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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.
List of contents
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
About the author
Brian Neil Peterson is assistant professor in Old Testament at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Along with published studies in the Deuteronomistic History and Ezekiel, he is also the author of Ezekiel in Context (2012).
Summary
This book examines the main interpretive debate related to the book of Ecclesiastes––namely, is the author a pessimist or an optimist? Brian Neil Peterson argues that Qoheleth’s message is not a pessimistic assessment of life, but rather a message of hope in the midst of a broken world due to the Fall.
