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On a three stage “ladder,” from humanism to scepticism to pessimism, Ecclesiastes has traditionally been regarded as the last of those three. Many recent studies, however, have challenged this assessment, replacing humanism with optimism and presenting a stark choice between the two extremes of optimism and pessimism. In this paper it is argued that a middle way can be found, using the language of “realism.” How to define “a realist” and what this means for understanding Qoheleth is explored. Examples of Qoheleth’s pragmatic advice, experiential starting point, and continual balancing of life’s options are aired, and key indicators of his realism are found. These are demonstrated first, in his use and placement of the three major poems in the book, second, in his choice of phrases around “knowledge,” and third, in his use of exemplifying stories that ground his more abstract musings in a concrete reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay studies the different literary genres of Proverbs 1-9, including how they might have emerged, what social contexts generated such texts in Israel and in Egypt, and what their function might have been. A theological context is seen to be integral to both of the main genres of instruction and poem, despite the clearly more educational emphasis of the instruction texts., Proverbs 1-9 is often regarded as a preface to the rest of the book of Proverbs that was written later than other parts as a lens through which to read [...]

By Theodore Hiebert, Pp. ix+210. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0 19 509205 8. 32.50 £. This fascinating book argues carefully and succinctly for a Yahwistic world view [...]