Qoheleth&#039;s Hope: The Message of Ecclesiastes in a Broken World

Brian Neil Peterson

doi:10.5771/9781978704008

Summary

Pessimist! Hedonist! Skeptic! Fatalist! Scholars have used these and a variety of other pejoratives to describe Qoheleth, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes. But are these monikers fair assessments of this formative book of the Hebrew wisdom tradition? Brian Neil Peterson challenges this dominant scholarly perspective by arguing that Qoheleth’s message is more optimistic than it appears. He insists that Qoheleth—a realist who recognizes that the world is broken due to the Fall in Genesis 3—is instructing his readers to live life to the fullest in the fear of God despite the presence of injustice, oppression, and futility experienced on a daily basis. Due to the fleeting nature of life, Qoheleth offers hope to his readers and urges them to put God first and enjoy God’s good gifts, not as a destination in life, but rather as part of one’s earthly journey.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2019
Copyright Year: 2019
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-0399-5
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-0400-8
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 202
Product Type: Monograph

1. Contents No access
2. List of Abbreviations No access
3. Acknowledgments No access
Introduction No access Pages 1 - 6
Chapter 1 No access Pages 7 - 22
Chapter 2 No access Pages 23 - 36
Chapter 3 No access Pages 37 - 54
Chapter 4 No access Pages 55 - 70
Chapter 5 No access Pages 71 - 86
Chapter 6 No access Pages 87 - 100
Chapter 7 No access Pages 101 - 118
Chapter 8 No access Pages 119 - 130
Chapter 9 No access Pages 131 - 146
Chapter 10 No access Pages 147 - 164
Chapter 11 No access Pages 165 - 172
Bibliography No access Pages 173 - 184
Topic Index No access Pages 185 - 188
Scripture Index No access Pages 189 - 200
About the Author No access Pages 201 - 202