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Wisdom and Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature
... To show Song of Songs' alignment with Israelite wisdom literature, a frame of reference (a lens) is constructed, utilising the work of renowned scholars of wisdom literature: Whybray (1974), Perdue (1994), Murphy (2002), Crenshaw (2010), and Bartholomew and O'Dowd (2011). These scholars have been selected because they exclude the Song of Songs from their focus on wisdom literature. ...
Imaginative variations in hermeneutical approaches to Song of Songs show the interpreters’ struggle to understand the presence of this sexual text within the Holy Bible. Even the broad scholarly consensus, labelling the Song’s genre as “mere” love poetry signals the perception of an absence of theological meaning. The inability of interpreters to find theological meaning in an Israelite text about sexuality reflects a societal dualism where sexuality is viewed as secular and removed from the realm of spirituality. In this article, a frame of reference is constructed with typical wisdom characteristics and used as a lens with which to explore the meaning of Song of Songs. The frame of reference includes vocabulary, form, rhetoric, metaphors, anthropology, order, the threat of chaos, scepticism, critique, and knowledge of God. Using wisdom as a hermeneutical approach to reading Song of Songs uncovers a sexual theology that claims a Creator-conscious sexuality and a pleasure-affirming spirituality.
... No caso do texto bíblico, entende-se que o discurso sapiencial costumava se manifestar a partir de uma forma literária específica, identificada pelos especialistas no ל ׁשָ מָ (māšāl, ver Pv 1:6), como explicam Perdue (1994) e Ceresko (1999). Embora o termo seja comumente associado à forma proverbial, devido aos variados contextos em que o termo ocorre na Bíblia Hebraica, o ל ׁשָ מָ também poderá ser entendido como termo que representa outros tipos de discursos sapienciais, como a parábola, enigmas e fábulas, como consta em 1 Samuel 10:12, 24:14 e Provérbios 1: 6;26:7, 9 (SCOTT, 1971;MURPHY, 1990). ...
O presente artigo consiste em uma análise de comparação discursiva e temática das intersecções entre Eclesiastes 9:13-18, na Bíblia Hebraica, e o romance gráfico Parábola, da Marvel Comics. O artigo se divide em quatro partes: a primeira, um panorama da literatura e do discurso sapiencial na Bíblia Hebraica; a segunda, uma análise de Eclesiastes 9:13-18, com leitura atentiva do texto hebraico; a terceira, uma breve descrição do romance gráfico Parábola juntamente com informações sobre seu protagonista, o super-herói Surfista Prateado; e a quarta, uma análise do romance gráfico Parábola a partir do diálogo com Eclesiastes. Entre diversos paralelos narrativos, vê-se que a estrutura de conto sapiencial às avessas de Eclesiastes 9 se repete no romance gráfico, já que em ambos os textos a sabedoria, mesmo (aparentemente) vitoriosa, é relegada à marginalidade e à invisibilidade. Em ambos os casos, ela é considerada como superior à força da guerra, configurando um conto sapiencial de louvor à sabedoria e, ao mesmo tempo, uma lamentação sobre a negligência atribuída a ela.
... Thus literature is a signi icant way of portraying the moral life in a society and the relationship of its inhabitants to divinity. Literature of every society not only preserves knowledge and wisdom of that time and place but also passes it to the coming generations (Perdue, 2009). ...
Lust and loyalty are interlinked concepts that have a history as old as that of human beings. Human psychology and emotions have gone through different phases of development, yet these two emotions still exist. Literature being the true depiction of human life is full of stories of the human lust for power and search for loyalty. English writers such as William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlow, and Francis Bacon have highlighted these concepts in their literary oeuvre. These writers have mentioned dimensions of these concepts that are instrumental in laying out the specific instinctual flaws and follies of human beings. This research paper investigates these human characteristics being portrayed through fictionalized and dramatized accounts in the oral sources of literature in Sargodha. The oral sources of literature in Sargodha are interpreted for the exploration of the role of both male and female characters and their emotions in ancient Punjab. The research is qualitative in nature, and the primary source of oral data is collected in a recorded form. Moreover, different genre-specific books, research articles, and online resources have been consulted for the purpose of analysis and discussion. The story of Justice in Jungle is primarily documented and translated into English by the researcher. The findings show that the basic innate potentialities of different cultures and their inhabitants remain unaltered despite the literal uniqueness of the specific regions. The research is innovative in the way that it explores the universal human traits in the documented oral story and thus serves to authenticate the socio-cultural purview of the local oral literature of Pakistan.
... Essa percepção será necessária para que o trabalho realize uma leitura comparativa entre os elementos do gênero sapiencial da Bíblia Hebraica e o universo de Shazam como evidência, em quadrinhos, de uma "superaventura sapiencial". . Grosso modo, entende-se que a distinção entre o que pode ou não ser classificado como "sabedoria" ou "sapiencial" dependerá de dois elementos básicos: forma e conteúdo (LÍNDEZ, 2014;MURPHY, 1990;BROWN, 1996;PERDUE, 1994). Nos termos clássicos de Crenshaw (1981, p. 18): "Quando há um casamento entre forma e conteúdo, existe literatura sapiencial." ...
A relação das histórias em quadrinhos (HQs) com a religião, atualmente, representa uma abordagem de intenso interesse acadêmico. Desde o reconhecimento de que a cultura de massa, expressa pelas HQs, pode comunicar conhecimentos religiosos, diversas narrativas receberam atenção da academia. A superaventura, isto é, a narrativa de embate entre super-heróis e super-vilões, também é alvo de investigações acadêmicas, e possui potencial teológico para expressar-se como discurso religioso. Uma das superaventuras passíveis de análise é a do super-herói Shazam, cujos poderes são provenientes de figuras divinas; uma delas, Salomão, é reconhecidamente judaico-cristã, e na Bíblia Hebraica costuma ser associada à sabedoria. Com isso em mente, o objeto deste trabalho é explorar brevemente as relações que o discurso sapiencial bíblico possui com a narrativa em quadrinhos da série de 12 volumes “Os desafios de Shazam!”. Para tanto, foi aplicada a leitura metodológica da análise do discurso, tomando como base algumas das principais características que regem os enunciados de sabedoria da Bíblia Hebraica. No fim, a série demonstrou a possibilidade de ser lida como uma “superaventura sapiencial”, justamente por apresentar elementos contextuais, linguísticos e comunicacionais comuns ao gênero sapiencial da Bíblia Hebraica.
... God is an efficient worker, first preparing the planet for life and community and then creating community that can be sustained by the earth (Genesis 1; Fretheim, 2005). The Bible describes God as being a skillful and clever worker both in Creation and in Redemption (Psalm 136:5; 139:15; 1 Corinthians 3:7-9, 19; Jensen, 2006;Perdue, 1994;Scott, 1960;Banks, 1994). While God creates ex nihilo, something not possible for humans, humans are co-creators with God (Larive, 2004, p. 73;Stevens, 2006). ...
