Wise men in Various Categories
Wise men of Religion and Social Conduct
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Christ and His Followers
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Chinese Religions
Confucius and His Followers
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Hinduism
Brihaspati (Guru of Devas), Shukracharya (Guru of Asuras), Vasishta, Visvamitra,
Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Gurunanak
Sri Rama, Sri Krishna
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Shirdi Saibaba,
Kanchi Sankaracharya Sri Chandra Sekhara Swamiji,
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Mohammed, The Prophet and His Followers
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Moses and His Followers
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Wise men - Philosophers
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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
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England (UK)
France
Germany
U.S.A.
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Wise men - Scientists
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Adam Smith, Karl Marx
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Wise men - Kings and Statesmen
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'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
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Wise men - Businessmen
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Henry Ford
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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
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Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain
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Some Web Sites
2500 adages of Imam Ali
Ecclesiastes
Added to the collection Presidents of USA
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-k-v-s-s/-/2utb2lsm2k7a/4285#view
Narayana Rao - 08 Apr 2011