Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction

A theological account of the Old Testament's Wisdom Literature is much needed in our time, and the authors have done a remarkable good rendering of such a theology for us. With a range and scope, with a host of good insights for our culture's suffering from fragmentation and alienation may be read upon the pages of this book. Especially enjoyable is their concerns for Poetry and the Arts in our times, times when because of all the split cultures produced by our post-modern historical critical methods with analytical methods of interpretation of 'things', we find it difficult to integrate 'things' into a practical and theoretical wholeness the Wisdom of which we may grasp for our times. This account is well worth reading by theological and science students today.Rev. John E. McKenna

For a graduate class.

This book came as expected.

Love it.

You can read the fuller review at SpoiledMilks (6/5/18).Many 21st century Westerners have lost the wonder of creation. Christians are saved through the blood of christ, what do we need to understand about the world? What does the Bible have to say about wisdom? Can pithy poetics really form character? In their new book Old Testament Wisdom Literature, Craig Bartholomew and Ryan O'Dowd present a theological introduction to the Bible's wisdom books—Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. How can one expect to find wisdom, and how can 21st century Christians apply 3,000-year-old Old Testament wisdom to their lives?SummaryChapters 1-3 bring us into (1) Israel's world of wisdom—they believed that they were in covenant with the one God who created all of reality and who was the source of knowledge. As Job expresses, they knew their knowledge was limited. The authors then tour through Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom to show Israel’s context. Chapter 3 makes a plea for poetry, which "gives us a nuanced understanding of people, language and culture" (51). Stating a mere proposition such as "God is omnipotent" is very different than "declaring that God rules 'the raging sea'" or that he can "draw in Leviathan with a hook" (69). Poetry brings imagery to the stories which make up our life. At 160 pages, Chapters 4-9 make up the core of the book. The authors spend two chapters on each of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. In the first chapter on each book, rather than rehearsing the main gist of each book, they describe the book's theological function. Each book's second chapter ("Chapter B" as I call it) explores a particular theme in that book.Sometimes the text's form is just as important as what it says. The proverbs in Proverbs 10-30 come to us at random, just as these instances occur within life. Job and Ecclesiastes "focus on profound experiences of apparent contradictions to the character-consequence theme," which deepen our faith and our wisdom and form our character (285). The authors note, "Ecclesiastes is performatively enigmatic, just like suffering, and Job is long, at times tedious, with all those speeches, just like suffering" (318).Ecclesiastes "ultimately affirms life and joy... but only as the end result of a ferocious struggle with the brokenness of life" (189). Job presents bodily suffering; Ecclesiastes presents mental anguish. It's not enough to have a high IQ. Job had money. Qohelet asked difficult philosophical questions. But wisdom requires us to admit our finite creatureliness before the infinite Creator. We, like the woman in Proverbs 31, can embody wisdom and image God.Chapters 10 looks at wisdom in the NT through the coming of Jesus. Chapter 11 gives an OT theology of wisdom. Chapter 12 applies wisdom to our present life concerning education, politics, spirituality, the ordinary, and the dark night of the soul.Recommended?I greatly appreciated Bartholomew and O'Dowd's theological interpretation. The authors look at the meaning of the texts and what is really going on. Teacher and pastors would do well to read this book. Hopefully more people will grasp the importance of these important, often ignored Old Testament books. Disclosure: I received these books free from IVP Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction by Craig G. Bartholomew and Ryan P. O’Dowd is a clear and accessible introduction to wisdom literature with a unique focus upon the theological contribution of the Old Testament books. The goal of the book is to open a conversation amongst readers towards an embrace and embodiment of the theology of the Old Testament wisdom literature today (p. 16). This is accomplished through rigorous engagement with the biblical text and interaction with both ancient and modern scholarship.Bartholomew and O’Dowd divide the focus of the book into three sections. Chapters 1-3 are an establishment of the context for the book, including an introduction to wisdom literature as wisdom, a survey of the world of ancient (i.e. Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, etc.), and the genre of poetry. These three chapters do well to achieve what they set out to accomplish, and everything else is captured in the recommended readings at the end of each chapter. Chapters 4-9 comprise the heart of the book and walk the reader through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job, offering a theological interpretation of each book, an overview of the reception of each book, and interaction with the biblical text throughout. Chapters 9-12 move the discussion towards a more fuller theology of the wisdom literature for today and examine the use of wisdom and wisdom literature in the New Testament.There is much to be praised about this volume. First, and probably foremost, Bartholomew and O’Dowd do an excellent job establishing the books in the ancient Near Eastern context. This allows the scope of the book to move beyond a typical introduction as the theological and hermeneutical considerations are developed. Second, each chapter concludes with a curated “recommended reading” section. This makes the book perfect for interested readers looking to adventure out on topics. That said, there are also several resources I anticipated to find as recommended reads, and when I looked I came up with nothing. Of course, this is minor in the scope of what Bartholomew and O’Dowd have accomplished. Lastly, while the wisdom literature of the Old Testament typically moves beyond the books explicitly covered in the volume, the introduction to wisdom and the ensuing literature does well to orient the reader with the necessary tools to accomplish the task of interpretation.Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction by Craig G. Bartholomew and Ryan P. O’Dowd is a clear and accessible introduction to wisdom literature with a unique focus upon the theological contribution of the Old Testament books. It is well situated for a classroom and even better situated for the interested reader. Those looking for a solid introduction to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament that will pay dividends in the end, will do well to consult Bartholomew and O’Dowd.

readable and informatdive

great