This paper examines operational efficiency from a biblical theology perspective. The paper describes operational efficiency in contemporary terms and considers six categories of constraints on efficiency. In pursuing its purpose, the paper reviews six relevant biblical themes including: God's character, creation, covenant, shalom, blessing , and fruitfulness. Five biblical instrumental values and virtues describe how efficiency is to be achieved: truth, wisdom, prudence, usefulness, and stewardship. The biblical theme of agricultural yield provides an illustration of the instrumental virtues and values by which workers achieve and measure efficiency.
... dominant cluster is the feminine image of wisdom in Old Testament wisdom literature (cf. Perdue, 1994 andGammie &Perdue, 1990). A far more encompassing root-metaphor on the other hand, is the notion of redemption of the fallen creation. ...
This article explores how the confessional thrust of Scriptural and root metaphors relates to the Christian scholar’s quest and how choices for hermeneutical keys to Scripture relate to metaphorical keys chosen as means of access to reality. With respect to Biblical interpretation it is argued that the text of Scripture itself provides the theologian or reader with leads concerning the kind of metaphorical access that functions as its hermeneutical key. I argue that there are clusters or hierarchies of metaphors, central and root metaphors, that regulate the interpretation of Scriptural texts and that a redemptive historical reading of Scripture as a confessional text guides the meaning of such clusters and hierarchies of metaphors. I argue that root metaphors in Scripture set the certitudinal parameters for the metaphors chosen and utilised in the disciplines.
Regarding reality I argue that the recognition of the multidimensionality of reality and the plurivocity of meaning and signification on which we rely in both literal and metaphorical language use and reference assumes the existence of non-linguistic and preconceptual bases that guide the recognition of similarities, differences and analogies in reality. They in turn are pointers to a design plan for reality which one could call a God-given order of creation. Metaphorical meaning appeals to and presupposes such an ordered and categorised world to which language and texts refer and which provides limits and boundaries to the multiplicity of deferrals of meaning that intertextual relationships seem to imply.
In disciplines concerned metaphorical models play a hermeneutical role in the understanding and interpretation of reality. In these metaphorical models, control beliefs steer, guide and condition the access of the discipline to reality. For Christian scholars the ultimate presuppositions embedded in control beliefs need to comport with the thrust of Scripture and its root metaphors. Scholars are at work in God’s creation and their metaphorical approximations of the structures of this creation are guided by the contours of created reality. These approximations in turn are influenced and constrained by what they attribute ultimacy to in the process of attempting to understand this reality. Stable God-given order provides the conditions and parameters for the common differentiation of contexts within which the interpretation of God’s Word in creation is to take place.
... Perdue argues that not only is wisdom theology grounded in creation, but also creation is at the centre of wisdom theology. (25) Wisdom themes can be organized around anthropology, cosmology or theodicy. In anthropology wisdom is the art of steering, applying knowledge to the experiences of life in a way that includes a 'fear' of the Lord. ...
This paper offers a theological critique of the future of ‘nature’ as suggested by New Biology, including recent developments in genetic engineering. It explores the biblical basis for grounding a theology of creation in the wisdom motif. The relationship between wisdom and creation in the Old Testament is discussed. The link between wisdom, Christ and the Holy Spirit is suggestive of wisdom's involvement in re-creation as well as initial creation. An argument is put forward for a Trinitarian basis for wisdom. The relationship between wisdom and apocalyptic literature gives a clue as to how wisdom might contribute to theological reflection on the future. Wisdom as metaphor is used to construct a new future of science. By reformulating the future of creation in the light of wisdom a future of science comes into view that meets the postmodern requirement for adaptability and diversity, but without forgetting the idea of distinction between humanity and the natural world. The long tradition of wisdom brings both a rootedness in historical perspectives and dynamic flexibility that serves to inform the relationship between God and the natural world. A measure of stability is a requirement in shaping perspectives for the future, particularly if the ambivalence and anxiety associated with new explorations in science are to be met.
Sub un titlu ce face apel la o surprizătoare joncţiune între imaginarul corpului şi componenta sapienţială, proiectul de faţă propune un demers de sondare a spaţiului imaginar al literaturii sapienţiale veterotestamentare, în scopul descoperirii modului simbolic de figurare a corpului. Miza proiectului îl circumscrie studiilor de istorie a imaginarului; este vorba de un studiu ce priveşte corpul ca pe un artefact cultural construit prin limbă, care la rândul său este purtătoare a unui anumit angrenaj mental. Astfel, propunem un exerciţiu de recuperare a concepţiei vechilor evrei asupra corporalităţii din modul în care corpul apare reprezentat în limbaj; limbajului analizat este cel al cărţii Proverbelor lui Solomon, text extrem de abundent în metafore corporale, pe care îl accesăm în originalul ebraic şi în câteva traduceri consacrate.
Pornind de la observaţia că textul propune, mai mult decât o doctrină despre înţelepciune, o iniţiere în dobândirea acesteia prin cunoaşterea de sine, vom încerca a ajunge la doctrina antropologică, la învăţătura despre om şi implicit despre corpul uman, nu expusă, ci mijlocită de text, mai precis de modul în care aceasta se articulează prin limbajul folosit. Pentru aceasta, vom da textului o lectură în cheie „corporală”, un tip de hermeneutică ce considerăm că răspunde întrucâtva unei noi linii de cercetare în psihologia şi lingvistica cognitivă, care susţine faptul că procesul cogniţiei umane este mediat de experienţele corporale.
Desfăşurându-se sub paradoxala formulă a unei curse pe urmele corpului real prin sondarea figurării sale metaforice într-un discurs despre dobândirea înţelepciunii, construirea unei geografii a corpului din elemente atomizate - fapt ce oglindeşte accesul progresiv al textului-sursă a cercetării la constelaţiile de reprezentări corporale - începe cu faţa/chipul (panim) şi se termină cu trupului propriu-zis, carnea (basar/şear), care adesea a fost interpretată doar ca metonimie pentru suflet dar care, într-o citire în cheie literală asumată, susţine orizontul unei concepţii asupra omului ca întreg care este mult mai în acord cu viziunea antropologică ebraică. Astfel, propunem un întreg demers de reconstruire, dintr-o multitudine de elemente corporale, a unui întreg univers antropologic în care omul nu are, ci este un corp şi trăieşte sub promisiunea reînnoirii vieţii în trup prin asumarea joncţiunii cu înţelepciunea.
The Akan culture does not treat women the same way it treats its men; there are gender related roles among the Akan cultural practices. Matrilineal inheritance notwithstanding, the Akan woman always plays the second option to her male counterpart. This is obvious in the selection for inheritance which always goes for a male even for nephews, appointments to public office, which follows the same trend no matter her contribution to that society.
The objectives of the study included the investigation of the context of the marginalization and dehumanizing cultural practices among the Akan of Ghana and to ascertain how the virtues of the industrious woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 and the cultural situation of the Akan woman can elucidate each other.
Inculturation and Liberation hermeneutical methodology were used to study the poem. In this methodology every aspect of the explanation is carefully influenced by the perspectives of the receptor community (Akan of Ghana), their past experiences and cultural practices as a people.
Proverbs 31:10-31 is well preserved with few variants which suggest that the poem could have been an adaptation from a male heroic poem. This is made manifest by the several masculine variants in a poem that is meant to eulogise a woman. The presence of Late Biblical Hebrew (LBH) vocabulary and Aramaisms suggest post-exilic Persian period influence on the text.
