DESCRIPTION: The course covers the books in the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures: Psalms, Job, Proverbs, the Scrolls (Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Esther), Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the course students should have (1) become excited about these books with their wide-ranging significance for our life with God; (2) considered the importance of the wisdom books in the modern world against their Middle Eastern background; (3) gained expertise in approaches to interpreting the Psalms and let this bring about developments in the way they pray; (4) considered the way Israel's story is retold and extended in the Old Testament and its significance for the modern church; and (5) considered approaches to the interpretation of Old Testament short stories and their significance for women and men today.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: See course objectives/learning outcomes.

COURSE FORMAT: The course meets for two hours twice a week for ten weeks. Each class combines lecture and plenary discussion with work in groups of four or five; the course includes some dramatized reading, creative writing, and listening to recorded material. Classes require substantial preparation on the part of students, on average two hours of preparation for each class hour, including study of the biblical text and other reading which is specified. The course emphasizes collaborative learning, and students need to be willing to be committed to working together with other students.

REQUIRED READING:

Students do not need to possess any books except an NRSV or TNIV and a copy of the Course Reader.

Brenner, A., ed. A Feminist Companion to the Wisdom Literature, A Feminist Companion to the Song of Songs, A Feminist Companion to Ruth. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995, 1993, and 1993. Also subsequent volumes in this series edited by Brenner.

Brueggemann, W. The Message of the Psalms. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984.

______. The Psalms and the Life of Faith. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995.

Crenshaw, J. Old Testament Wisdom. Atlanta: John Knox, 1981/London: SCM, 1982; rev. ed., 1999.

Goldingay, J. Old Testament Theology, Volume One. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003.

Gunn, D., and D. N. Fewell. Narrative in the Hebrew Bible. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Kidner, D. The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1985 (= Wisdom to Live By. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985).

1. Preparation notes for classes.

2. Attendance at classes.

3. Two 7-10 page papers, or one 15-20-page paper, by negotiation. The grade comes from these papers (each 50%), subject to reduction for missing classes or failure to turn in satisfactory preparation homework.