Scholars attempt to resolve the problem of the book of Ecclesiastes’ heterodox character in one of two ways, either explaining away the book’s disturbing qualities or radicalizing and championing it as a precursor of modern existentialism. This volume offers an interpretation of Ecclesiastes that both acknowledges the unorthodox nature of Qoheleth’s words and accounts for its acceptance among the canonical books of the Hebrew Bible. It argues that, instead of being the most secular and modern of biblical books, Ecclesiastes is perhaps one of the most religious and primitive. Bringing a Weberian approach to Ecclesiastes, it represents a paradigm of the application of a social-science methodology.

This survey textbook offers an accessible introduction to the Wisdom books and the Psalter in their literary, theological, and canonical contexts. Written by an expert in the Old Testament wisdom tradition and Psalms, this book pays particular attention to theological themes in Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and the Psalter. Christopher Ansberry skillfully connects these themes to comparable themes in the other books discussed in the volume and to the broader biblical canon. He also integrates philosophical concerns and questions. This addition to the Reading Christian Scripture series is an ideal faith-friendly introduction for students of the Old Testament, Wisdom literature, and Psalms. It features a beautiful full-color design with an abundance of sidebars, images, and other visual aids to enhance the reading experience and facilitate learning. Additional resources for instructors and students are available through Textbook eSources.

Gerhard von Rad's study of biblical wisdom literature in Weisheit in Israel (1970) is widely regarded as one of the most important studies in the field of ancient Israelite wisdom literature. More than fifty years later, contributors to Gerhard von Rad and the Study of Wisdom Literature reevaluate the significance and shortcomings of the late scholar's work and engage new methods and directions for wisdom studies today. Contributors include George J. Brooke, Ariel Feldman, Edward L. Greenstein, Arthur Jan Keefer, Jennifer L. Koosed, Will Kynes, Christl M. Maier, Timothy J. Sandoval, Bernd U. Schipper, Mark Sneed, Hermann Spieckermann, Anne W. Stewart, Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, Stuart Weeks, and Benjamin G. Wright III. This collection of essays is essential reading not only for specialists in wisdom studies but also for scholars and advanced students of the Hebrew Bible in general.

In the 21st century, amid converging global political, social, and economic forces we are questioning the fundamental values we hold true, driven by an antagonism between different schools of political philosophy—between left- and right-wing politics. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of western political philosophy and underlines the core principles of each argument. It then argues that neither have we solved nor do we have any pathway to eventually solve, the question of right and wrong—we are essentially moral relativists in disguise. In order to break out of this cycle of uncertainty, the book proposes a solution of knowledge-based cognition: policy based on a concrete and proven understanding of an absolute and certain body of truths. This requires an analysis and blending of non-western political philosophical traditions, such as those espoused by Islam and Confucianism. This book gives an original critique of western political philosophy and is the first book to engage in a reconstruction of Islamic political philosophy.

The series Studies and Texts in Scepticism contains monographs, translations, and collected essays exploring scepticism in its dual manifestation as a purely philosophical tradition and as a set of sceptical strategies, concepts, and attitudes in the cultural field - especially in religions, perhaps most notably in Judaism. In such cultural contexts scepticism manifests as a critical attitude towards different dimensions and systems of secular or revealed knowledge and towards religious and political authorities. It is not merely an intellectual or theoretical worldview, but a critical form of life that expresses itself in such diverse phenomena as religion, literature, and society. Further book series of the Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies are Jewish Thought, Philosophy, and Religion and the Yearbook of the Maimonides Centre for Advances Studies.

The ultimate, all-in-one resource on what the Old Testament says about Jesus As Jesus walked the Emmaeus road, he showed his companions how the whole of Scripture foretold his coming. Yet so often today we’re not quite sure how to talk about Jesus in the Old Testament. How do you know what applies to Jesus? And how do you interpret some of the strange prophetic language? Get answers and clarity in this authoritative and reliable guide to messianic prophecy from some of the world’s foremost evangelical Old Testament scholars. In this in-depth, user-friendly one volume resource you get: -essays from scholars on the big ideas and major themes surrounding Messianic prophecy -A clear and careful commentary on every passage in the Old Testament considered Messianic -Insights into the original Hebrew and helpful analysis of theological implications Watch the Scriptures come into full color as you see new meaning in familiar passages and further appreciate God’s masterful handiwork in preparing the way for Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah.