It is most probable that the industrious woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 is a literary creation by a post-exilic poet, as an antithesis of the historic moral and social failures of the Hebrew womanhood during the 8th century B.C.E. for didactic purpose. This is aimed at the moral and social reengineering of the Hebrew society. It is most probable that Ezra might have had a hand in either the writing, redaction or the editing of the poem of Proverbs 31:10-31.
With the help of contextual methodology (inculturation and Liberation Hermeneutics) the cultural condition of the Akan woman of Ghana is seen as silent champion instead of a slave and marginalized gender. The Akan woman is empowered for the good of the Akan society with the emulation of the virtues of the Industrious woman of Proverbs 31:10-31. Future studies could aim at the contribution of some Akan women who managed to shatter the glass ceiling of male dominance for the good of the Akan society, the role and identity of such women would help demystify the misconception about the role and place of women in the Akan society.
O estudo atual da sabedoria bíblica implica, entre os acadêmicos envolvidos com o tema, a revisitação e reelaboração de conceitos tradicionais, usualmente aplicados de forma limitadora ao entendimento do assunto. Como procedimento corrente nos estudos bíblicos direcionados à sabedoria, este trabalho se propõe à análise do termo חָכְמָח em um contexto específico, associado ao “ofício”, à “habilidade manual” ou à “perícia”: as porções de Êxodo que envolvem a realização de incumbências para a edificação do tabernáculo por Bezalel e Aoliabe. Para que a leitura seja aprofundada, o artigo parte das elaborações teóricas de Mircea Eliade sobre o Homo Faber, especificamente em sua relação com a prática metalúrgica como precursora da filosofia alquímica. O artigo constata que a atuação de Bezalel e Aolibe se adapta consideravelmente às elaborações de Eliade, já que a atividade dos artesãos é expressa como incumbência divina, experiência sobrenatural, ação mágica-ritualística e mímica do ato criativo da divindade para a edificação do tabernáculo como imago mundi.
Scholars often suggest that Wisdom of Solomon contains disparate approaches to impiety in chs. 1–9 and chs. 10–19. The earlier chapters approach impiety and impious individuals from an ethical perspective, but the latter chapters approach impiety with an ethnocentric and/or nationalistic perspective. In chs. 10–19, Wisdom presents righteousness as characteristic of the Jewish people and impiety as characteristic of Gentiles. This article argues that Wisdom’s approach to impiety is more consistent and coherent than this narrative implies. A philosophically informed moral psychology of the impious is discernable in chapters 1–2 and in two distinct images of the Impious from chs. 10–19. In each case, impiety is rooted in the misorientation of the soul, which results in errant reasoning (sometimes influenced by passions), and finally bodily impiety. This article further suggests these philosophically informed images of the impious can be understood as functioning as part of a two-ways ethical protreptic.
This paper discusses the understanding and meaning of the day (yom) according to Job 3:1-10. The purpose of this research is to enrich the approach and interpretation of the interpretation of the Book of Job and open a new understanding which in the future is expected to have an impact on spiritual needs Christians are facing challenges in life that are increasingly difficult or complex, namely to see a new nuance of the relational relationship between humans and God. To achieve this, the main issues discussed in this paper are: how and to what extent does Job 3: 1-10 interpret the word "day"? The writing of this paper belongs to the scientific family of biblical theology and uses a grammatical-historical exegesis approach, while the data collection process is carried out through library research. The result of this study is that the meaning of the word yom contained in Job chapter 3 is interpreted from a pessimistic point of view which is an attempt by the wisdom teacher as an example of faith seeks understanding in exchanges between wise traditions and human experience. Abstrak: Karya tulis ini membahas mengenai pemahaman dan makna hari (yom) menurut Ayub 3:1-10.Tujuan dari penelitian ini ialah untuk memperkaya pendekatan dan penafsiran tafsir akan Kitab Ayub dan membuka suatu pemahaman yang baru yang dikemudian hari diharapkan berdampak kepada kebutuhan rohani umat kristen dalam menghadapi tantangan hidup yang semakin sulit atau kompleks yakni untuk melihat sebuah nuansa baru akan hubungan relasional antara manusia dan Tuhan. Untuk mencapai hal ini, maka pokok permasalahan yang dibahas dalam karya tulis ini adalah: bagaimana dan sejauh manakah Ayub 3: 1-10 memaknai kata “hari” tersebut ?. Penulisan karya tulis ini termasuk dalam rumpun keilmuan teologi biblika dan mengunakan pendekatan eksegesis gramatikal-historis, sedangkan untuk proses pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui studi kepustakaan. Hasil dari penelitian ini ialah makna dari kata yom yang terdapat dalam Ayub pasal 3 dimaknai dari sudut pandang pesimis yang merupakan sebuah usaha sang guru hikmat sebagai sebuah contoh iman yang mencari pemahaman dalam pertukaran antara tradisi yang bijaksana dan pengalaman manusia.
In this book, Benjamin Wold builds on recent developments in the study of early Jewish wisdom literature and brings it to bear on the New Testament. This scholarship has been transformed by the discovery at Qumran of more than 900 manuscripts, including Hebrew wisdom compositions, many of which were published in critical editions beginning in the mid-1990s. Wold systematically explores the salient themes in the Jewish wisdom worldview found in these scrolls. He also presents detailed commentaries on translations and articulates the key debates regarding Qumran wisdom literature, highlighting the significance of wisdom within the context of Jewish textual culture. Wold's treatment of themes within the early Jewish and Christian textual cultures demonstrates that wisdom transcended literary form and genre. He shows how and why the publication of these ancient texts has engendered profound shifts in the study of early Jewish wisdom, and their relevance to current controversies regarding the interpretation of specific New Testament texts.
Cieľom práce je rozpoznanie sapienciálnych výrokov v Ježišovom učení analýzou relevantnej múdroslovnej literatúry, kánonických aj nekánonických zdrojov o živote a učení Ježiša Krista. Práca sa bude snažiť komparatívnou metódou zameranou na žáner múdroslovia v Starom zákone a prípadného múdroslovia v Novom zákone v Ježišových rečiach, odpovedať na otázky, ktoré prirodzene vyvstávajú pri štúdiu daných textov. Metódou biblickej exegézy analyzujeme vybrané Ježišove reči, ktoré môžu mať múdroslovný charakter. Komparatívny rozbor poukazuje na paralely v rôznych textoch príbuzného žánru a spôsob výkladu múdroslovia. Výsledkom výskumu by mala byť zbierka Ježišových múdroslovných výrokov tematicky rozdelených do kategórií.
Study of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible and the contemporary cultures in the ancient Near Eastern world is evolving rapidly as old definitions and assumptions are questioned. Scholars are now interrogating the role of oral culture, the rhetoric of teaching and didacticism, the understanding of genre, and the relationship of these factors to the corpus of writings. The scribal culture in which wisdom literature arose is also under investigation, alongside questions of social context and character formation. This Companion serves as an essential guide to wisdom texts, a body of biblical literature with ancient origins that continue to have universal and timeless appeal. Reflecting new interpretive approaches, including virtue ethics and intertextuality, the volume includes essays by an international team of leading scholars. They engage with the texts, provide authoritative summaries of the state of the field, and open up to readers the exciting world of biblical wisdom.
