Qoheleths Hope: The Message of Ecclesiastes in a Broken World [Hardcover]

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 Qoheleths message is more optimistic than it appears. He insists that Qoheletha realist who recognizes that the world is broken due to the Fall in Genesis 3is 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 Gods good gifts, not as a destination in life, but rather as part of ones earthly journey.Brian Neil Peterson is associate professor of the Hebrew Bible at Lee University.

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 Jeromes 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 books 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 Qoheleths systematic development of his realistic worldview. In this way, Peterson adds a rich layer of scholarship in describing Qoheleth as a balanced realislcœ