Archive for the ‘Wisdom Literature’ Category

Thanks for all the interesting selections of Wisdom bibliographies that are currently appearing on your blogs. As you have probably surmised by now, this is intended provide a basis for your forthcoming assignment (see post below). I’m linking here some further ideas  blognotes-wisd-bibliography.doc though it might be a good idea to check the other students’ work in this regard. Here’s an introduction to the father of Wisdom research, who is (in my opinion) still unsurpassed in many of his imaginative reconstructions of Ancient Israelite life: Gerhard von Rad blognotes-gerhard-von-rad.doc.

After placement we will be re-entering the subject at something of a sprint, so here is an easy intro to the next topic on the agenda: ecclesiastes.ppt and a quick view at today’s lecturette: expounding-proverbs-1-4.ppt.

Remember: integrity creates stability (Ps 1: the wise man cannot be dislodged)

funny-face.jpg 

….and failing?

Here is a list of possible Wisdom assignments, as mentioned in class

  • Wisdom Literature and Creation Theology
  • Suffering and the book of Job
  • The Subversive Character of Job’s Epilogue
  • Biblical Theology and Wisdom Literature
  • Wisdom Literature and Divine Guidance
  • From Lady Wisdom to Jesus Christ
  • Feminine Imagery in Biblical Wisdom
  • Women and Biblical Wisdom Literature
  • Qohelet among the Sages
  • Wisdom  as “Middle Discourse” with the World
  • Wisdom Literature and the Sanctity of Life
  • Genre and Historicity of the Book of Job
  • Proverbs and Moral Formation
  • The Theology of a Particular Wisdom Book

I am open to other suggestions but please run them by me before you get started. Please use the relative leisure (!) of your pastoral placements to get a grip on your ideas so that you can present an initial draft on your return to class in April.

ALSO: please complete your reading of Brown and post a review on your blog. Email me notification when this is done.

The assignment should be c.3000 words (not including bibliography and footnotes).

Our next lectures will be on ECCLESIASTES so make sure that this has been read thoroughly.

wisdom-tradition.jpgWelcome to the Wisdom group. Here is a link to the schedule, (subject to approval) wisdom-maf.doc so that you can check the session titles. Today we looked at the powerpoint introduction-to-the-course.ppt and checked out the coursebook. Follow the hyperlinks to ourchase your copy from http://abebooks.co.uk or http://amazon.co.uk as you wish. Jean-Baptiste’s copy arrived the day after ordering, so I expect everyone kitted out by the next session.

As mentioned in class, the first task is to post on your blog TWENTY books on the Wisdom Tradition that you have discovered on the net. Free (funsize) Mars Bar to the first post.

Here’s some material to whet your appetite for remainder of the course:lecture-1-sermon.doc is a slightly devotional  approach to the subject; 1-what-is-wisdom.ppt is slightly more explanatory;  and, finally, an introduction to Proverbslecture-2-prov-intro.doc . Please read this material and post it on your own blogs under a Wisdom category if you wish

As you know, there have had to be some massive changes in the modules on offer during this year’s second semester due to the last minute withdrawal of two of our Biblical Studies lecturers.

So here follows a revised version of the modules that I am supervising, with the textbooks required:

HEBREWS II follows HEBREWS I (now there’s a surprise).  We have been working from Page H. Kelley, “Biblical Hebrew – An Introductory Grammar” (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992). We completed up to the end of chapter 12 (strong verbs) page 93 in this book. We may shift across from this textbook to use some of the exercises in Weingreen’s Hebrew Grammar for practice purposes. There’s a few copies available in the library;   you might consider buying your own  from http://abebooks.co.uk ; or alternatively, try hassling a 3rd year.

GREEK II follows GREEK I directly, using Duff from page 55.

In both these modules there will be an attempt to work directly from the Biblical text, so the purchase of a Greek New Testament and a Hebrew Bible will not be out or order and essential for all future Biblical work.

GREEK I for the newcomers starting this semester (Welcome!) we will be beginning with Duff’s Elements of New Testament Greek which should be purchased as soon as possible from the college bookstore. Check in Admin.

GREEK TEXTS. This year we are examining Philippians in the Greek. There are many excellent commentaries, but O’Brien’s NIGTC is to be preferred. In a rather disarming way, the cover note promises the following:

 “The text on which these commentaries are based is the UBS Greek New Testament, edited by Kurt Aland and others. While engaging the major questions of text and interpretation at a scholarly level, the authors keep in mind the needs of the beginning student of Greek as well as the pastor or layperson who may have studied the language at some time but does not now use it on a regular basis.”

 Is that you?

WISDOM LITERATURE will follow the details in the December 29 post below. Brown’s Character in Crisis is the textbook and this too must be purchased as soon as possible. A book review is required, so why wait? I’ll post a schedule in the next few days.

PAULINE STUDIES is an overview module providing historical, social and religious contexts for all the letters that the NT accredits to Paul. We will consider some of Paul’s major theological emphases and using John Ziesler’s excellent little book Pauline Christianity.

BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS (MTh module). I’ll deal with this separately.