Study of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible and the contemporary cultures in the ancient Near Eastern world is evolving rapidly as old definitions and assumptions are questioned. Scholars are now interrogating the role of oral culture, the rhetoric of teaching and didacticism, the understanding of genre, and the relationship of these factors to the corpus of writings. The scribal culture in which wisdom literature arose is also under investigation, alongside questions of social context and character formation. This Companion serves as an essential guide to wisdom texts, a body of biblical literature with ancient origins that continue to have universal and timeless appeal. Reflecting new interpretive approaches, including virtue ethics and intertextuality, the volume includes essays by an international team of leading scholars. They engage with the texts, provide authoritative summaries of the state of the field, and open up to readers the exciting world of biblical wisdom.
Study of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible and the contemporary cultures in the ancient Near Eastern world is evolving rapidly as old definitions and assumptions are questioned. Scholars are now interrogating the role of oral culture, the rhetoric of teaching and didacticism, the understanding of genre, and the relationship of these factors to the corpus of writings. The scribal culture in which wisdom literature arose is also under investigation, alongside questions of social context and character formation. This Companion serves as an essential guide to wisdom texts, a body of biblical literature with ancient origins that continue to have universal and timeless appeal. Reflecting new interpretive approaches, including virtue ethics and intertextuality, the volume includes essays by an international team of leading scholars. They engage with the texts, provide authoritative summaries of the state of the field, and open up to readers the exciting world of biblical wisdom.
Matriks teologis utama yang di dalamnya kitab Ayub menanggapi masalah penderitaan adalah tentang penciptaan. Untuk itu penulis menggunakan metode kualitatif yaitu metode penelitian kepustakaan (library research), terhadap berbagai sumber data seperti penelitian terdahulu dan referensi tafsiran yang dimana akan berfokus kepada pertanyaan yakni bagaimanakah korelasi antara Ayub 3: 1-10 dengan teologi penciptaan dalam Kejadian 1:1-2:4a? Hasil penelitian mengenai korelasi teologi penciptaan dalam Kejadian 1: 1-2: 4a dalam Ayub 3:1-10 ini ialah merupakan sebuah usaha pengembangan teologi yang dilakukan pada saat itu dan motif penciptaan dalam Ayub 3:1-10 ini memaknainya dari sudut pandang pesimis, berbanding terbalik dengan optimisme yang diusung dalam Kejadian 1:1-2:4a dan korelasi inipun membuka suatu nuansa yang baru untuk melihat sebuah hubungan relasional antara manusia dan Tuhan dalam menghadapi tantangan hidup yang semakin sulit atau kompleks.
A righteous person who experiences suffering. Making the idea of theodicy where God's sovereignty reigns over the world and also human history is inseparable, including suffering. The issue of suffering is an integral part of the life experience of individuals and communities. The subject of discussion in this study is how wisdom and suffering are understood by humans from the perspective of OT wisdom literature. The purpose of this study is to understand how God's theodicy in human suffering is related to Wisdom Literature. The research method is descriptive qualitative using literature review and Bible study. The findings of this study are that in the suffering that occurs, God continues to declare goodness to humans, suffering is under the sovereignty of God, and with the concept of theodicy, the problem of human suffering can be answered. God's involvement in human suffering shows God's compassionate attitude. Wisdom is a means of solving the problem of suffering, God is just in allowing suffering to occur. His omnipotence still exists in the midst of suffering, In suffering, there is the involvement of God who provides answers to human questions about suffering.
Rooted in the rubrics of "Text and Reading, "1 this article correlates some of the new advances in the study of Ecclesiastes in the recent past.2 Employing four intentionally hammered out reading strategies-reading polyphonically; reading "cross the grains"; reading dialectically and reading narrativally, it seeks to demonstrate that the integration of four perspectival readings will enrich the meaning-significance of the book. Moreover, it aims at a proposal that would make some sense of this paradoxical book. Keywords: Polyphony, Dialogism, "dialogic Truth," Dialectic, Narratival Hermeneutics, Reading "cross The Grains" (cross-graining)
Much has been written on the so-called royal fiction in Qoheleth. Generally speaking, scholars agree that it is a literary fiction. However, there is no unanimity as far as the interpretation of its role in the Book is concerned. Some would claim that it expresses a hidden critique of monarchy, while others would argue that it is veiled praise of royal institutions. It is striking, though, that commentators rarely recognize the literary genre of the part concerned. The article offers a different approach to the interpretative challenge it presents. It mainly focuses on the core pericope of the royal part – Qoh 2:1–11 – determining its genre as a māšal. It is a “royal show” craftily fashioned by a brilliant teacher Qoheleth. It is meant to be a mind exercise helping the wisdom searcher to reflect upon his own mindset, goals, and expectations.
This study revisits the issue of gender fluidity of Jesus in John’s Gospel
that recent Johannine scholars claim derives from a presumed incorporation
of the feminine aspect of the wisdom motif into John’s portrayal of Jesus in
the Gospel. It does so to demonstrate that John’s delineation of the
Logos-Jesus in John 1:1–3 underwent a masculinization process when the
Fourth Evangelist appropriated the wisdom motif from Proverbs 8:22–31.
Unlike recent claims of the evangelist’s intentional and successful integration of the feminine aspect of the female Wisdom (Sophia) into the
male Jesus, I argue that the author concretized the maleness of Jesus by
abandoning two key constituents of femininity of Wisdom—her birth image
and her secondary role.
To this end, this study offers a comparative analysis between Wisdom in
Prov 8:22–31 and the Logos in John 1:1–3 that suggests an implication of
subordination in these constituents as the basis of two possible reasons for
the Fourth Evangelist’ exclusion of them. First, it suggests that the author
omitted Wisdom’ birth image and secondary role because their implication
of subordination conflicts with his purpose to aggrandize Jesus’ divinity.
Second, it suggests he did so because their feminine allusions, which mirror
females’ subordination to males in the ancient Israelite societal and religious
realms, did not match his construction of a male deity using the masculine
term, Λόγος, and the father-son language.
Syr 42,15 – 43,33 jest hymnem na cześć Stwórcy i Jego dzieła. Mędrzec wyraża w nim zachwyt nad stworzonym światem, który jest świadectwem wielkości, wszechmocy i piękna Boga. W 43,1-10 Syrach opisuje nieboskłon i ciała niebieskie (słońce, księżyc i gwiazdy). Tekst ten wyraża przede wszystkim ich niezwykłą wielkość i piękno. Jednak gdy wczytamy się dokładnie i wnikniemy głębiej w jego grecką wersję, to odkryjemy, że mówi on również o harmonii i ładzie w makrokosmosie, które z kolei świadczą o mądrości Stwórcy. Prezentacja księżyca (43,6-8) i gwiazd (43,9-10) wyraża wprost (explicite) powyższe prawdy. Natomiast w poetyckiej prezentacji firmamentu (43,1) i słońca (43,2-5) zawarte są one implicite, tzn. w znaczeniu słów takich, jak np. stereōma, oraz w zadaniach (funkcjach w świecie) przypisanych im przez Boga.
