Course Code: BBO18 & BBO19

Hope in Suffering and Joy in Liberation: Study of Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature

Eng. & Regional – BBO18 / Hebrew – BBO19

(Exegetical Study of Selected Texts)

BD IV, Semester I, 4 Credit Hours, College Paper

Course Objectives

1. To orient the student to look into the polyphonic character of Hebrew poetry and wisdom traditions.
2. Themes in the Writings (the third division of the Hebrew Bible – TANAK) particularly in Hebrew poetry and Wisdom writings.
3. Study in detail the books of Job and/or Psalms and understand their main theological themes.
4. Make exegetical experiments based on contextual and liberative readings of the selected texts using available critical tools and methods.

Course Requirements

• Final Examinations 60%
• Internal Assessment 40%

Course Outline

1. Hebrew Poetry
   1. Genres of Hebrew Poetry: Terseness, Parallelism, Metre, Rhythm, Repetition, Patterning, Imagery, Figures of Speech and other characteristics.
   2. Poetry outside the book of Psalms.
2. Biblical Wisdom Writings
   1. On defining Wisdom/Sapiential tradition: Sages and Sapiential discourses and worldviews.
   2. Problems related to historical settings.
   3. Wisdom tradition in Ancient West Asia to enlighten the study of wisdom tradition in ancient Israel.
   4. Different genres and rhetorical devices in Wisdom writings.
   5. The social location of Wisdom Discourses: City gates, family, tribe, royal court, temple, wisdom schools etc.
   6. Characteristics of Wisdom writings and discourses: Worldview in wisdom writings: life, human beings, inter-personal relationship, the relationship between human beings and God, morality and ethics.
   7. Wisdom theology as practical theology or contextual theology.
   8. Wisdom for holistic living: ecological, social, political, economic and religious wisdom.
   9. The personification of wisdom.
   10. Wisdom and the Indian Parallels.
3. General Introduction to the Books
   1. Proverbs
      1. Authorship, date, message and theology.
      2. The composition of the book and its structure.
      3. Social setting of Proverbs.
      4. Polyphonic nature of the discourses in the book and its fluidity in the expression of thoughts.
      5. Gender bias in the subjectivity formations particularly male-focused and male-dominated. Feminist critiques on male-centered subjectivity formations especially based on ‘strange woman’ discourses in Prov. 1-9.
      6. Teachings of the book on Wisdom, Wisdom Woman, wealth and poverty, charity, righteousness, justice and other etiquettes.
   2. Song of Songs
      1. Authorship, date, message and theology.
      2. The composition of the book and its structure.
      3. Literary characteristics – rhetorical effects and the power of language, imageries and metaphors.
      4. Polyphonic nature of the song: History of interpretation of the Song and multiple layers of meanings. Human sexuality and equality of man and woman.
   3. Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth)
      1. Authorship, date, message and theology.
      2. The multiplicity of genres used in the book like didactic and experiential sayings, observations, self-discourses, admonitions, etc.
      3. Polyphonic nature of wisdom discourse: Qoheleth’s discourse as different from other voices in the O.T.
      4. Socio-economic location of Qoheleth’s discourses particularly the Persian period.
      5. Colonization and its polarities, monetary and commercial economy, and consequent social problems.
      6. Teachings of Qoheleth as “Theological anthropology” and the relevance of its message in the contemporary postcolonial, globalized world.
   4. Lamentations
      1. Authorship, date, form and varied genres and the power of the lamentations: the use of imageries like “daughter of Zion”.
      2. Polyphonic nature of Lamentations: different voices of lament such as the poet on the fate of Fair Zion (ch. 1), laments over the city (ch. 2, 4).
      3. ‘I’ and ‘we’ in the laments.
      4. Humane face of Lamentations: expression of grief and sorrow.
      5. The social location of the laments: ‘Disembodied-ness’ caused by the Exile and the consequent loss of state and temple.
      6. Contents and theological themes of the Book.
4. Hope in Suffering: Detailed Study of the Book of Job
   1. Authorship, date, message, structure and theology.
   2. The composition of the book: Multiplicity of literary genres and its rhetorical power.
   3. Polyphonic nature of the book: identifying the nature of different discourses in the book.
   4. Important theological themes like suffering and innocent suffering, doctrine of retribution, Piety, theodicy.
5. Joy in Liberation: Detailed Study of the Book of Psalms
   1. Title, authorship, date, superscriptions and process of transmission and collection of psalms.
   2. Classification of the psalms.
   3. Divine Human relationship in Psalms: God, who listens, intervenes and liberates.
   4. Important theological themes in the Book of Psalms like God as the creator, liberator and judge, shepherd, kingship of God, Zion and the Temple, Nature of human life, Death and Sheol, The Righteous and the Wicked, Human suffering, Enemies, Social Justice, Peace and Blessing, Torah, Faith and Hope.
6. Texts for Exegesis (English/Regional Language)
   1. Job 1; 4; 20-22; 31; 42.
   2. Psalms 1; 2; 24; 51; 104; 122; 145.
7. Texts for Translation and Exegesis (Hebrew)
   1. Job 2:1-6; 3:1-10; 19:1-10; 26:1-10; 31:1-12; 38:12-18; 40:6-4; 42:10-17.
   2. Psalms 1; 24; 51:3-12; 119:1-8; 121; 122; 128.

