Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0830817832 ISBN 13: 9780830817832

Publisher: IVP Academic, 2008

Synopsis

• 2009 Christianity Today Merit Award winner
• 2009 ECPA Gold Medallion (Bible Reference Study)

The Old Testament books of wisdom and poetry carry themselves differently from those of the Pentateuch, the histories or the prophets. The divine voice does not peal from Sinai, there are no narratives carried along by prophetic interpretation nor are oracles declaimed by a prophet. Here Scripture often speaks in the words of human response to God and God's world. The hymns, laments and thanksgivings of Israel, the dirge of Lamentations, the questionings of Qohelet, the love poetry of the Song of Songs, the bold drama of Job and the proverbial wisdom of Israel all offer their textures to this great body of biblical literature. Then too there are the finely crafted stories of Ruth and Esther that narrate the silent providence of God in the course of Israelite and Jewish lives. This third Old Testament volume in InterVarsity Press's celebrated "Black Dictionary" series offers nearly 150 articles covering all the important aspects of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther. Over ninety contributors, many of them experts in this literature, have contributed to the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry Writings. This volume maintains the quality of scholarship that students, scholars and pastors have come to expect from this series. Coverage of each biblical book includes an introduction to the book itself as well as separate articles on its ancient Near Eastern background and its history of interpretation. Additional articles amply explore the literary dimensions of Hebrew poetry and prose, including acrostic, ellipsis, inclusio, intertextuality, parallelism and rhyme. And there are well-rounded treatments of Israelite wisdom and wisdom literature, including wisdom poems, sources and theology. In addition, a wide range of interpretive approaches is canvassed in articles on hermeneutics, feminist interpretation, form criticism, historical criticism, rhetorical criticism and social-scientific approaches. The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry Writings is sure to command shelf space within arm's reach of any student, teacher or preacher working in this portion of biblical literature. Tremper Longman III and Peter E. Enns edit this collection of 148 articles by 90 contributors on Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther.

About this title

From the Publisher:

* Third Old Testament volume in InterVarsity Press's celebrated Black Dictionary series
* 148 articles covering all aspects of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther
* Over 90 contributors, many of them experts in this literature
* Coverage of each biblical book, including separate articles on ancient Near Eastern background and the history of interpretation of each book
* Full coverage of literary dimensions of poetry and prose
* Well-rounded treatments of Israelite wisdom and Wisdom literature
* Up-to-date bibliographies

About the Author:

Tremper Longman III is Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He is the author of numerous books, including An Introduction to the Old Testament (with Raymond Dillard) and commentaries on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Daniel.

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0830817832
• ISBN 13: 9780830817832
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 991
• Editor: Tremper Longman III, Peter Enns