Even though the question of retribution seems to interconnect the texts that comprise the bible's wisdom literature, many scholars are reluctant to recognize the reality of any type of harmony among them. In fact, some researchers see these texts' perspectives on retribution as being so incompatible that they would argue that they are contradictory. Given this, one is left to wonder about how to make sense of the tension among these books when they address the issue of retribution in the OT, how to comprehend its meaning in the wisdom traditions, and how to compare it to other OT traditions. Walaupun pertanyaan mengenai keadilan nampaknya mampu menghubungkan teks-teks dalam literatur sastra hikmat dalam Alkitab, banyak ahli yang ragu-ragu untuk menerima realitas adanya kesatuan diantara tulisan-tulisan sastra hikmat. Bahkan, beberapa peneliti melihat berbagai pandangan dalam teks-teks hikmat sebagai pemikiran yang tidak harmonis bahkan bertentangan. Jika demikian, kita patut memikirkan bagaimana menyelaraskan berbagai ketegangan pemikiran dalam tulisan-tulisan tersebut ketika buku-buku tersebut membahas konsep mengenai keadilan/pembalasan dalam literatur hikmat dan memahami arti dan makna dari konsep tersebut dalam literatur hikmat dan maknanya dalam literatur PL lainnya.
In this essay, I will be considering Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes, generally regarded as the three mainstream works of Wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible. While there is much that unites these three books with regard to theological ideas, literary forms and social context, it will become clear how different from each other these three books of wisdom actually are. They represent a considerable development within the Israelite Wisdom enterprise: notably, in the theological sphere, a change from a confident worldview to a questioning one and ultimately to a resigned, even pessimistic one. In literary forms and in the social sphere, there is most strikingly a change from simple sentences and collections of sayings that may have had an oral origin to the production of great works of literature among groups of intellectuals.
Theological anthropology in both Jewish and Christian tradition has looked to Gen 1:26–27 as a foundational text. Here, in the Bible's first reference to human‐kind, humans are described in their “original” or “essential” nature as created “in the image of God.” This striking correlation of the human with the divine is unique, and isolated, within the Hebrew scriptures, but it generated a history of speculation that has continued unabated since the first centuries bce.1 A critical factor in this history is the distinctive interpretation given to the text in early Christian writings, which combined it with Genesis 2–3 in speculation on the problem of sin and the effect of the “fall” on the image. In New Testament writings of the Pauline school, Christ was identified with the image (Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 11:7; 15:49; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:4; Col 1:15; 3:10; Heb 1:3), and cast as a “second Adam” (Rom 5:12–21). Continuing speculation in the early church produced a doctrine of the imago Dei in which the Genesis text was read through the eyes of Paul – as interpreted by Augustine and other church “fathers.”2 As a consequence of this Christian dogmatic appropriation of the text, the theological anthropology of the Hebrew Bible has long been subordinated to a biblical anthropology in which the Old Testament3 witness was selected, and distorted, to fit the needs of a Pauline trajectory.
This article explores the statement "creation made in wisdom" of Proverbs 3:19-20 as pointing to the Earth Bible's principle of intrinsic worth/value of nature. This article argues that our contemporary societies need to adjust their development in harmony with the cosmic order as secured by God at creation through wisdom. Wisdom in creation constitutes the supreme ideal for living wisely, and for constructing a healthy society that is in harmony with creation.
This thesis establishes the influence of the Jewish wisdom tradition on the shaping of the earliest christology. A concept which invests Jesus with Wisdom’s function as ‘Schöpfungsmittler’ appears already in the earliest Christian sources (1Cor 8:6; Col 1:15; Hebr 1:3; John 1:1-3), and the early patristic writers characterised the relationship between the heavenly Christ and God the Father by identifying Jesus with the pre-existent personified Wisdom of Prov 8. The object of the thesis is to explore a parallel movement, which already takes place during the formation of the gospel traditions, and which ascribes functions of the divine Wisdom, most prominently her active participation in Israel’s history, to the earthly Jesus. Especially the Q-saying often called the “Lament over Jerusalem” (or Jerusalem Word) in Luke 13:34-35 and Matt 23:37-39, summarises Jesus’ earthly ministry in terms that remind of Wisdom’s function in the Jewish tradition. I demonstrate that Wisdom had come to be seen as an agent in Israel’s history in Second Temple Judaism, and each of the four elements of the Jerusalem Word, which describe Jesus’ mission (1. sending prophets and envoys; 2. gathering the children of Jerusalem; 3. representing God’s presence in the temple and withdrawing when he is rejected; and 4. returning with, or as, the eschatological Son of Man), presents an action, which had formerly been ascribed to personified Wisdom. One important feature of the divine Wisdom, which allows her to act in the above mentioned functions that impact on historical reality, is her relationship to God: Wisdom can be nearly identified with God, but takes on features of a separate agent when she becomes manifest in the immanence. Therefore, Wisdom is a representation of God in the historical world, and as Jesus takes on the same role, he appears as a new manifestation of this very same representative. I also demonstrate that the Jewish texts relate Wisdom to another representation of God, the Angel of the Lord, famously encountered as the pillar of cloud and fire on Israel’s wilderness wanderings, acting as a manifestation and servant of God at the same time. Wisdom is associated or identified with the pillar of cloud in Sir 24:4, 10 and Wis 10:17. Thus, the role of the previously known mediator, the Angel of the Lord, is transferred to the divine Wisdom, portraying Wisdom as a new appearance of this ‘older’ divine representative. Matt 23:37-39 par. Luke 13:34-35 continues the tradition of actualising the image of the divine mediator by presenting Jesus in an analogous way as the contemporary representative of God in the world like Wisdom or the Angel of the Lord.
After a general introduction to the idea of Biblical Wisdom as wisdom of life, the present contribution will introduce three crucial concepts thereof: "righteousness, " "fear of the Lord" and "blessing. " These concepts will be dealt with in the context of both an immanent and transcendent orientation of Biblical wisdom. Thereafter, and against the background of the book Ecclesiasticus or The Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, this Biblical wisdom will be concretely illustrated. As wisdom pertains to many aspects of daily human life, the text will be presented on the basis of a florilegium of a number of pericopes which are related to the varying facets of human life in its search for meaning and happiness.
In this essay the author looks at the decolonial critique on Western epistemology as presented within Western biblical hermeneutics in order to appreciate the focus on the geopolitical and the body political nature of knowledge. To this end, the author revisits an aspect of the book of Esther, namely the issue of Haman as perpetrator, not only to utilise decoloniality as a heuristic key to read the book, but to explore similarities with the current postapartheid context of race trouble. The discussion proceeds as follows: (a) an exploration of aspects of Haman's comportment in the story in terms of a colonial matrix of power and Mordecai in terms of a coloniality of being; (b) a discussion on decoloniality in terms of (i) the decolonial turn, (ii) coloniality, (iii) the three ego's, (iv) the non-ethics of war, (v) the zone of being and the zone of nonbeing and (vi) the objective of decoloniality; (c) a proposition to unthink race by taking seriously (i) race trouble as a direct consequence of the colonial matrix of power, (ii) and to take the geopolitical and body political location of knowledge production seriously.