Essential Readings

• Alter, R. Art of Biblical Poetry. New York: Basic Books, 1985.
• Camp, Claudia V. Wisdom and the Feminine in the Book of Proverbs. Sheffield: Almond, 1985.
• Crenshaw, J.L., ed. Studies in Ancient Israelite Wisdom. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1976.
• Kaiser, Walter C. Jr. A Biblical Approach to Personal Suffering. Chicago: Moody Press, 1982.
• Engel, J. The Idea of Biblical Poetry: Parallelism and its History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981.

Bibliography

General Introduction

• Anderson, G.W. A Critical Introduction to the Old Testament. London: Duckworth, 1959.
• Blenkinsopp, Joseph. Wisdom and Law in the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Brermer, Afhalya, ed. A Feminist Companion to the Song of Songs. Sheffield: JSOT, 1993.
• Crenshaw, J.L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981.
• Crenshaw, James L. Ecclesiastes. OTL. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1987.
• Ellison, H.L. “Lamentations.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. VI: 693-733. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Regency Reference Library, 1986.
• Fisch, H. Poetry with a Purpose. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988.
• Fox, M.V. Qoheleth and His Contradictions. HLS 18. Sheffield: Almond, 1989.
• Gammie, J.G. et al., ed. Israelite Wisdom: Theological and Literary Essays in Honour of Samuel Terrién. New York: Union Theological Seminary, Scholars Press, 1978.
• McKane, William. Proverbs: A New Approach. OTL. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970.
• Murphy, Roland E. The Song of Songs. Remenia. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990.
• Petersen, D. and K. Richards. Interpreting Hebrew Poetry. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.
• Pope, Marvin. Song of Songs. ABIC. New York: Doubleday, 1977.
• Rankin, O.S. Israel’s Wisdom Literature. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1954.
• Roberts, J.M. Lamentations, Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
• Scott, R.B.Y. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes. New York: Doubleday, 1983.
• Seow, C.L. Ecclesiastes: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. AB28C. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
• Von Rad, G. Wisdom in Israel. London: SCM, 1972.
• Washington, Harold C. Wealth and Poverty in the Instruction of Amenemope and the Hebrew Proverbs. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1994.
• Weeks, Stuart. Early Israelite Wisdom. Oxford: Clarendon, 1994.
• Whybray, R.N. The Book of Proverbs: A Survey of Modern Study. Leiden: Brill, 1995.
• Whybray, R.N. The Composition of the Book of Proverbs. Sheffield: JSOT, 1994.
• Whybray, R.N. Wealth and Poverty in the Book of Proverbs. Sheffield: JSOT, 1990.

