OT064-912 - Interpreting and Applying Ecclesiastes

  • 3,162 Standard Tuition Fee
  • 12
    Credit Points
  • 0.125 EFT 
  • 9
    AQF level
  • Category advanced unit
    C
  • Old Testament Unit Discipline

Prerequisites

48cps Level 8; 12cps from units in OT or NT with a unit code of OT004 or higher code or NT004 or higher code, or study deemed equivalent by the ACT Registrar to appropriately prepare students for undertaking the unit.

Exclusions

OT062

Set Text

This unit counts towards the "set text" unit requirements of courses.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will

A. Know and understand

Demonstrate Specialised knowledge and understanding of, and research principles and methods used in investigating the interpretation and application of Ecclesiastes 

B. Be able to

1. Evaluate Specialised methods and issues in the interpretation and application of Ecclesiastes
2. Integrate diverse scholarship and ministry experience in the interpretation and application of Ecclesiastess
3. Present independent Research-Driven perspectives on the interpretation and application of Ecclesiastes.

C. Be in a position to

Applying research-based perspectives and skills from ‘Interpreting and Applying Ecclesiastes’ for ministry practice and Christian living as a reflective practitioner.

Content

•    Detailed exegesis of representative chapters in English in Ecclesiastes (e.g. Ecclesiastes 2, 3, 5, 9, 12) with a focus on advanced exegetical skills.
•    The setting of Ecclesiastes among the Wisdom Books as a canonical grouping, and its significance for interpretation.
•    Literary appreciation of Ecclesiastes, including its poetic elements such as parallelism and metaphor.
•    Critical evaluation of recent critical approaches to Ecclesiastes
•    Key themes and features of Ecclesiastes, such as the meaning of hebel, rhetoric of ambiguity, cause-and-effect mechanism, retribution, wisdom, wealth and death.
•    The meaning and message of Ecclesiastes for today.
 

Set Readings

This unit's indicative bibliography is currently being revised. Students should contact their home college for further details at the time of taking this unit.


Alter, R. The Art of Biblical Poetry. Rev. and enl. New York: Basic Books, 2011.

Bartholomew, C. and R. P. O’Dowd. Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011.

Clifford, R. J.  Wisdom Literature in Mesopotamia and Israel. Atlanta, GA: SBL, 2007.

Crenshaw, J. L. Old Testament Wisdom. 3rd edition. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2010.

Crenshaw, J. L. Qoheleth: The Ironic Wink. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2013.

Enns, P. Ecclesiastes. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011.

Fokkelman, J. P. Reading Biblical Poetry. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001.

Fox, M. V. A Time to Tear Down A Time to Build Up. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999.

Fox, M. V. “On הבל in Qoheleth: A Reply to Mark Sneed.” Journal of Biblical Literature 138/3 (2019): 560.

Goh, Samuel T. S. The Basics of Hebrew Poetry. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017.

Goh, Samuel T. S. “The Hebel World, Its Ambiguities and Contradictions.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament (2020). https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0309089220903333

Heim, K. M. Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2019.

Ingram, D. Ambiguity in Ecclesiastes. Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 431. New York: T&T Clark, 2006.

Krüger, T. Qoheleth. Translated by K. Baltzer. Hermenia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2004.

Lohfink, N. Qoheleth. Continental Commentary. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2003.

Murphy, R.E. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002.

Salyer, G. D. Vain Rhetoric: Private Insight and Public Debate in Ecclesiastes. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 2001.

Sneed, M. “הבל as ‘Worthless’ in Qoheleth: A Critique of Michael V. Fox’s ‘Absurd’ Thesis.” JBL 136/4 (2017): 890-94.

Sneed, M. The Politics of Pessimism in Ecclesiastes: A Social-Science Perspective. Ancient Israel and Its Literature 12. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2012.

Weeks, S. Ecclesiastes 1-5. International Critical Commentary. London: T&T Clark, 2020.

Weeks, S. Ecclesiastes and Skepticism. Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 541. New York: T&T Clark, 2012

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