Bible Review, October 1990
Special Section
Odd Book In
Characterized by futility and cynicism, it stands alone
One book of the Hebrew Bible stands out like a sore thumb—Ecclesiastes. It is truly an alien amid the other books. It denies human access to revelatory insights. It presents the deity as indifferent to human conduct, dispensing rewards and punishments regardless of merit. It questions everything...Read more ›
Reaching Out to the 20th Century
For modern writers, Ecclesiastes speaks with special power to the human condition
Scores of contemporary artists and writers have used Qoheleth’s words as springboards for their own. They may truly be called children of the Preacher. The American novelist Thomas Wolfe, in his last novel, You Can’t Go Home Again, wrote: “I am not given to dogmatic judgments in...Read more ›
Features
The Significance of the Scrolls
The second generation of scholars—or is it the third?—offers a new perspective on the texts from the Qumran caves
Dead Sea Scroll scholarship is undergoing a virtual revolution. New ideas and perspectives are percolating among the small group of scholars who dedicate themselves to primary research on the content of the scrolls. Recent publications focus on major changes in the way Dead Sea Scroll research affects...Read more ›
Exploring Four Persistent Prophetic Images
The writings of the Hebrew prophets are, for many people, the cornerstone of the Hebrew Bible. In some of the most vivid and beautiful language in all literature, the Hebrew prophets castigate the wrongdoer, denounce injustice, offer consolation to those in misery, call for...Read more ›