This study examines how Herman Melville’s oeuvre interacts with Old Testament (OT) wisdom literature (the Books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). Using recent historical findings on the rise of religious skepticism and the erosion of Biblical authority in both Europe and the United States, I read Melville as an author steeped in the theological controversies of the eighteenth-century. Specifically, I am interested in teasing out the surprising disavowals of overt religious skepticism in Melville’s writing. By tracing the so-called Solomonic wisdom tradition throughout Melville’s oeuvre, I argue that Melville had developed an epistemology of contemplation towards that body of Biblical texts. Scholarship has traditionally painted Melville as a subversive if not downright skeptical religious thinker. Most studies have produced authorial readings, using texts as forensic evidence to make assertions about the author’s psychology. Incidentally, such assessments have confirmed the narrative of Herman Melville as a grand failed author of the nineteenth century, while ignoring the ambivalent attitudes toward Biblical authority, textual history, and skepticism that emerge in Melville’s writing. The present study intervenes by re-addressing several procedural questions about Melville’s literary dealings with the Bible: How does Melville deal with the distinct topics of religion, theology, religious skepticism, and doubt? How does he think through the relationship between science and religion as well as that of personal religion and theology? I claim that Melville’s work can be read as a continuous contemplation of Biblical wisdom. His writing, I argue, deals productively rather than a destructive with the Bible, its textual history, and authority. Melville’s thinking on theological and religious subjects was not merely subversive but constructive. In mounting this argument, I contradict current scholarship that reads Melville as trying to invent a new American Bible. In contrast, I show how Melville’s philosophical forays, even when critical, are dependent on the ethics, language, and thinking of the OT.

Thesis (DTh (Old and New Testament))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the concept of ‘wisdom’ in the Old Testament Wisdom Literature. This dissertation argues that the concept of ‘wisdom’ is both the search for order and the maintenance of mystery. The coexistence of order and mystery is suggested as a coherent theme of Wisdom Literature, and the various relationships between the two themes are explained as the particular voices in Wisdom Literature. Proverbs 16, Job 28, Ecclesiastes 3, and Sirach 24 exhibit the coexistent relationship between the two themes. While Proverbs 16 reveals an order prevailing coexistence, Ecclesiastes 3 exhibits a mystery prevailing coexistence. While Job 28 shows a dialogical coexistence, Sirach 24 illustrates a mysterious integrated coexistence between order and mystery. This coexistence of order and mystery is investigated by means of socio-rhetorical criticism. The voices of various textures such as inner texture, intertexture, social and cultural texture, and ideological and theological texture in Wisdom Literature reveal the coexistence and various types of coexistent relationships between the search for order and the maintenance of mystery. Inner texture analysis the literal and rhetorical nature of each text, revealing the themes such as the potential and the limitation of human beings and the fear of the Lord. Intertexture elaborates the themes as the search for order and the maintenance of mystery. Social and cultural texture explains the social and cultural setting of the theme, depending on the social topics such as the manipulationist and thaumaturgical response and the cultural categories such as dominant culture and contraculture. Based on this social cultural milieu, the sages or the authors of Wisdom Literature formulate a creation theology comprising of the search for order and the maintenance of mystery, criticising various ideologies such as royal ideology and the doctrine of retribution, and dominant cultures such as Hellenism and Judaism in each period. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie dissertasie is om die konsep ‘Wysheid’ in die Ou Testamentiese Wysheidsliteratuur te ondersoek. Hierdie dissertasie voer aan dat die begrip ‘Wysheid’ sowel die soeke is na orde as na die behoud van misterie. Die saambestaan van orde en misterie word voorgehou as ‘n tema wat alle Wysheidsliteratuur saamvat. Die verhoudings tussen die twee temas word verduidelik as die verskillende stemme van elke vorm van Wysheidsliteratuur. Spreuke 16, Job 28, Prediker 3 en Sirach 24 toon die samehangende verhouding tussen die twee temas. Terwyl Spreuke 16 ‘n vervlegtheid toon waarin orde oorheersend is, toon Prediker ‘n saambestaan waarin misterie oorheersend is. Waar Job 28 ‘n samehang van dialoog toon, toon Sirach 24 ‘n misterie-geïntegreerde saambestaan van orde en misterie. Hierdie vervlegtheid van orde en misterie word ondersoek deur middel van sosio-retoriese kritiek. Die stemme van verskillende teksture soos binne-tekstuur, intertekstuur, sosiale en kulturele tekstuur asook ideologiese en teologiese teksture in die Wysheidsliteratuur wys op die saambestaan van verskillende tipes verhoudings tussen die soeke na orde en die behoud van misterie. Binnetekstuur ontleed die letterlike en retoriese aard van elke teks, en toon temas soos die potensiaal en die beperktheid van die mens asook die vrees van God. Intertekstuur brei die temas uit as die soeke na orde en die behoud van misterie. Sosiale en kulturele tekstuur van die tema word toegelig deur die sosiale en kulturele tekstuur, afhangende van die sosiale temas soos die manipulerende en thaumaturgiese response en van die kulturele kategorieë soos dominante- en kontrakulture. Gebaseer op hierdie sosiale en kulturele milieu druk die outeurs van die Wysheidsliteratuur die skeppingsteologie uit as die soeke na orde en behoud van misterie en kritiseer verskeie ideologieë soos die ideologie van konings, die vergeldingsleer, asook Hellenisme en Judaïsme in elke periode.

