WISDOM LITERATURE

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WISDOM LITERATURE

• Course Overview

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Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible

• Also called Poetical Books

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The Wisdom Books

• JOB
• PSALMS
• PROVERBS
• ECCLESIASTES
• SONG OF SOLOMON

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JOB

• Epic Poem
• Oldest Literature in Bible
• Five Scenes
• Three Cycles of Speeches in Scene 4
• Main Subject is Gods Sovereignty
• Does Not Answer Question of Human Suffering
• Contains More on Creation than Genesis

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PSALMS

• Hebrew Hymnal Tehillim
• Five Books
• Dates 10 8 Centuries BC
• Multiple Authorship

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Psalms were used for

• Pilgrimages
• Temple Worship
• Private Worship
• Personal Prayers

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PROVERBS

• Dates from 10-8 Centuries BC
• Collection of Wise Sayings
• Seven Main Divisions
• Teachings
• God, Man, Education, Religion,
• Self-restraint, Hard Work, Morals

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Hebrew Word Maschal

• likeness
• comparison
• symbolic statement
• well known, in general use

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ECCLESIASTES

• From 10TH Century BC
• Author Solomon
• Message Lifes Meaning
• Hebrew Name is Koheleth
• Key Word Vanity

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SONG OF SOLOMON

• Written by Solomon
• Ballad Love Poem
• About Peasant Girl and Solomon
• Allegory of Christ and Church

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Five Main Types of Parallelisms

• Synonymous
• Analytical
• Antithetic
• Synthetic
• Climactic

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Three Types of Hebrew Poetry

• Lyric, or Song
• (Used in Worship)
• Didactic
• (Teaching, such as Psalm 119)
• Dramatic
• (Job, Song of Solomon)

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Acrostics

• Common literary structure of Poems
• Each verse starts with next letter of alphabet
• Examples
• Lamentations
• Proverbs 31
• Psalm 119

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Course Method

• Notebook
• Assignments
• Review Quizzes
• Exams
• Course Paper
• Group Work

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FOR YOUR NOTEBOOKS

• AUTHOR Historical person
• LOCATION Uz (Saudi Arabia)
• DATE Approx. 2200 BC
• COMPILER Moses?
• LITERARY TYPE Epic Poem
• STRUCTURE 5 Scenes
• JOBS AGE 60? 140 200 (approx)

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Notes on Job, continued

• Scene 1 Ch 11-5 Great Sheik
• Scene 2 Ch 16-12 Cosmic Meeting
• Scene 3 Ch 113Ch 210 Disasters
• Scene 4 Chs 211-3724 3 Cycles of speeches by
  Jobs Friends
• Scene 5 Chs 38-42 God answers and Job finds
  peace and restoration

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Notes on Job, continued

• Jobs friends
• Eliphaz from Teman
• Bildad from Shuah
• Zophar from Naamah
• Elihu from Buz
• Jobs daughters
• Jemimah, Kezziah, Keren-Happuch

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Notes on Job, continued

• MAIN MESSAGE
• Gods Sovereign right as Creator to give or take
  away
• Does not answer problem of human suffering

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Notes on Job, continued

• KEY PASSAGES
• Response in pain 121
• Source of pain 27
• Expectation beyond death
• 1923-27
• Creation of Earth 384-7

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END OF OVERVIEW

• Presented by
• Doug Chatham, Ph.D., D.Min.