Kivatsi Jonathan Kavusa addresses a gap in the field of ecological readings of the Old Testament, exploring the theme of water in the Wisdom books, including the often-ignored deuterocanonical works. Kavusa focuses on both the negative and positive potential of water, drawing in particular on four of the Earth Bible principles: intrinsic worth, interconnectedness, voice, and purpose. Kavusa begins with a summary of the extant studies and literature reviews on water and water-related motifs in the Old Testament. He then analyses the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Deutero-canonical wisdom, examining the various references to water as life-giving or life-threatening entities, and expanding upon the themes of water management and sustainability, the intrinsic worth of nature and the unpredicatable, chaotic state of water. This volume concludes with several insights for ecological responsibility and valuable wisdom for an eco-theological perspective, both in Kavusa's African context and with a more universal application.

Kivatsi Jonathan Kavusa addresses a gap in the field of ecological readings of the Old Testament, exploring the theme of water in the Wisdom books, including the often-ignored deuterocanonical works. Kavusa focuses on both the negative and positive potential of water, drawing in particular on four of the Earth Bible principles: intrinsic worth, interconnectedness, voice, and purpose. Kavusa begins with a summary of the extant studies and literature reviews on water and water-related motifs in the Old Testament. He then analyses the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Deutero-canonical wisdom, examining the various references to water as life-giving or life-threatening entities, and expanding upon the themes of water management and sustainability, the intrinsic worth of nature and the unpredicatable, chaotic state of water. This volume concludes with several insights for ecological responsibility and valuable wisdom for an eco-theological perspective, both in Kavusa's African context and with a more universal application.

The book explores how African Christians in Ghana can think eco-theologically about the nexus of mining, waste pollution, water pollution, and land degradation. In 2017, the government of Ghana banned illegal mining and declared war against any activity that does not complement environmental protection and conservation of natural resources. The Christian church needs academic resources to support the campaign against the destruction of the land, water bodies, and environment. The papers presented generate theological imaginations in shaping the political campaign against the destruction of the land and the environment. Reflection on areas related to the theme includes: “The Concept of Land in the Bible”; “The Christian Church and the Galamsey Menace in West Africa”; “The Fulani Cattle Headsmen and Care for the Land”; “The Bible and the Environment: Towards an Agenda for Eco-theology in African Theological Institutions”; “Stewardship of the Land”; “The Menace of Mining in Ghana”; “Destruction of Water Bodies in Ghana”; and “The Menace of Plastic Waste in Ghana.” This volume will serve as a textbook for theological students, the church, and other governmental agencies.

Ecclesiastes is the most surprising book in the Scriptures. It challenges its readers to reconsider what they think life is about and how far it is possible to understand God's involvement in the world. This commentary seeks to help people enter the world of Ecclesiastes and see how it can increase their understanding of God and of themselves.

A fruitful reading strategy that reveals expansive meaning in Proverbs Interpreters often characterize Proverbs 10:1–22:16 as a dead-end of cold, disengaged dogma closed off from the realities of the world. In Genre and Openness in Proverbs 10:1–22:16, Suzanna R. Millar takes a different view, arguing that the didactic proverbs in these chapters are not dull and dry but are filled with poetic complexities open to many possible interpretations and uses. By incorporating paremiology, the technical study of the proverb genre, Millar sheds light on important debates such as character development, kingship, the connection between act and consequence, and the acquisition of wisdom. Features A clarification of the genre of the sayings in light of modern genre theory A linguistic analysis of how openness is generated in biblical proverbs An examination of the didactic use of proverbs to train the hearer’s mind

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda and coinciding with the intensification of violent attacks on the civilian population in the East Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo scholars and students from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenia, Cameroon, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Switzerland joined together in Rwanda to discuss the topic "Overcoming violence". This volume is a documentation of the lectures of this conference, organised by the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS) in Butare, the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR) and the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB). Pascal Bataringaya, President of the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda. Penine Umimbabazi, Assistant professor of Policy analysis and conflict transformation at the Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS) in Huye/Rwanda. Claudia Jahnel and Traugott Jähnichen, Professors at the Faculty of Protestant Theoloy of the Ruhr-University Bochum.

"Whereas the first five books of the Old Testament - the Pentateuch - record the Law of Moses in the form of commandments, the Wisdom Books propound that teaching in the form of counsels and proverbs. They also reveal the close connexion between knowledge that comes through faith, and knowledge acquired through human reasoning." "The book of Job takes the form of a narrative - the story of an upright man who experiences misfortune after misfortune; to a degree, it lifts the veil that shrouds the mystery of suffering. The book of Ecclesiastes ("All is vanity" ...) helps the believer to appreciate the value of things heavenly. Proverbs consists of seven collections of wise sayings from the ancient East. The Wisdom of Solomon, which probably originated in the Jewish community of Alexandria (Egypt), interfaces with the world of Greek culture. Sirach, written by someone steeped in the wisdom tradition of Israel, was much used by the early Fathers of the Church." "Like the other volumes in the Standard Edition of the Navarre Bible, this book contains the full biblical text in the Revised Standard Version and the New Vulgate together with extensive commentaries. The commentaries, which help to explain the doctrinal and practical meaning of the scriptural text, draw on a rich variety of sources - church documents, the exegesis of the Fathers and the Doctors, and the works of prominent spiritual writers, particularly St. Josemaria Escriva, who initiated the Navarre Bible project."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This unusual book examines definitions of the fable, apologue, parable, moral tale, etc. It then proposes the use of the term exemplum, used by medieval scribes, to define all types of wisdom narratives. It makes a cross-cultural structural analysis of the exemplum and identifies its tripartite structure composed of the promythium, the nucleus, and the epimythium. The book ends with an analysis of the reasons why grown men spent so much time writing and collecting these tales. It demonstrates that fables and related genres were not really meant for little children to learn moral lessons. They were used to teach complex religious and political ideologies, to safely ridicule tyrants and despots, to release tensions, and to give good or bad advice.