In this study, I take another look at the possible identity of the ‘wicked woman’ in 4Q184. Although a number of scholars attempted to identify the ‘wicked woman’, I would like to examine two other possibilities that (as far as I know) have not been discussed yet. The first possibility is that it can be seen as a metaphor for the city Jerusalem. This possibility is inspected by comparing the ‘wicked terminology’ that was used to describe the ‘wicked priest(s)’ in the Habakkuk commentary with the ‘wicked terminology’ that was used in 4Q184, as well as in a study of existing traditions in the Old Testament where Jerusalem was portrayed as a woman or wife. The other option is that the ‘wicked woman’ is a metaphor for foreign wisdom, specifically in the form of Hellenism and Greek philosophy or Hellenistic (non-Israelite) diviners. The fact that 4Q184 refers to ‘teaching’ and warns against her influence (this kind of wisdom), that she can let righteous and upright people (not foolish young people) go astray might be a very strong possibility that the Yaḥad is warned not to get diverted by this ‘upcoming culture’ that seems to be so attractive.
Despite the technical character of natural law scholarship, most people who live in accord withthe natural law do not do so because they have been persuaded by technical argumentation. How do people truly come to know the natural law? Learning the natural law is essentially thesame process as maturing in wisdom. Building upon theological conceptions of natural lawand wisdom, this article concludes that wisdom is the suitable power by which peopleapprehend subjectively what the natural law prescribes objectively. Thus the way in which wegrow in wisdom – through a communal process of receiving instruction and observing andreflecting upon life experience – is also the primary way in which people come to know andpractice the natural law. This conclusion suggests a revised perspective on how natural lawyerspursue their work as they seek to address the moral fragmentation of our day.
The meaning of הֶבֶל is a crux interpretum for the book of Ecclesiastes. Notwithstanding some variation, Jerome’s vanitas reading of הֶבֶל in Ecclesiastes dominated scholarship for several centuries. Since the rise of modern biblical scholarship, הֶבֶל as ‘vanity’ has been largely rejected; however, little consensus has been reached regarding the word’s meaning. The result has been a rich history of interpretation as scholars develop various suggestions for how הֶבֶל should be understood in Ecclesiastes. This essay briefly sketches the history of interpretation of הֶבֶל, then surveys proposals for the meaning of הֶבֶל in Ecclesiastes during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
This study presents a contextualised reading of the Epistle to the Hebrews. It asks the question if Jesus the mediator between humans and God as he is presented by the writer to the Hebrews can be understood in a deeper and enhanced way when the Biblical text is read in the environment of Arab Middle-Eastern mediation, in particular the phenomenon of wasta.
The study first outlines the social phenomenon of wasta mediation in the Arab Middle-East. It is an ubiquitously present practice to access goods and services (intercessory wasta) as well as solve conflicts (mediational wasta). It links in with societal principles of collectivism, shame-orientation and tribalism. Wasta is often viewed critically because it is seen as corruption or favouritism. All criticism, however, is based on unfairness in the distribution of limited goods and services. Therefore this study argues that the use of wasta in a Christian theological framework is not hindered by its critical reception since the goods and services in the logic of wasta are paralleled with God's favour and grace, which is by definition unlimited.
Wasta can be related to the ancient practice of patronage which was a hallmark of first century Greco-Roman society. This study argues that wasta therefore, albeit being a contemporary phenomenon, is not an arbitrary but rather a related and relevant reading environment for the ancient text.
In its third chapter, this study looks at the details of how Jesus is described as mediator between humans and God in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Jesus is described as superior to known mediators (Angels and Moses) due to his status as Son of God. This is argued using imagery of kinship (he is Son and Brother) and cult (he is the High Priest of the new covenant). The new covenant of which he is the mediator is superior to the old because it is more deeply internal, personal and relational in nature, more radically based on grace and the removal of sin as an obstructive force to the human- divine relationship once for all. The claims about Jesus' supreme mediatorship lead into the argument for the proper response to his mediation; namely an attitude of faith and loyalty of the addressees towards God, their patron, and Jesus, God's chosen mediator.
In chapter four, this study reviews the previously outlined theology of mediation in Hebrews in light of wasta. The categories and principles used to understand wasta in the first step of the analysis are now used to show how the wasta phenomenon can enhance the understanding of mediation in Hebrews. The wasta reading environment underlines the biblical author's desire to present Jesus as superior and supreme mediator. It shows that mediation is perceived as something that can be weak or strong and the analogous assertions of Hebrews come out as a main strand of the overall message of the document.
The use of wasta as a reading environment shows that the efficiency of the mediation is a function of the quality of the relationships involved. In light of this it stands out how Hebrews presents Jesus as the mediator who can work so efficiently because he relates to humans (the supplicants) as well as God (the source of the favour or harmed party in the reconciliation process) on a kinship level. Mediation between kinsmen is the most efficient form or mediation because of three factors, as wasta practice shows. First, the relationships are more intimate than relationships of friendship and thus more conducive to requests for benefits, positive answers and grateful responses. Second, wasta between family is taken for granted and no reciprocation is expected, while between friends reciprocation in kind is the rule and among strangers even money may be taken. Third, mediation in the family is free from notions of shame that could keep the mediator from mediating or the supplicant from asking. The superiority argument and the kinship imagery constitute two main pillars of Hebrews' description of mediation. Analogously to the logic of wasta, the writer to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the Son, but also Brother who relates to humans as brethren without any hint of shame (2:11).
248
Considerations of honour and shame play a big part in a wasta reading of mediation in Hebrews too. The author points out Jesus the mediator's honour in order to argue his great efficiency. There appears to be a break with wasta logic at first, however, because Jesus the great honourable mediator dies a shameful death on the cross. But within the wasta framework this can be interpreted as an investment of Jesus' the mediator's honour. Just like a wasta has to invest wealth and bring honour and status to the mediation process, so Jesus has to invest his honour as divine Son up to dying a shameful death.
Only through his death can Jesus become the supreme mediator who is deeply rooted in both realms between which he mediates, the human and the divine. This deep connection with both sides of a triadic mediation “chain” as an essential ingredient for successful mediation parallels wasta logic.
Another apparent discontinuity between the argument of mediation in Hebrews and wasta logic is the fact that wasta is usually initiated by the supplicant (intercessory wasta) or perpetrator (mediational wasta), never the source of the favour or the harmed party respectively. In Hebrews, however, it is God who establishes the saving kinship relationship between Jesus and his brethren (he “gives” the children, 2:13). Jesus is God's envoy (apostle, 3:1). Contrary to the typical dynamics of wasta, God is described as the one who initiates the mediation process. This study argues that this apparent discontinuity is not a mere break with the logic or categorical error, but rather occurs out of theological necessity. God himself has to act as initiator of the eschatologically final, supreme act of mediation between himself and humanity because humans could not possibly initiate their own salvation.