The topics of identity and subjectivity are well-trodden paths in posthuman thought, and the trend has been to reduce the self to its material, social, and technoscientific components. Yet the posthuman model of subjectivity—influenced by the tenets of postmodernism—tends to be disabling because it does not focus on the subject’s agency or the possibility of liberation from social tyranny. In this thesis, I use a sampling of what I call “religious wisdom literature”—specifically, the wisdom books of the Old Testament and contemporary Buddhist writings—to challenge the assumption that the self is indistinguishable from the ideologies that produce it. I provide models from religious texts that instead, emphasize critical agency, flexibility, and resistive power. I also suggest that focusing on these qualities may ultimately be useful in the composition classroom, where we can use “self-centered” expressivist techniques (reflective assignments, emotional awareness) to meet the social-epistemic goal of ideological critique. Ultimately, posthumanism, with its emphasis on the construction of subjectivity, is better suited to question strict materialism and inquire into the inspiring possibilities of ancient wisdom. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

This thesis has three main aims. First, I will propose and explain a genre ascription for the sayings in Prov 10:1-22:16 – the ‘didactic proverb’. Second, I will analyse ‘openness’ as a textual feature, and show its contribution to the functions of this genre. Third, I will demonstrate how reading this way may influence our understanding of some key issues in Proverbs’ scholarship. Part 1 tackles the first and second aims. In ch. 1, I suggest that the sayings in Prov 10:1-22:16 have something of a hybrid genre, displaying features akin to both ‘didactic’ texts and ‘proverbs’. This can be seen from their: generically related texts, probable social settings, media, self-presentation, and literary forms. As ‘didactic’ texts, the sayings shape the worldview, character and intellect of their students. As ‘proverbs’, they apply to specific situations with specific purposes. In ch. 2, I explain three manifestations of literary ‘openness’: polysemy can give a text multiple meanings; parallelism makes the relationship between lines unclear; imagery opens up worlds for exploration. Ch. 3 begins to show how this ‘openness’ enhances the sayings’ ‘didactic’ and ‘proverbial’ functions. Here I move beyond openness in interpretation to openness in application, and draw on the field of ‘paremiology’ (the technical study of the ‘proverb’ as a genre), which has been somewhat neglected in Proverbs’ scholarship. In Part 2, I turn to the text, drawing out the openness of key verses, and showing how they function ‘didactically’ and ‘as proverbs’. This proves to have implications for certain classic debates in Proverbs’ scholarship (my third aim). Ch. 4 considers ‘character’ terms (e.g. wise/foolish, righteous/wicked). I use cognitive linguistic theories to examine the terms as open categories with ‘prototype structure’. Viewed this way, the terms are not (as some have argued) abstract and cut off from the world, but profoundly useful for life. Ch. 5 considers the apparent ‘act-consequence connection’ in Proverbs. The connection is predictable but not inviolable, may come about through a number of agencies, and has strong motivational potential. Ch. 6 looks at proverbs about the king. These do not necessitate an actual court context, for the ‘king’ figure may encapsulate wider principles, and function as a teaching tool. Even when he appears to be glorified, his role may be subverted, requiring students to exercise their minds. In ch. 7, I consider the way wisdom is acquired in the ‘didactic proverb’ genre, and suggest a principle for gaining it: students must ‘trust and scrutinise’. They are thereby empowered in their quest for wisdom, whilst also becoming aware of their limitations. Throughout Part 2, I find ‘openness’ to be an important facilitator for didactic and proverbial goals. Prov 10:1-22:16 presents its readers with a panoply of fascinating texts. By exploring them as ‘open’, ‘didactic’, and ‘proverbial’, this thesis offers a fruitful reading strategy; new insights into functions and meanings; and some fresh perspectives on old debates.