"This book examines the longstanding debate between philosophical optimism and pessimism in the history of philosophy, focusing on Aristotle, Maimonides, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Camus. Philosophical optimists maintain that the world is optimally arranged and is accordingly valuable, and that the existence of human beings is preferable over their nonexistence. Philosophical pessimists, by contrast, hold that the world is in a woeful condition and ultimately valueless, and that human nonexistence would have been preferable over our existence. Schopenhauer criticizes the optimism he locates in the Hebrew Bible and in Spinoza for being unable to square the presumed perfection of the world and its parts, including human life, with the suffering and misfortunes observable in them, and for leading to egoism and thereby to cruelty. Nietzsche, in turn, criticizes Schopenhauer's overtly pessimistic view, inter alia, for furtively positing a perfect state for one to aspire to, thus being latently optimistic. Similarly, Camus charges Nietzsche, who announces his rejection of both optimism and pessimism, with deifying the world and oneself, thereby reverting to optimism. Interestingly, Aristotle countenances an optimistic theory, later adopted and developed by Maimonides, that is arguably capable of facing Schopenhauer's challenge. Aristotelian optimism accounts for the perfection of the world in terms of a hierarchy of value between its parts, with human beings ranked relatively low, and recommends an attitude congruent with that ranking"--

“In this substantive yet accessible volume, Crenshaw brings to life the Bible’s strangest sage . . . A superb introduction for students and scholars alike.” —William P. Brown, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary Rarely does a biblical book evoke admiration from a Nobel laureate in literature, a newspaper columnist, a prize-winning poet, and a popular songwriter. Ecclesiastes has done that, and for good reason. Its author, who called himself Qoheleth, stared death in the face and judged all human endeavors to be futile. For Qoheleth observation is the only avenue to understanding; an arbitrarily wrathful and benevolent deity created and rules over the world; and death is unpredictable, absolute, and final. His message is simple: seize the moment, for death awaits. James L. Crenshaw begins by examining the essential mysteries of the book of Ecclesiastes: the speaker’s identity, his emphasis on hidden or contradictory truths, and his argument of the insubstantiality of most things and the ultimate futility of all efforts. Moving from the ancient to the contemporary, Crenshaw again analyzes Qoheleth’s observations about the human condition, this time testing if they can stand up against rational inquiry today. In exploring Qoheleth’s identity, the foundations of his outlook, and his recommendations, Crenshaw engages modern readers in a conversation about one of the most disagreed upon biblical books. In Qoheleth, Crenshaw draws on related literature from the ancient Near East and traces the impact of Qoheleth in both Christian and Jewish traditions, summarizing a lifetime of scholarship on the book of Ecclesiastes. While exploring Ecclesiastes and its enigmatic author, Crenshaw engages scholars and modern interpreters in genuine debate over the lasting relevance of Qoheleth’s teachings and the place of Ecclesiastes in the biblical canon.

It can be a challenge to understand the Hebrew Bible’s wisdom literature and how it relates to biblical history and theology, but John L. McLaughlin makes this complicated genre straightforward and accessible. This introductory-level textbook begins by explaining the meaning of wisdom to the Israelites and surrounding cultures before moving into the conventions of the genre and its poetic forms. The heart of the book examines Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), and the deuterocanonical Ben Sira and Wisdom of Solomon. McLaughlin also explores the influence of wisdom throughout the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Designed especially for beginning students—and based on twenty-five years of teaching Israel’s wisdom literature to university students—McLaughlin’s Introduction to Israel’s Wisdom Traditions provides an informed, panoramic view of wisdom literature’s place in the biblical canon.

COVID-19 has impacted the way we see the world and the way we view spirituality; in times of crisis, people turn or return to religion or spirituality. Most of the South African population identifies as Christian. This brings to the fore what is meant by “spirituality” in a country crippled by the remains of apartheid structure, rampant corruption, poverty, and various systemic problems. Overall, there is a lack of scholarship investigating “spirituality” and “spirituality studies” from the global South. This book aims to bridge the gap. New avenues are investigated of thinking about God in difficult circumstances, as ideologies of hope and prosperity are reshaped. This book links text and context, spirituality and material culture, self and society, the analogue and the digital, contemplation and action, saying and unsaying; in short, the question of experiencing God in both everything and nothingness comes under the scope of this book.