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@article{ART002547826},
author={Yong Hyun Cho},
title={The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs},
journal={Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies},
issn={1229-0521},
year={2019},
volume={25},
number={4},
pages={108-135},
doi={10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108}

TY - JOUR
AU - Yong Hyun Cho
TI - The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs
JO - Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
PY - 2019
VL - 25
IS - 4
PB - Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
SP - 108
EP - 135
SN - 1229-0521
AB - The purpose of this paper is to clarify the confusion of the logical status of the rich with wealth as a material reward for following wisdom’s way in the act-consequence nexus. Since Klaus Koch suggested the act-consequence nexus, many scholars have regarded the negative descriptions of the rich as an inherent ambiguity of the nexus or as an exception to the nexus. In this paper, however, I argue that in Proverbs the rich designated as ʿāšîr do not just signify individuals who possess economic wealth. The term also points to social-political leaders and those who are moral agents. In Proverbs, the rich are consistently described as moral agents who regularly fail to choose and act for the good. As the sages uncover the rich’s illusion that their wealth can protect them like a fortress (10:15; 18:11), they show that the rich overestimate the value of wealth and, thus, put too much confidence in it. Because of this misguided trust in wealth, the rich seek their own advantage rather than embody virtues in social relations (14:20; 19:4). The rich’s pursuit of their own advantage consolidates the hierarchy between the rich and others by controlling relations with the purpose of increasing their own profits (19:6-7). Especially in their relationships with the poor, the rich increase their wealth and strengthen control over the poor by oppressing them (22:16). These immoral characteristics serve as evidence of the rich’s intellectual and moral hubris: they overestimate their own knowledge and wisdom (28:11). This paper contributes to the scholarship of Proverbs by clarifying the role of the rich in the book and, more importantly, in the act-consequence nexus. In Proverbs, the rich are moral agents whose way of life can be morally evaluated by the moral standards the instructions themselves articulate elsewhere.
KW - Proverbs;the rich;the act-consequence nexus;moral agents;wealth and poverty;moral world
DO - 10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108
ER -

Yong Hyun Cho. (2019). The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 25(4), 108-135.

Yong Hyun Cho. 2019, "The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs", Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, vol.25, no.4 pp.108-135. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108

Yong Hyun Cho "The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 25.4 pp.108-135 (2019) : 108.

Yong Hyun Cho. The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs. 2019; 25(4), 108-135. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108

Yong Hyun Cho. "The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 25, no.4 (2019) : 108-135.doi: 10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108

Yong Hyun Cho. The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 25(4), 108-135. doi: 10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108

Yong Hyun Cho. The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies. 2019; 25(4) 108-135. doi: 10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108

Yong Hyun Cho. The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs. 2019; 25(4), 108-135. Available from: doi:10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108

Yong Hyun Cho. "The Rich as Moral Agents in Proverbs" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 25, no.4 (2019) : 108-135.doi: 10.24333/jkots.2019.25.4.108