An Introduction to the Study of Wisdom Literature

Dr Stuart Weeks

ISBN 10: 0567184439 / ISBN 13: 9780567184436

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2010

About this Item

Presents an introduction to wisdom literature. This book looks at the historical questions and approaches, discussing the traditional tendency to isolate wisdom literature, and also emphasizing the many links with other biblical literature and thought. Series: T&T Clark Approaches to Biblical Studies. Num Pages: 160 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: HRCG. Category: (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 215 x 139 x 13. Weight in Grams: 238. . 2010. 1st Edition. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780567184436

Bibliographic Details

• Title: An Introduction to the Study of Wisdom Literature
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0567184439
• ISBN 13: 9780567184436
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In contrast to much of the other literature in the Hebrew Bible, the wisdom books – Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes – have little interest in Israel's national history and worship, but focus instead on the needs of each individual, struggling to survive and prosper in a world that can be dangerous and confusing.
This introduction to the study of Wisdom Literature is geared to questions of method and approach. The introduction and first chapter examine the basic questions central to the literature. Subsequent chapters outline the content, characteristics, and thought of each book, and discuss the problems involved in approaching and interpreting them. Examination of the biblical wisdom books is followed by a survey and discussion of other Jewish literature with a claim to be called 'wisdom literature', including psalms, and works from the apocrypha and from Qumran. The final chapters turn to more general issues of thought, place, and definition, concluding that wisdom literature must be understood not in terms of a shared origin, theology, or ideology, but as a type of literary discourse.

About the Author

Dr Stuart Weeks MA (Oxon.) MPhil DPhil, Senior Lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew, Durham University, UK. He is the author of Early Israelite Wisdom (OUP, 1994) and Instructions & Imagery in Proverbs 1-9 (OUP, 2007). He is writing the ICC volume on Ecclesiastes for T&T Clark.