In chapter five this study analyses the findings of the previous chapters and attempts an application to a topic of Muslim-Christian dialogue; the debate around the God-Sonship of Jesus. Sura 112 and Hebrews 1:1-4,5+8 are read alongside each other and found to hold much of the potential for conflict inherent to the debate. The verses from Hebrews affirm Jesus as Son, seated at God's right hand, begotten by God himself, and even name him “God” through applying the words of Psalm 45:6,7 to Jesus. Sura 112 confesses that God is “not begotten and does not beget” and has no equal.
While the wasta reading of Hebrews cannot solve this conflict as such, this study argues that it can help communicate in a better way the God-Sonship of Jesus and take away certain tensions and irritations present in Muslim-Christian dialogue through a shift in perspective. When read in the light of wasta and the logic of Middle Eastern mediation, Hebrews appears as an argument for the supreme mediating power of Jesus between humans and God. The kinship aspect plays a crucial role in the argument. Only as Son and brother can Jesus mediate effectively because only kinship ties guarantee most efficient mediation. When viewed against the backdrop of the Middle Eastern culture of mediation, notions of the God-Sonship of Jesus which are very controversial between Christians and Muslims appear in the light of mended and enhanced relationships between humans and God. Wasta, a phenomenon from the Arab Middle-East and thus the heartlands of Islam, can facilitate such a reading.
This study presents a contextualised reading of the Epistle to the Hebrews. It asks the question if Jesus the mediator between humans and God as he is presented by the writer to the Hebrews can be understood in a deeper and enhanced way when the Biblical text is read in the environment of Arab Middle-Eastern mediation, in particular the phenomenon of wasta.
The study first outlines the social phenomenon of wasta mediation in the Arab Middle-East. It is an ubiquitously present practice to access goods and services (intercessory wasta) as well as solve conflicts (mediational wasta). It links in with societal principles of collectivism, shame-orientation and tribalism. Wasta is often viewed critically because it is seen as corruption or favouritism. All criticism, however, is based on unfairness in the distribution of limited goods and services. Therefore this study argues that the use of wasta in a Christian theological framework is not hindered by its critical reception since the goods and services in the logic of wasta are paralleled with God's favour and grace, which is by definition unlimited.
Wasta can be related to the ancient practice of patronage which was a hallmark of first century Greco-Roman society. This study argues that wasta therefore, albeit being a contemporary phenomenon, is not an arbitrary but rather a related and relevant reading environment for the ancient text.
In its third chapter, this study looks at the details of how Jesus is described as mediator between humans and God in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Jesus is described as superior to known mediators (Angels and Moses) due to his status as Son of God. This is argued using imagery of kinship (he is Son and Brother) and cult (he is the High Priest of the new covenant). The new covenant of which he is the mediator is superior to the old because it is more deeply internal, personal and relational in nature, more radically based on grace and the removal of sin as an obstructive force to the human- divine relationship once for all. The claims about Jesus' supreme mediatorship lead into the argument for the proper response to his mediation; namely an attitude of faith and loyalty of the addressees towards God, their patron, and Jesus, God's chosen mediator.
In chapter four, this study reviews the previously outlined theology of mediation in Hebrews in light of wasta. The categories and principles used to understand wasta in the first step of the analysis are now used to show how the wasta phenomenon can enhance the understanding of mediation in Hebrews. The wasta reading environment underlines the biblical author's desire to present Jesus as superior and supreme mediator. It shows that mediation is perceived as something that can be weak or strong and the analogous assertions of Hebrews come out as a main strand of the overall message of the document.
The use of wasta as a reading environment shows that the efficiency of the mediation is a function of the quality of the relationships involved. In light of this it stands out how Hebrews presents Jesus as the mediator who can work so efficiently because he relates to humans (the supplicants) as well as God (the source of the favour or harmed party in the reconciliation process) on a kinship level. Mediation between kinsmen is the most efficient form or mediation because of three factors, as wasta practice shows. First, the relationships are more intimate than relationships of friendship and thus more conducive to requests for benefits, positive answers and grateful responses. Second, wasta between family is taken for granted and no reciprocation is expected, while between friends reciprocation in kind is the rule and among strangers even money may be taken. Third, mediation in the family is free from notions of shame that could keep the mediator from mediating or the supplicant from asking. The superiority argument and the kinship imagery constitute two main pillars of Hebrews' description of mediation. Analogously to the logic of wasta, the writer to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the Son, but also Brother who relates to humans as brethren without any hint of shame (2:11).
248
Considerations of honour and shame play a big part in a wasta reading of mediation in Hebrews too. The author points out Jesus the mediator's honour in order to argue his great efficiency. There appears to be a break with wasta logic at first, however, because Jesus the great honourable mediator dies a shameful death on the cross. But within the wasta framework this can be interpreted as an investment of Jesus' the mediator's honour. Just like a wasta has to invest wealth and bring honour and status to the mediation process, so Jesus has to invest his honour as divine Son up to dying a shameful death.
Only through his death can Jesus become the supreme mediator who is deeply rooted in both realms between which he mediates, the human and the divine. This deep connection with both sides of a triadic mediation “chain” as an essential ingredient for successful mediation parallels wasta logic.
Another apparent discontinuity between the argument of mediation in Hebrews and wasta logic is the fact that wasta is usually initiated by the supplicant (intercessory wasta) or perpetrator (mediational wasta), never the source of the favour or the harmed party respectively. In Hebrews, however, it is God who establishes the saving kinship relationship between Jesus and his brethren (he “gives” the children, 2:13). Jesus is God's envoy (apostle, 3:1). Contrary to the typical dynamics of wasta, God is described as the one who initiates the mediation process. This study argues that this apparent discontinuity is not a mere break with the logic or categorical error, but rather occurs out of theological necessity. God himself has to act as initiator of the eschatologically final, supreme act of mediation between himself and humanity because humans could not possibly initiate their own salvation.
In chapter five this study analyses the findings of the previous chapters and attempts an application to a topic of Muslim-Christian dialogue; the debate around the God-Sonship of Jesus. Sura 112 and Hebrews 1:1-4,5+8 are read alongside each other and found to hold much of the potential for conflict inherent to the debate. The verses from Hebrews affirm Jesus as Son, seated at God's right hand, begotten by God himself, and even name him “God” through applying the words of Psalm 45:6,7 to Jesus. Sura 112 confesses that God is “not begotten and does not beget” and has no equal.
While the wasta reading of Hebrews cannot solve this conflict as such, this study argues that it can help communicate in a better way the God-Sonship of Jesus and take away certain tensions and irritations present in Muslim-Christian dialogue through a shift in perspective. When read in the light of wasta and the logic of Middle Eastern mediation, Hebrews appears as an argument for the supreme mediating power of Jesus between humans and God. The kinship aspect plays a crucial role in the argument. Only as Son and brother can Jesus mediate effectively because only kinship ties guarantee most efficient mediation. When viewed against the backdrop of the Middle Eastern culture of mediation, notions of the God-Sonship of Jesus which are very controversial between Christians and Muslims appear in the light of mended and enhanced relationships between humans and God. Wasta, a phenomenon from the Arab Middle-East and thus the heartlands of Islam, can facilitate such a reading.
