THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEBREW WISDOM LITERATURE (original) (raw)
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Will Kynes (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and Wisdom Literature, Oxford: Oxford University Press. , 2021
The figure of Qoheleth draws upon the historical figure of King Solomon. Though traditionally dated to that time, linguistic clues within Ecclesiastes have led scholars to consider the work a later composition. The purpose of the fictionalized royal setting of the work is then to concretize effectively its central idea: the futility of wealth, power, and wisdom in the face of the arbitrariness of death. Qoheleth is notable within his literary milieu for exercising independent judgment based on his observed environment. This central feature of the work has led scholars to explore parallels between Ecclesiastes and other ancient philosophical and sapiential literature, though no conclusive evidence of direct influence has been found. The dissonance between Qoheleth's numerous conservative statements and skeptical observations contradicting traditional beliefs is the most characteristic theme of the work.
A Wise Man Reflecting on Wisdom: Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes
Tyndale Bulletin, 2020
This paper looks at Qoheleth's ambivalent attitude towards wisdom and being wise. At times wisdom is his presupposition, his strength, and his benchmark for judging everything; at other times he sees its limitations and relativity in the light of divine unpredictability and human death. This is not contradictory; rather, Qoheleth weighs up proverbs and provides an interpretation of them, fulfilling the description of him in 12:9. Whilst some see the Epilogist as critical of the wise, using Qoheleth's own words to discredit the wisdom movement, I maintain that this is not the case; rather, the Epilogue reinforces Qoheleth's approach to the wisdom task.
Qohelet in his Context: Ecclesiastes 4,13-16 and the Dating of the Book
Biblica, 2019
The enigmatic anecdote of the old and foolish king in Ecclesiastes 4,13-16 is a key text for identifying the specific context of Qohelet. This article argues that the anecdote is not merely proverbial and abstract, but reflects actual political events in the second half of the third century BCE. The old and foolish king, and the two youths who follow him, may be identified with specific figures from the Seleucid Kingdom. This identification is upheld by further clues in the rest of Qohelet’s discourse and provides us with a specific dating of Ecclesiastes in the 220s BCE. The context of the struggles between the Ptolemies and Seleucids demonstrates that the book of Ecclesiastes provides not just abstract philosophical wisdom but also pointed political commentary on developments in Judea during this time.
Qohelet's Courtly Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2006
ECCLESIASTES 8:1-9 has long posed interpretive problems. William A. Irwin remarked on the views of his contemporaries in 1945, "By common consent we have here a series of more or less disconnected comments, perhaps in some way gathered about the general theme of monarchs and despots." 1 This fragmenting interpretive tendency, undoubtedly facilitated by a text that is among the most difficult in the book, is not merely a thing of the past. Several scholars have more recently expressed doubts about the coherence of the passage, interpreting it as a dialectic between traditional wisdom and contrary, relativizing statements. 2 In addition to these assumptions regarding the role of traditional material, problems in delimiting the scope of the passage and radically different translations of A version of this essay was presented under the title "Visionaries, Kings, and the Rhetoric of Retribution in Ecclesiastes 8:1-9" at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 2003.1 am grateful for the insights and conversation at that venue and also especially for the comments and criticisms of C. L. Seow. All of the essay's shortcomings are my own. 1 William A. Irwin, "Ecclesiastes 8:2-9," JNES4 (1945) 130-31, here 130. 2 Diethelm Michel ("Qohelet Probleme: Überlegungen zu Qoh 8,2-9 und 7,11-14," Theologia Viatorum 15 [1979-80] 81-103, esp. 87-92) believes that 8:2-5 is a quotation of traditional wisdom that is critiqued in w. 6-9. He is followed by Pane Beentjes, "'Who Is Like the Wise?': Some Notes on Qohelet 8, 1-15," in Qohelet in the Context of Wisdom (ed. Anton Schoors; BETL 136; Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1998) 303-15, here 306. Roland E. Murphy {Ecclesiastes [WBC 23A; Dallas: Word, 1992] 82) sees w. 2-4 as modifying v. 1, w. 6-12a as modifying v. 5, and vv. 14-15 opposing vv. 12b-13. Norbert Lohfink (Kohelet [NEchtB; 4th ed.; Würzburg: Echter Verlag, 1993] 60) also proposes the final two pairs of opposition. Evidence of this tendency is found also in the most recent full-scale commentary on Ecclesiastes by Ludger Schwienhorst-211 212 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006
VEkklhsiastou/ ; /heb.,tl, h, ä qo in Ecc1:1) of the book. The Hebrew is the word Qohelet (also spelled Qoheleth, Kohelet, Koheleth) and it is usually referred to as Qohelet in scholarly articles. Qohelet can be used as a name or a title. As a title it seems to mean a ―caller of assemblies, ‖that is, one who calls the assembly together for teaching ―teacher,‖―speaker,‖ or ―Preacher, are all dynamic renderings. Although the word " Qoheleth " is understood as masculine, its form is Qal, feminine participle. Elsewhere the root qhl is always Hip˓il or Nip˓al (causative or reflexive/passive). Perhaps the feminine ending denotes the personification of wisdom.
Debating Wisdom: The Role of Voice in Ecclesiastes
This paper argues for the presence of three distinct voices in Ecclesiastes: Qfn, Qs, and Qp. Qfn is the Frame-Narrator. Speaking in the third person, he introduces and concludes the skeptic’s words and worldview via proverbial reflections. His trademark phrases are “vanity of vanities” and “says the Preacher.” Qs is the voice of Qoheleth taking on the persona of Solomon. Speaking in the first person, he is Qoheleth’s foil, the skeptic whose views will ultimately be defeated by Qp, the Preacher. If even Solomon, the richest and wisest man in ancient Israel, could find life meaningless, how much more would that be the case for the hoi polloi? Despite the futility of Solomon’s endeavors, Qp teaches his students to fear God, keep his commandments, and consider the works of God, because “God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (12:14).