Lexington Books / Fortress Academic
Pages: 216
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9
978-1-9787-0399-5 • Hardback • October 2019 • $111.00 • (£85.00)
978-1-9787-0400-8 • eBook • October 2019 • $105.50 • (£82.00)
Brian Neil Peterson is associate professor of the Hebrew Bible at Lee University.
Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Book of Ecclesiastes
Chapter 2 Qoheleth’s Reflections on Genesis
Chapter 3 Life is a Fleeting Breath in a Broken World (Eccl 1:1–11)
Chapter 4 Qoheleth’s Experiments: Journey vs. Destination (Eccl 1:12—2:26)
Chapter 5 The Centrality of God in Qoheleth’s Worldview: Part 1 (Eccl 3–4)
Chapter 6 The Centrality of God in Qoheleth’s Worldview: Part 2 (Eccl 5–6)
Chapter 7 Qoheleth’s Push for Wisdom over Folly: Part 1 (Eccl 7–8)
Chapter 8 Qoheleth’s Push for Wisdom over Folly: Part 2 (Eccl 9–10)
Chapter 9 Qoheleth’s Conclusion: Enjoy Life but Fear God (Eccl 11–12)
Chapter 10 Qoheleth in Light of the Biblical Wisdom Tradition
Throughout the work P. engages with a wide range of scholarly contributions: indeed, it is difficult to think of any treatments of Qoheleth he has not considered. This variety of views is clearly presented and assessed in this comprehensive study, which will become essential reading for every student of the book.
— Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
As the most recent scholar freed from Jerome’s errant vanitas translation of Ecclesiastes’ thematic word hebel, Brian Neil Peterson offers a sensible interpretation of Ecclesiastes that is internally consistent and comports with Biblical wisdom from Proverbs to Job. Peterson wraps the book’s message between the thematic opening and closing pronouncements on the transience of all under the sun. But even more holistically, he takes us logically through the sequence of Ecclesiastes’ literary units, revealing Qoheleth’s systematic development of his realistic worldview. In this way, Peterson adds a rich layer of scholarship in describing Qoheleth as a balanced realist, using ably the linguistic, thematic and rhetorical analyses that are necessary for understanding this challenging Old Testament book.— Daniel C. Fredericks, Belhaven University
Peterson has rescued Qoheleth from its proverbial doldrums of despair by refining the understanding of the key word hebel (KJV, “vanity”) and a careful treatment of the book’s structure. Metaphorically, he has beaten the hermeneutical “swords into plowshares” and “spears into pruninghooks,” resulting in a unified and orthodox voice of hope. While not sweeping the difficulties aside, his combination of impeccable scholarship and clarity of expression makes this volume an easy and obligatory read for those who believe and those who disbelieve that Ecclesiastes belongs to conventional biblical theology.— C. Hassell Bullock, Wheaton College, emeritus
This is a balanced, well-informed study of the message of Ecclesiastes. It will be of great value in helping readers understand how recent interpreters have handled the text and in coming to their own conclusions about its historical meaning and abiding significance.— Duane A. Garrett, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
October 2020 - Old Testament Abstracts featured this title in their October 2020 issue (Vol. 43.2) and included an adapted excerpt from the book's introduction.