Ecclesiastes Resources
Posted March 3, 2009 – 6:00 am in: ResourcesThere’s no way I could come up with these Ecclesiastes messages on my own. I use a number of different commentaries and resources to fuel my messages. Here are my Ecclesiastes resources:
- Michael V. Fox: A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes © 1999 William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Not to be confused with Michael J. Fox! This is a Postmodern study of Ecclesiastes from a first-rate scholar of Hebrew literature. Many people equate “post-modern” with heretical or second-rate. Nothing could be further from the truth here. This is a 422 page work of scholarship that focuses on allowing the contradictory voice of the Qohelet to ring in clarity, without trying to orthodox-ize him. - Derek Kidner: The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes: An Introduction to Wisdom Literature © 1985 Inter-Varsity Press.
I’ve been reading Kidner for a long time. This book is a good overview of Wisdom Literature in General. It was required reading for a Seminary course I took in Wisdom Literature. - Derek Kidner: Message of Ecclesiastes (Bible Speaks Today) © 1976 Inter-Varsity Press.
This is an old commentary, but it’s from one of my favourite Old Testament writers. The volume is slim yet profound. - Peter Kreeft: Three Philosophies of Life: Ecclesiastes, Life As Vanity Job, Life As Suffering Song of Songs, Life As Love © 1989 Ignatius Press.
Kreeft is a brilliant philosopher with an odd pedigree: he was raised as a Calvinist, but converted to Roman Catholicism. He currently teaches at Boston College. If you’re looking for a philosophic overview of these three wisdom books, Kreeft is the perfect choice. - James Limburg: Encountering Ecclesiastes: A Book for Our Time © 2006 William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
I can’t remember who recommended this book to me, but I’m glad they did. Limburg has taught courses in Ecclesiastes for years. He’s currently professor emeeritus of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. If you want a fairly short (141 pages) and readable look at Ecclesiastes, without getting into the detail of a critical commentary, this is a great book. - Tremper Longman III: The Book of Ecclesiastes (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) © 1998 William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
If you study Ecclesiastes, you’ll run into this character! This commentary, from the well-respected NICOT series, is a treasure trove of information. Longman has a unique perspective on Ecclesiastes, having written his doctoral dissertation on Mesopotamian literary texts. For Longman, Ecclesiastes is an “idol buster”. In it, the Qohelet removes all of the idols that prop up our human existence. - Tremper Longman III & Peter Enns, Eds.: Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) © 2008 Inter-Varsity Press.
This series of Dictionaries from IVP is very valuable. The articles are written from an evangelical-yet-scholarly perspective. The three articles on Ecclesiastes, along with entries on the Qohelet, and Frame Narratives provide a solid footing for any study of Ecclesiastes.
I only reference the authors of direct quotations in my messages. To quote all my sources in every message would seriously detract from the message itself. Here’s my full disclosure: if I say something good in these messages, it’s likely from one of these sources. If it’s not-so-good, blame me alone.
Tags: commentaries, ecclesiastes, Resources