Original Research - Special Collection: James Alfred Loader Dedication

Job and Ecclesiastes as (postmodern?) wisdom in revolt

Leon A. Roper, Alphonso Groenewald
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 69, No 1 | a2002 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v69i1.2002 | © 2013 Leon A. Roper, Alphonso Groenewald | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 02 May 2013 | Published: 13 September 2013

About the author(s)

Leon A. Roper, Department of Old Testament Studies, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Alphonso Groenewald, Department of Old Testament Studies, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

This article will be concerned with the question whether the books of Job and Ecclesiastes can be viewed as (postmodern) wisdom in revolt or not. Three questions underlie this title: firstly, are the books of Job and Ecclesiastes wisdom books? Secondly, if so, is their wisdom revolutionary in nature? And thirdly, are there any similarities between the thoughts of Job and Ecclesiastes on the one hand and that of postmodern thinkers on the other hand? It will be argued that there are various similarities to be cited between the ideas of the ancient wisdom writers of Job and Ecclesiastes and more recent postmodern thinkers. This does not, however, necessarily justify a postmodern tag for the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, but points to a similarity in thought development between the ancient societies of Job and Ecclesiastes and the present-day societies. Such similarities are viewed as a clear indication of the meaningful role which Old Testament wisdom, or wisdom in revolt for that matter, can play in current intellectual and theological debates.

Keywords

Job; Ecclesiastes; Wisdom Literature; postmodernism; retribution

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