view the emphasis on human action as urging people to externally obey a code of conduct. By commanding people to act according to their guidelines, the wise men actually want people to become righteous people. The adjective “aphoristic” is based on the noun “aphorism.” An aphorism is a proverb—a concise, memorable statement of truth. To produce proverbs requires a special kind of thinking. This thinking starts with the writers of proverbs, but people who then assimilate