Text in Afrikaans / Die bydrae van die lsraelitiese wysheidsliteratuur word in die teologiese nadenke oor die wese sowel as die regverdigheid van God in 'n groot mate onderbenut gelaat. Dit hoef egter nie so te wees nie. lndien die wysheid van Israel teen die agtergrond of breer konteks van die ontwikkeling in die konvensionele oud-Oosterse wysheid en vanuit 'n toepaslike orienteringspunt benader word, kan die betekenis daarvan histories en eksegeties op so 'n wyse ontsluit word dat die relevansie met betrekking tot die teologiese gesprek oor God en die teodisee aangetoon kan word. In die lig hiervan word die kritiese wysheid van Israel aan die hand van 'n elliptiese ordeningsbeginsel, wat enersyds die heerskappy van God en andersyds die moontlikheid van gemeenskap tussen God en mens as wentelpunte het, histories en eksegeties ondersoek. Verskillende reaksies op 'n gemeenskaplike ervaring van God se transendensie word in die lsraelitiese wysheid gehandhaaf en ontwikkel. Al word die terme 'transendensie', 'immanensie' en 'teodisee' nerens in die wysheidstekste van Israel gebruik nie, kom die motiewe nogtans voor. Die alternatiewe wat gehandhaaf en uitgewerk word, beklemtoon die verband tussen godsbeskouing en die ervaring van God as of verwyderd of immanent. Op soek na die balans tussen die transendensie en immanensie van God, bied die kritiese wysheid van Israel wel 'n perspektief waarin so 'n omvangryke ervaring van die wese van God moontlik is dat die beperkinge van rasionaliteit, en daarom ook vrae wat uit die teodisee-vraagstuk voortvloei, oorkom kan word. / The contribution of the sapiential literature of ancient Israel to theological reflection on both the essence and the justice of God is to a large extent neglected. This need not be the case. If Israelite wisdom is approached from a suitable vantage point and against the background or in the wider context of the sapiential movement in the ancient Near East, it becomes possible to historically and exegetically unravel the meaning and relevance of Old Testament wisdom in theological discussion of God and theodicy. In this light a historical and exegetical exploration of Israel's critical wisdom is undertaken with the aid of an elliptical guiding principle in which the supreme lordship of God is the one focal point, and the possibility of intimate communion between God and humans the other. Different reactions to a common experience of the transcendence of God are maintained and developed in the wisdom of ancient Israel. Although the terms 'transcendence', 'immanence' and 'theodicy' are never used in their wisdom texts, the motifs themselves did occur. The connection between the God concept and the experience of God as either remote or immanent, is emphasized by the alternatives which are developed in both the conventional and critical wisdom. In search of balance between the transcendence and immanence of God, the critical wisdom of Israel does offer a perspective within which comprehensive experience of the essence of God is possible to such an extent that the limitations of rationality, and therefore also the questions emanating from the riddle of theodicy, can be exceeded. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / Th. D. (Ou Testament)

