Poetical Books - Old Testament
What are the Different types of psalms?
Hyms, Penitential, wisdom, royal, messianic, impecatory, Lament
What is a Proverb? What is it not?
IT IS succint and persuasive saying proven true by experience. IS NIT promises or commands
Synonymous Parallelism
Involves a repetition of the same thought or a similar thought
What are the 5 books that make up the section?
Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs
What question/problem does Ecclesiastes address?
Life without God is meaningless "True meaning in life is found in a relationship with God"
What are the main characteristics of Hebrew Poetry?
Meter Parallelism Chiasm Acrostics
What is parallelism?
Parallelism refers to the relationship that exist between two lines of poetry; they complete each other is some way.
What is the book of proverbs designed to teach?
Practical wisdom, discernment, discipline, and discretion
What are the characteristics of Song of Song?
Repetitious character, consistent picture of the cast, common themes suggest unity
Definition/Characteristics of wisdom in the biblical sense
Scope: universal/international definition/focus: success/skill in living origin/foundation: knowledge of God prerequisite for true wisdom/understanding
What is the English name of Ecclesiastes and where did it come from?
Came from the Latin and Greek translations of the OT. the Hebrew word id qohelet: preacher/teacher
What is the book of Psalms
Collection of lament, thanksgiving, praise, enthronement pilgrimage, for the temple hymnal for the people of Israel
What kind of wisdom literature is in Job?
Discoursive wisdom literature
Different reasons given for the division of Psalms:
-Fivefold divisions of the torah -Divided by authorship -Names used for God
What are the theological themes of the book of Proverbs?
-Israelite Education -Successful Living - Personal knowledge of God -Character over Knowledge -Relative knowledge Retribution theology
What are the Hebrew and Greek names for Psalms and what do they mean?
Hebrew: tehillim-"praise" Greek: psalmos-"song" or "hymn"
is Ecclesiastes entirely pessimistic?
-It is pessimistic for non-believers because there is no hope for them, but it is optimistic for believers because they have God. -First 11 chapters: why life is like that (pessimistic) -By the end we find the source of meaning and fulfillment
What various interpretations of Song of Song exist?
-Thypological: based on real people who actually had these feelings toward each other -Allegorical: may or may not have been historical, all made up as a picture between God and his people
2 basic categories of wisdom literature
1. Brief proverbial maxims of wisdom literature 2. Lengthy discourses (discoursive) or essays dealing with life's most difficult question
How does the ugartic help study the poetical books in particular and Hebrew language in general?
1. Help determine the meaning of Hebrew 2. Similar poetic patterns (parallelism) 3. Polytheistic world of those who surrounded Israel
What authorship and date/ time frame questions arise regarding the book of Job?
1. book is anonymous 2. no indication of the time or place the events occurred 3. Uz is mentioned suggesting somewhere between Edom and northern Arabia - others suggest Patriarchal time period
How many books is Psalms divided into?
5
What is an acrostic?
Alphabetic poems A phenomenon where the successive lines of text begin with the corresponding letter of the alphabet
What is Urgartic?
Ancient language of the Ugarit people who were located North of Israel. Shares hundreds of words with similar meanings to the Hebrew language
Who are the individuals associated with the various psalms? are authors mentioned with all the psalms?
Authored by various people including: - David - Asaph - The Sons of Korah - Moses -Solomon -Hemen the Ezrahite Ethan the Ezrahite -others are unknown
Motto of the book of Ecclesiastes
"Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is Meaningless!" (hevel)
What is the origin and significance of the name of Song of Songs?
"Song of Songs" suggest it is the best song
What individual is mostly associated with Song of Song?
Solomon
Issues regarding authorship of proverbs
Solomon composed many of them but is not the sole author
What are views regarding the significance and meaning of the psalms of ascent?
Songs that would be sung while going up to Jerusalem for the required festivals
What kinds of Parallelism are their?
Synonymous Antithetic Synthetic
What is the theological theme of Job?
While retributio theology is a general rule, it is not a comprehensive rule answering every individual case. God is in control.
What kind of wisdom literature is used in Proverbs?
instructional
Antithetic Parallelism
involves two connecting ideas
How does one go about reading and interpreting proverbs as a genre
not to be skimmed or read quickly but slowly and contemplatively
Who is associated with the composition of the book of Ecclesiastes
technically anonymous BUT suggested that Solomon is the author
How is OT wisdom contrasted with that of other ancient Near East wisdom?
the OT emphasized monotheism not polytheism
Which books of the Old Testament are typically identified as wisdom literature?
the Poetical Books
What format is Job used to wrestle with the question
the format of a play
What question does discoursice wisdom literature attempt to answer? What theology serves as the background to the book?
the question theodicy: the question of the coexistence of God and evil
Synthetic Parallelism
the second line in some way completes the idea of the first line
What is a chiasm?
two successive lines of poetry reverse the order in which parallel themes appear. Chiasm comes from the Greek letter Chi, which looks like an X - reflective of the "criss-crossing" that is evident in Chiasm
Does the book of Job answer the question?
yes