Book of Job

• Anderson, Francis I. Job: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove: IVP, 1976, 1980.
• Archer, Gleason L., Jr. The Book of Job: God’s Answer to the Problem of Undeserved Suffering. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1982.
• Aufrecht, W.B., ed. Studies in the Book of Job. SR Sup 16. Waterloo, Ontario, 1985.
• Ceresco, A.R. Job in the Light of Northwest Semitic. Rome, 1980.
• Clines, David J.A. Job 1-20. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 17. Waco: Word Books, 1989.
• Ellison, H.L. A Study of Job: From Tragedy to Triumph. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971.
• Good, Edwin M. In Turns of Tempest: A Reading of Job with a Translation. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1990.
• Gutierrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Translated by M. J. O’Connell. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1987.
• Habel, Norman C. The Book of Job: A Commentary. Philadelphia: Old Testament Library. Westminster Press, 1985.
• Hartley, John E. The Book of Job. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
• Janzen, J. Gerald. Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1985.
• Mitchell, Stephen. The Book of Job. San Francisco: North Point, 1987.
• Perdue, Leo G. Wisdom in Revolt: Metaphorical Theology in the Book of Job. JSOT Sup 112. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1991.
• Perdue, Leo G., and W. Clark Gilpin, eds. The Voice from the Whirlwind: Interpreting the Book of Job. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992.
• Pope, Marvin H. Job. 3rd ed. Anchor Bible Series 15. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1979.
• Rowley, H.H., ed. Job. The Century Bible. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1970.
• Sanders, Paul S. Twentieth Century Interpretations of the Book of Job: A Collection of Critical Essays. Edited by Paul S. Sanders. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968.
• Snaith, N.H. The Book of Job: Its Origin and Purpose. London: SCM, 1968.
• Stedman, R.C. Expository Studies in Job: Behind Suffering. Waco: Waco Books, 1981.
• Westermann, C. The Structure of the Book of Job: A Form-Critical Analysis. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981.
• Zuck, Roy. Job. Everyman’s Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1982.
• “Job.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty: Old Testament, 715-777. Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985.

Book of Psalms

• Allen, Leslie C. Psalms 101-150. WBC 21. Waco: Word Publishers, 1983.
• Anderson, A.A. The Book of Psalms Nos. 1 & 2. London: New Century Bible, Oliphants, 1972.
• Briggs, C.A. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Vols. 1 & 2. ICC, Edinburgh, 1906-07.
• Broyles, C.C. The Conflict of Faith and Experience in the Psalms: A Form-Critical and Theological Study.
• Brueggemann, W. The Message of the Psalms. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1984.
• Craigie, Peter C. Psalms 1-50. Word Biblical Commentary, 19. Waco: Word Books, 1983.
• Dhanaraj, D. Theological Significance of the Motif of Enemies in Selected Psalms of Individual Lament. Glueckstadt: J. J. Augustin, 1992.
• Gerstenberger, Erhard S. Psalms: Part 1, with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry. Forms of the OT Literature 14. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
• Gillingham, S.E. The Poems and Psalms of the Hebrew Bible. Oxford Bible Series. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
• Gunkel, H. The Psalms: A Form-Critical Introduction. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967.
• Hargreaves, J. A Guide to Psalms. London: SPCK, 1973.
• Johnson, A.R. “The Psalms.” In The Old Testament and Modern Study. H.H. Rowley (ed), Oxford: Clarendon, 1951.
• Johnson, P.J. “Care to the Poor: The Key to Blessedness: The Challenge of Psalm 41 in Resetting Happiness Index,” in Navajeevanandam: A Journal of Mission and Theological Reflection, vol. 1, no. 1, March 2011.
• Kraus, Hans-Joachim. Psalms 1-25 and Psalms 60-150. Translated by H.C. Oswald. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1988 and 1989.
• Kraus, Hans-Joachim. Theology of Psalms. Translated by Keith Crim. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1986.
• Mays, James L. Psalms. Interpretation. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1994.
• Miller, Patrick D., Jr. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.
• Mowinckel, S. Psalms in Israel’s Worship. Oxford: Blackwell, 1967.
• Praveen, Jerald. “A Search for a Theology of the Psalter,” Ebenezer Theological Journal 2/2, 2013.
• Ross, Allen P. “Psalms.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty: Old Testament. Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985.
• Rowley, H.H. Worship in Ancient Israel. London: SPCK, 1967.
• Sabourin, L. The Psalms. New York: Alba House, 1970.
• Sama, Nahum M. Songs of the Heart: An Introduction to the Book of Psalms. New York: Schocken, 1993.
• Tate, Marvin E. Psalms 51-100. Word Biblical Commentary, 20. Dallas: Word Books, 1990.
• Weiser, A. The Psalms. London: SCM, 1962.
• Westermann, C. Praise and Lament in the Psalms. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981.
• Westermann, C. The Living Psalms. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1989.
• Wiersbe, Warren W. Meet Yourself in the Psalms. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983.
• Wilson, Gerald. The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter. Chicago: Scholars Press, 1985.