An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts
eBook - ePub

An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts

About this book

An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts is designed for undergraduate students and laypersons who are studying Scripture. Part One poses fundamental questions addressed by the genre of wisdom literature, explores definitions of wisdom and folly from the biblical perspective, describes the characteristics and forms of wisdom poetry, and places Israel's wisdom tradition in a wider historical-cultural context. Part Two addresses the practical wisdom associated with Proverbs, treating both the contents and the academic questions that arise. Parts Three and Four focus on Ecclesiastes and Job, respectively, and on the interpretive challenges they raise. Finally, Part Five recognizes the place of Song of Songs in the wisdom tradition. This text is a highly accessible and engagingly written introduction to the Bible's wisdom literature and is built on a strong scholarly foundation.

Elaine A. Phillips has served as professor of biblical and theological studies at Gordon College (Wenham, MA) since 1993 and for the past two decades has also been a visiting professor at Jerusalem University College. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles on the Old Testament and has served on the editorial board of the Bulletin for Biblical Research. Phillips has received several distinguished teaching awards and regularly lectures on the Bible to both professional societies and lay audiences.

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Yes, you can access An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts by Elaine A Phillips in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Biblical Studies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Preface and Acknowledgments
  3. Abbreviations
  4. Part One: Where and How Do We Start?
  5. 1. The Universal Pursuit of Wisdom
  6. 2. What Makes Biblical Wisdom Unique?
  7. 3. Biblical Poetry: The Perfect Form(s) for Wisdom Expressions
  8. 4. Contexts: Solomon’s Court as a Wisdom “Hub”?
  9. Part Two: Practical Wisdom: Proverbs
  10. 5. How on Earth Should I Make Sense of Proverbs? An Overview
  11. 6. Wisdom and Folly and Their “Children” (Proverbs 1–9)
  12. 7. Character Matters
  13. 8. The Power in Words
  14. 9. Discipline
  15. 10. Relationships
  16. 11. Leadership, Justice, Poverty, and Stewardship
  17. Part Three: Coming to Grips with Mortality: Ecclesiastes
  18. 12. Is What Happens “Under the Sun” Meaningless, Transient, or Elusive?
  19. 13. A Masterpiece of Literary Structures
  20. 14. Coming to Grips with Mortality
  21. 15. Ecclesiastes Conundrums
  22. Part Four: Wisdom and Suffering: Job
  23. 16. The Array of Issues Confronting the Interpreter of Job
  24. 17. God and the satan (Job 1–2)
  25. 18. The Character of Job on a Trajectory: Wrestling with His Own Mortality and God’s Sovereignty
  26. 19. Great Doctrine Misapplied
  27. 20. God as Job’s Adversary, Advocate, and Absent Friend
  28. 21. Time to Take a Breath: The Far Reaches of Wisdom
  29. 22. Job’s Life in Retrospect
  30. 23. Elihu as Arbiter and Adumbration
  31. 24. Responses from the Wild Wind: A Cosmic Tour
  32. 25. The Epilogue: Job and God Respond
  33. Part Five: Wisdom and Love: Song of Songs
  34. 26. This Is “The Best Song”
  35. 27. A Garden of Spices: How Do You Describe Your Beloved?
  36. Epilogue: What Next?
  37. Endorsements