I think this essay by David Lyle Jeffrey is one of the best things in print on the nature of learning. It is titled, "The Pearl of Great Wisdom: The Deep and Abiding Biblical Roots of Western Liberal Education." I use it often when I teach, and have re-read it numerous times. Jeffrey is arguing that in the western tradition after the first century (particularly in its pre-modern form), learning was often a means to wisdom, and a wisdom centered on the reading and interpretation of Scripture. Thank you David Jeffrey for this essay. It can be found here at the web-site of Touchstone Magazine.