Fall 2006/Pasadena
OT507
Butler

OT507: OLD TESTAMENT EXEGESIS: BIBLICAL WISDOM LITERATURE. James T. Butler.


DESCRIPTION: This course will provide a survey of a sometimes neglected portion of the biblical canon, with special attention to the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. We will examine the setting and development of wisdom traditions within Israelite society, their impact upon the New Testament, and their contributions to biblical theology.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) a fundamental knowledge of the literary forms and thematic content of the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes; (2) an acquaintance with a range of issues pertaining to the historical and social location of the wisdom literature within Israel and its ancient Middle Eastern context; (3) an ability to trace the "trajectories" of Old Testament wisdom through selected examples of intertestamental literature and the New Testament; (4) an ability to reflect upon and evaluate the unique theological issues raised by this literature and to discern their implications for Christian faith and practice; (5) an enhanced competence in basic Hebrew, as well as in exegetical and hermeneutical skills; (6) an appreciation of how we may learn from historically and culturally diverse vantage points better to read, use, and obey this portion of Scripture.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The wisdom literature offers us unique resources for coping with life: for everyday life, practical observations about cultivating virtues and avoiding the calamities of the "broad way"; and for life "at the edges," sharp, honest searching about innocent suffering and "the meaning of it all." The wisdom traditions also offer bridges: from their varied expressions throughout the Old Testament, we will trace them through the intertestamental period and into the service of the preaching and teaching of the church.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet for two hours twice each week; one session will be devoted primarily to lecture, and the other to translation and exegetical discussion.

REQUIRED READING:

Brown, Francis; S. R. Driver; and Charles A. Briggs, eds. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford University Press, 1952/Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.

Elliger, K. & W. Rudolph, eds. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1990.

Murphy, Roland E. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Course reader.
See the Biblical Division bibliography "Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Program" available in the SOT Academic Advising office.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Brown, William P. Character in Crisis: A Fresh Approach to the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 1996.

Fox, Michael V. A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1987.

Tamez, Elsa. When the Horizons Close: Rereading Ecclesiastes. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2000.

ASSIGNMENTS: (1) Weekly preparation for translation and exegetical discussions; (2) the writing of an exegetical paper based upon the Hebrew text (approximately 12 pages); and (3) the use of lecture notes and syllabus readings to develop answers to study questions from which the final examination will be drawn.

PREREQUISITES: LG502.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Old Testament "c" (OTCE).

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.