Wisdom Exegesis Paper (updated 12/7/16)

Click here (or image below) for the List of Passages, for your assigned biblical text.

For the Mechanics of the Wisdom Exegesis Paper, click here.

The Persian Period

To have an idea of the macro-cosmic context of the composition of Proverbs, Job, and Psalms, knowledge of the Persian Empire is helpful. You can read the first chapter of Amy Chua, Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance--and Why They Fall (Anchor Books, 2009) -Arnoldus Library JC 539.C58d 2009.

Read also Rainer Albertz, A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period, Volume II: From the Exile to the Maccabees (Old Testament Library ; Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox, pp. 437-533

You can CLICK HERE for my ppt lecture in pdf (2012) on the Persian Period.

On the Book of Proverbs

Click to download:

Hand-out -  Introductory Note (FLORES)

PowerPoint/PDF (FLORES)

Fr. Roland Murphy, "Proverbs--The Wisdom of Words" (MUST READ, See FileBox)

Thirty Sayings of the Wise (Amenemope and Proverbs)

Instruction of Merikare

AMON

Guide Questions for Session 3.

On the Book of Proverbs

Click to download:

Hand-out -  Introductory Note (FLORES)

PowerPoint/PDF (FLORES)

Fr. Roland Murphy, "Proverbs--The Wisdom of Words" (MUST READ, See FileBox)

Thirty Sayings of the Wise (Amenemope and Proverbs)

Instruction of Merikare

Guide Questions for Session 3.

Format of Quiz

Theological Reflection Paper 1 - on the Psalms

Read introduction (pp. 1-19) of the commentary of Federico Villanueva, Psalms 1-72, Asia Bible Commentary (Carlisle, Cumbia: Langham Global Library, 2016).  Pastor Rico has taught Psalms and Biblical Hebrew here at DWST. His book is available at the Arnoldus Library and the said essay is in the Wisdom FileBox.

Mechanics of the theological paper:
Write a summary of the essay (roughly one page) and then your reactions to it (another page). The two-page paper must be HANDWRITTEN (not type/computer written). Yellow page type of paper is preferable.

Date of submission: Dec 7, 2016 class period (see Timetable).

Quiz 1 Guide Questions

We will the first quiz on Nov. 23. Click here for the guide questions.
Note the additional questions:

• 23. Describe the “shape” or structure of the Psalms
• 24. What is the thematic difference between Psalms 2-89 and 90-150?

Timetable

Click here for the Wisdom Timetable (or the uploaded image below).
You'll find herein the date of quizzes; submission of papers; and date of exams.

Session 2 - The Psalms

Click here to download class notes.

Ceresko's class notes.

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery.

Session 1 - Introduction to Wisdom Literature

Click here to download class notes.

Change of Schedule to Wednesday for Wisdom Literature

Due to some problems with the Friday afternoon schedule of Sister Miriam (Biblical Apostolate), our Wisdom Class will be held every WEDNESDAY instead of Friday. Starting time is after the Flag Ceremony.

For the next session on Wednesday (Session 2 on 11/16/16), we shall have the special introductions to Psalms and Proverbs. For the Psalms, please read ahead  the introduction (pp. 1-19) of the commentary of Federico Villanueva, Psalms 1-72, Asia Bible Commentary (Carlisle, Cumbia: Langham Global Library, 2016).  Pastor Rico has taught Psalms and Biblical Hebrew here at DWST. His book is available at the Arnoldus Library.

For the Book of Proverbs, you may read Ceresko, chapter 7, pp. 47-53; and/or Murphy, Tree of Life, chapter 2, pp. 15-32.

Syllabus and First Day of Class

Learn the world, the whys and the ways of the wise. Study the wisdom books of the Old Testament!

The course covers the following: (1) a general introduction to the wisdom literature of the ancient Near East and ancient Israel; (2) a special introduction to and theology of each sapiential and/or  poetic book in chronological order: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Sirach, Tobit, Baruch, Daniel, and Wisdom of Solomon; (3) exegesis of selected passages from the five sapiential books of the Old Testament  and the Psalms.

Click here for the syllabus.