Add to Wishlist

Qoheleth, Second Edition

£15.00£35.00

Qoheleth’s driving question, according to Ogden, is posed in the opening lines of his book. It is the question, What lasting advantage (yithron) results from the multitude of activities in which humans find themselves engaged? In a word, the answer is, None; but the supplementary question remains, How shall we then live?

Check book details below for scholars' price.  
Enter the code scholar at checkout.
SKU: 978-1-906055-08-0

Qoheleth’s driving question, according to Ogden, is posed in the opening lines of his book. It is the question, What lasting advantage (yithron) results from the multitude of activities in which humans find themselves engaged? In a word, the answer is, None; but the supplementary question remains, How shall we then live?

Qoheleth is no pessimist. Even though he believes that nothing survives from the activities of life, he encourages his readers to live life to the full, to ‘eat, drink and enjoy what God provides’. Wisdom is one of those enjoyable benefits of life, but even it has its limitations: it can never produce an understanding of the totality.

What of the classic term hebel (traditionally translated ‘vanity’) in Qoheleth’s thought? It is much better understood, argues Ogden, as ‘enigma’ or ‘mystery’, and the mystery it points to is the mystery of the yithron: how is joy the proper goal of human life when we know it must inevitably come to an end without leaving any surplus?

Reviews

  1. Cyril S. Rodd, Editor, Expository Times

    An attractively positive commentary.

Add a review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Book information

Author
Graham Ogden
List Price
£35 / $60 / €50
Series
Readings: A New Biblical Commentary
Scholars' Price
£17.50 / $30 / €25
ISBN 13 hardback
978-1-906055-08-0
Paperback price
£15 / $25 / €22.50
ISBN 13 Paperback
978-1-906055-09-7
Format
Hardback / Paperback
Page Extent
275
Publication Date
May-07
Select the fields to be shown. Others will be hidden. Drag and drop to rearrange the order.
  • Image
  • SKU
  • Rating
  • Price
  • Stock
  • Availability
  • Add to cart
  • Description
  • Content
  • Weight
  • Dimensions
  • Additional information
Click outside to hide the comparison bar
Compare
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
    ×