When the last texts of Qumran cave 4 were published, another text that refers to crucifixion came to the fore, namely 4Q524 14:1–6, part of which is verbatim the same as 11QTa 64:6–13. Both texts add to the Pentateuchal text by giving the reason why persons were hanged. Therefore I will compare these two texts with each other, but also with their Pentateuchal parallels Deuteronomy 21:18–23, 22:1–2 and 22:11. I will attempt to explain the differences against the social text, by studying the crucifixion and/or hanging practices of neighbouring cultures (social text) and by reading these two texts against the fragmented text of 4QpNahum 3–4 I:7–8, which is a Qumran text that deals with execution.
A textual overview of the book of Job and of the Psalter shows an existential correlation between night and darkness that is naturally characterised by terror, horror, agony, oppression, pain, evil and wicked activities. However, the night, a symbol of uncertainty and fear is also portrayed as a time of revelation, of fellowship, and of divine activities, which neutralises in a sense the seeming polarity and tension between night and day, between nocturnality and diur-nality. The theological analysis of the night in both the book of Job and the Psalter shows Yahweh as absolutely in control of the temporal order and it is argued that this has strong implications for wisdom theology in particular and for the theology of the HB as a whole.
The creation stories in Genesis, when read together, suggest that humans are marked by
both dignity and finitude or frailty. This same dialectic appears paradigmatically in Psalm
8 and, it is argued, also in the rest of the Psalter. In spite of the major difference in
perspective, the same anthropology is presupposed in Proverbs. In a section of Job and in
Qoheleth, however, there are attempts to dissolve the dialectic. In the culmination of his
argument, Job speaks of a form of human dignity that stands apart from human frailty; in
Qoheleth human frailty eclipses human dignity. It is argued that the main line in the Old
Testament maintains the dialectical tension and that Christian theologians should do
likewise. Theologically one should indeed go further and speak of human queenship and
sinfulness. The paper ends by suggesting than room should also be left for forms of human
indignity that stand apart from finitude and sinfulness.
God is often portrayed extremely negatively in the Old Testament. For example, in the Book of Nahum God is pictured as being responsible for the most horrifying violence imaginable. This negative portrayal of God is also found in the Book of Job. God is responsible for the suffering that his righteous servant Job, has to endure. He is even manipulated by the satan to allow him free reign in attacking Job. God even acknowledges that the misery and pain inflicted on Job, was for no reason. Job�s children are killed in order for God to prove a point, and in his response to Job�s suffering, he doesn�t even address the issue of Job�s suffering. This is a picture of a very cruel, vicious God. This article investigates the negative, disturbing images of God in the Book of Job. Are these images of God who God really is, or is the God of Job a literary construct of the author? The focus of this study is on the prologue and epilogue to the book, as well as the speeches of God in Job 38�41.
Three questions form the basis of this analysis of the relationship of the Epistle of James to the traditions of wisdom, eschatology and apocalypti-cism. What kind of traditions are involved in James? What is the world view of James? What audience or community is presupposed by this wri-ting? Foremost is the connection that James demonstrates to the wisdom tradition evident in the Old Testament and extra-testamental literature. In particular two types of wisdom tradition are noted in James: practi-cal wisdom advice as expressed in short sayings, wisdom instructions and admonitions and reflection on the nature of wisdom (1:5-8; 2:1-7; and 3:13-18) as coming from God. Finally, the question of how much apocalyptic symbolism is evident in the eschatological world view of the epistle is addressed.
People all over the world today have to compete for their daily bread and struggle to make ends meet. This represents the arena where humans battle to cope with the complexities of daily life. At the same time theytry to find meaning in life and guidelines to live life well. It is here, in ordinary real life, where wisdom and folly compete for human loyalties and where the divine and the human meet (O’Connor, 1993:14). It is here where Proverbs 3 gives us diverse guidelines on how to live wisely in a modern world.
E very culture, ancient and mod-ern, has developed its own wisdom, and recorded much of it in literature. Such wisdom can be based on human experience from which people learn what is in life and how to deal with it. There are written storehouses of wisdom from many different cultures in which human experiences are crys-tallized and typically abstracted from their original contexts to become aphorisms which can be applied in new situations that the inheritors of such wisdom think to be apt. This commonality itself constitutes one of the problems of Old Testament wisdom in that the radical distinction between revealed truth in the word of God and human musing and philosophizing seems to break down. There is enough evidence from the Ancient Near East to support the view that Israel's wisdom was a part of a common human activity of learning about life and seeking to pass on the gathered wis-dom to succeeding generations. We have Sume-rian and Babylonian wisdom that is far older than anything that is in the Bible. The Egyptians also produced wisdom works, one of which—Wisdom of Amenemope—is generally considered to be the origin of part of the Book of Proverbs (Prov 22:17-23:11). There are examples of proverbial wisdom and the longer reflective creations emanating from Babylon and Egypt. Biblical Wisdom, as well as its foreign counterparts, can be more ref lective and can be expressed in longer compositions that indicate a less spontaneous origin than the empiri-cal aphorisms and proverbs. Like the Book of Job, reflective wisdom may be the basis of a long and complex composition that addresses some of the great problems of life. SBJT 15.3 (2011): 42-55.
The book of Esther employs a wisdom theme to develop the plot and its denouement. The particular illustration of wisdom is that of role reversal. Haman, the second in command, gets kicked out and the leaders of those he sought to lock out filled his position. However, the role reversal becomes more than a mere change in status. As Grace needed to step into her gangster father's shoes in the film Dogville in order to achieve justice, so Esther had to step into Persian shoes to achieve justice. The execution of justice is an untidy and messy affair. The question this article puts on the table is whether Esther acts with justice in her quest for retribution. In answering this question, the article firstly inquires into the narrative rationality of the story and the denouement of the plot. Related to the book of Esther's narrative rationality, the article examines the question of wisdom from a narrator's and character's perspective. Lastly, it will then put the issue of justice on the table with the help of the film Dogville in order to see whether there is a link between wisdom and justice.
Offering an analysis of the use of girding the loins as a signal of power negotiations at work in the biblical text, this article expands on traditional notions that when loins are girded, it is in preparation for strenuous activity. The action of girding the loins signals not only upcoming physical exertion, but also indicates an expectation of a gendered masculine performance. Furthermore, social systems imprint certain symbols onto the body in terms of girded loins. The article first considers some cultural assumptions about girded loins, followed by a discussion of select texts dealing with the phrase. In light of the gendered body, a complex interaction between social, theological, and political negotiations surround the action of girding the loins.
L'auteur présente un état de la recherche des critiques des sources et du genre littéraire, et des analyses structurelle et littéraire de Qo 4,13-16. Puis, il poursuit son enquête en montrant que les ambiguïtés de Qo 4,13-16 ne sont pas purement accidentelles. Au contraire, elles font partie d'une stratégie rhétorique qui accentue l'ironie du texte et qui vise à solliciter le lecteur à tester différentes lectures.
Within the VIVACE project, an object-oriented simulation tool called PROOSIS is developed to integrate all European gas turbine simulation technology into a single framework. As optimization functionalities are required, the MAX optimization code developed at Cenaero has been made accessible from PROOSIS, and applied for demonstration to a turbofan model.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.