Questions of Life and Death in Wisdom Literature --- RGB 3371HF -- 2001, Fri 9am Michael Kolarcik


Readings for Next Week: Friday September 28th, 2001

Crenshaw: Old Testament Wisdom: "The World of Wisdom," "The Sapiential Tradition," pp. 20-54.

Ancient Near Eastern Texts: Wisdom
Egypt:     Instructions of the Vizier Ptah-hotep; Instructions of Amen-em-Opet
Aramaic:    Words of Ahiqar
Akkadian:   A Pessimistic dialogue between Master and Servant; Babylonian Theodicy
Sumerian:  Man and His God: A Sumerian Variation of the Job Motif

Personification of Wisdom: Proverbs 8, Sirach 24
Gale YEE, "The Theology of Creation in Provers 8:22-31", [R.J. Clifford, J.J. Collins, eds., Creation in the Biblical Traditions, CBQ Monograph Series 24, 1992] 85-96.



Readings for Next Week: Friday October 5th, 2001

Biblical Text: Read carefully Job 1-3, 38-42

R.A.F. MACKENZIE, "The Transformation of Job", Biblical Theology Bulletin  9 (1979) 51-57.
Crenshaw: Old Testament Wisdom: "The Search for Divine Presence: Job," pp. 89-115.

     Optional readings:

W. VOGELS, "Job a parlé correctment", NRT 112e, #6 (1980) 835-852 .
W. VOGELS, "The Inner Development of Job: One more look at Psychology and the Book of Job", Science et Esprit 35,2 (1983)  227-230.
W. VOGELS, "The Spiritual Growth of Job, A Psychological Approach to the Book of Job" Biblical Theology Bulletin 11 (1981)  75-80.



Readings for Next Week: Friday October 12th, 2001

Biblical Text: Read Job 3--37, the cycle of speeches of Job and his friends and the Elihu speech. Grapple with the issues of theodicy that emerge in the cycle of speeches (theodicy: the problem of human suffering and divine compassion). What are the essential elements of the argument in the speeches of Job's friends and what is the essential challenge of Job's speech to God?

Read the Introduction to Job by Carol A. Newsom in The New Interpreter's Bible, vol IV, pp. 319-339, and as many overviews she offers in the commentary on Job 3:1--31:40 as you can manage.

For further reading, if you are particularly interested in the issues of theodicy and post-modern thought, I highly recommend a book by Zachary Braiterman, (God) After Auschwitz, Tradition and Change in Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. A certain Rabbinic interpretation of the Book of Job is Braiterman's example of what he calls anti-theodicy.



Readings for Friday After Reading Week: Friday October 26th, 2001

Biblical Text: Read Job 38--42. The two Divine Speeches from the whirlwind, Job's final responses and the concluding epilogue. Have ready for class a literary breakdown of the two divine speeches (understand their literary structure). What possible relevance does the imagery which God employs throughout the two speeches exert as response to Job's demand for justice.

Read at least ONE article or chapter on the Theophany in Job (Divine Speeches):

Leo Perdue, Wisdom in Revolt, chapter 8, pp. 196-140.
Leo Perdue, Wisdom and Creation, pp.163-182.

Any of the last six articles in Roy B. Zuck, ed., Sitting with Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job,
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992.

James G. Williams, "The Theophany of Job," 359-372.
D.A. Carson, "Mystery and Faith in Job 38:1-42:16," 373-379.
David McKenna, "God's Revelation and Job's Repentance," pp. 381-409.
Norman C. Habel, "The Design of Yahweh's Speeches," 411-419.
Sylvia Huberman Scholnick, "Poetry in the Courtroom: Job 38-41," 421-439.
B. Lynne Newell, "Job: Repentant or Rebellious," 441-456.
For a fascinating presentation of the Divine Speeches in Job in relation to creation theology and ecology see
Othmar Keel, Dieu répond à Job, Job 38-41 (Une interprétation de Job 38-41 à la lumière de l'iconographie du Proche-Orient ancien) trad. Francoise Smyth, Paris: Cerf, 1993.


Readings for Friday November 2nd, 2001, I may bring to a conclusion some thoughts on Job and theodicy before beginning Qoheleth.

Biblical Text: Qoheleth: Read Ecclesiastes 1-- 6. Try to outline the arguments that Qoheleth presents in these six chapters.

Background Reading: Crenshaw, "The Chasing After Meaning: Ecclesiastes," pp. 116-139.



Readings for Friday November 9th, 2001

Biblical Text: Qoheleth: Read Ecclesiastes 7-- 12. Pay special attention to the analogy for old age and death in chapter 12.

Read at least one of the following:
 
1.  Addison G. Wright, "Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth)," in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 1990, pp., 489-495.
2. Leo Perdue, Wisdom & Creation, "'I Will Make a Test of Pleasure': The Tyranny of God and Qoheleth's Quest for the Good," pp. 193-237.
3. John J. Collins, Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age, pp. 13-20. (Compares Job and Qoheleth and looks at Qumran Literature.)
4. Dianne Bergant, Israel's Wisdom Literature, pp. 108-122.



Readings for Friday November 16th, 2001

Biblical Text: Wisdom of Solomon (The Book of Wisdom) chapters 1:1-6:21. Pay close attention to the function of the various images of death in this section.

Secondary Sources:
 
James L. CRENSHAW, Old Testament Wisdom, "The Widening Hunt: Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom Psalms, and Beyond,"  pp. 165-184.
M.J. SUGGS, "Wisdom of Solomon II, 10-V: A Homily Based on the Fourth Servant Song", JBL 76 (1957) 26-33.



Readings for Friday November 23rd, 2001

Biblical Text: Wisdom of Solomon (The Book of Wisdom) chapters 6:22--10:21. Notice in chapter 9 the Wisdom author's  adaptation of Solomon's dream in 1 Kings 3:1-15 and his vision in 2 Chronicles 1:1-13.

Secondary Sources: Read at least one of:
 
J.S. KLOPPENBORG, "Isis and Sophia in the Book of Wisdom", HTR 75 (1982) 57-84..
M. KOLARCIK, The Book of Wisdom: introduction, commentary, and reflections, NIB 5, Project Director, Jack A. Keller, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997, pp. 495-527.
A.A. DI LELLA, "Conservative and Progressive Theology: Sirach and Wisdom", CBQ 28 (1966) 139-154, also in Studies in Ancient Israelite Wisdom, ed. J.L. Crenshaw, New York: 1976, 401-416.


Readings for Friday November 30th, 2001

Biblical Text: Wisdom of Solomon (The Book of Wisdom) chapters 11--19. While reading this extensive midrashic treatment of the exodus from Egypt, ask yourself the question, 'what has happened to the function of personified wisdom throughout God's intervention on behalf of the just and in opposition to the wicked'?

Secondary Sources: Read at least one of:
 
M. KOLARCIK, The Book of Wisdom: introduction, commentary, and reflections, NIB 5, Project Director, Jack A. Keller, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997, pp. 528-600.
M. KOLARCIK, "Creation and Salvation in the Book of Wisdom", [R.J. Clifford, J.J. Collins, eds., Creation in the Biblical Traditions, CBQ Monograph Series 24, 1992] 97-107.
M. KOLARCIK, "Universalism and Justice in the Wisdom of Solomon," in [Treasures of Wisdom: Studies in Ben Sira and the Book of Wisdom, Festschrift M. Gilbert, eds. N. Calduch-Benages, J. Vermeylen, Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1999] pp. 289-301.