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. Approximately one-half of class time will be devoted to the translation and careful exegetical examination of representative passages.

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 inter-testamental period and into the service of the preaching and teaching of the church.

The course will meet twice weekly, two hours per session. For most weeks, one session will be devoted primarily to lecture, and the other to translation and exegetical discussion.

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

Murphy, Roland E. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Selected articles.

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

Camp, Claudia. Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs. Sheffield: Almond, 1985.

Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Atlanta: John Knox, 1981.

Gammie, John G. and Leo G. Perdue, eds. The Sage in Israel and the Ancient Near East. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990.

Kidner, Derek. The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1985.

LaSor, W. S.; D. A. Hubbard; and F. W. Bush. Old Testament Survey. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Metzger, Bruce M. Introduction to the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press, 1957.

Perdue, Leo G. Wisdom and Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994.

Rad, Gerhard von. Wisdom in Israel. Valley Forge: Trinity Press, 1972.

Commentaries on individual books will be recommended in class.

1. Weekly preparation for translation and exegetical discussions.

2. The writing of an exegetical paper based upon the Hebrew text (12-15 pages).

3. The use of lecture notes and syllabus readings to develop answers to study questions from which the final examination will be drawn.

Meets M. Div. core requirement in Old Testament "c" (OTCE).