AFRIKAANS: In die laat tagtigs en vroeë negentigs van hierdie eeu is die res van die Oumran-geskrifte wat ontdek is, openbaar gemaak. Met die gebeurtenis het talle moontlikhede vir die wetenskaplike bestudering van 'n groot aantal dokumente ontstaan. 4Qlnstruction is een van die dokumente wat beskikbaar geraak het, en is geklassifiseer as 'n wysheidsteks wat 'n legio moontlikhede vir wetenskaplike bestudering moontlik gemaak het. As gevolg van die fragmentariese aard van die teks bestaan daar nog geen vasgestelde teks vir die geskrif nie en is daar nog nie 'n volledige vertaling nie. Hierdie twee faktore asook die feit dat die fragmente tematiese ooreenstemming (maar ook verskille) toon met ander wysheidsgeskrifte, het as motivering vir hierdie studie gedien. In hierdie studie gee ek 'n eie komposisie van die teks asook 'n vertaling van die geselekteerde fragmente (4Q417 2i-ii en 4Q416 2ii-iv ) van 4Qlnstruction weer. Deur middel van intertekstualiteit word die fragmente vergelyk met ander wysheidsgeskrifte (Ben Sira, ander Qumran-geskrifte en Spreuke) uit die Israelitiese geledere, Bepaalde wysheidstemas is in die fragmente geïdentifiseer, waarna dit met ooreenstemmende temas in die ander geselekteerde geskrifte vergelyk is, Die intertekstuele studie behels 'n bestudering van die geskrewe teks sowel as die gebeurde teks, Die onderskeie geskrifte se tekste sowel as kontekste is met ander woorde met mekaar vergelyk, in 'n poging om die rede(s) vir die ooreenstemmende asook verskillende opvattings oor soortgelyke temas binne die Israelitiese 'biblioteek' te verklaar. Na aanleiding van die intertekstuele studie wi! dit voorkom asof die ooreenstemminge voor die deur van die 'bronteks' (oorspronklike teks) gelê kan word, terwyl die verskille meer verstaanbaar is in die Iig van die onderskeie geskrifte se omstandighede (konteks/ sosiaie teks). ENGLISH: In the late eighties and the early nineties of this century most of the Oumran texts which were discovered were made public. Along with this, many opportunities arose for scholars to study the many documents contained therein. 4Qlnstruction is one of the documents which became available and as a result thereof, a wide range of opportunities opened up to scholars. Due to the fragmentary nature of the text, there is as yet no formal text of the document available. The motivation for this study arises from the above mentioned factors along with the fact that the fragments have both similarities and differences within certain themes. In this study I am presenting my own reconstruction and translation of selected 4Qlnstruction fragments (4Q417 2i-ii and 4Q416 2ii-iv). By using intertextual study, the fragments are compared with other wisdom texts (Ben Sira, other Qumran texts and Proverbs) from the Israelite 'library'. Certain wisdom themes are identified in the fragments and compared with similar themes in the other selected texts. The Intertextual study involves a study of the written text(s) as well as of the actual events (social text). Hence, the text(s) and context(s) of the selected works are compared with each other in an attempt to explain the reasons for the similarities as well as the varying opinions within the similar wisdom themes contained in the Israelite 'library'. In the Intertextual approach, it appears as if the similarities can be attributed to the original Israelite theology or ideology, while the differences are due to the varying situations (context/ social text). / Dissertation (MA (Semitic Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Ancient Languages / unrestricted

No description available.

No description available.

This dissertation attempts to answer two questions. First, what is the social function of the letter of James? Second, how does James design the structure of the text to align with its communicative goal? This study presumes the letter of James as a member of ancient wisdom literature. Contrary to common (mis)understandings, ancient wisdom literature shows a general tendency in its composition. A legitimate sage collects and evokes old sayings and proverbs. Then, the wisdom is reinterpreted and contemporized for the current situation. Through this process, the sage helps his readers develop a sense of right and wrong, develop moral reasoning skills, and cultivate virtues. I will argue that this pattern, moral formation, is present in the unfolding of James’s letter to his diasporic readers. Regarding the structure of the letter of James, after Dibelius, many attempts have been made to present the letter as a cohesive text with a literary structure, which is unified by a single global theme. In this framework, most of what have been proposed as a structure of the letter is more or less topic (or theme)-based. Unfortunately, however, neither a rigorous definition of topic nor a method for determining it has been clearly stated. The limits of the topic-based approach become problematic when applied to the structure of James whereby diverse topics are scattered here and there throughout the text. Attempts to draw intricate lines between these units through topical or thematic similarities make the structure of James very complicated (e.g., inclusio or chiasm). This study attempts to break this methodological impasse by employing Ruqaiya Hasan’s genre theory developed in a systemic functional framework. James’s letter is delimited in terms of function, not topic or theme. In search for the function of each segment, I explore textual (semantic chain and cohesive harmony), ideational (transitivity, verbal aspect, and voice), and interpersonal meanings (grammatical person and speech functions).

The thrust of this thesis proceeds from two main presuppositions. The first is that the Old Testament wisdom books are generally ignored or not given enough attention in the studies about water and water-related phenomena. The second is that the romantic perspective on elements of the natural world is dominant in eco-theological studies. To highlight this twofold problem, a sample survey into the works of the scholarly biblical dictionaries, encyclopedias, books and articles as well as ecotheological studies is offered in the second chapter of this thesis. In an attempt to (partly) address this problem, this study argues that, firstly, despite a scarcity of scholarly interest in water and water-related phenomena in the Old Testament wisdom books, this body of literature contains a rich variety of references to water and water-related phenomena. Secondly, it is shown in this study that an overly-romantic view of nature does not do justice to the richness, complexity, and variety of portrayals of elements of nature in the texts themselves. In this sense, this study aims at retrieving ecological wisdom from particular texts that give voice to both the life-giving and life-threatening potential of water and water-related phenomena in the Old Testament wisdom books. The exploration is facilitated by elements of the historical-critical and literary approaches through an ecological framework informed by four of the six eco-justice principles of the Earth Bible Project. The thesis suggests that scholars who attempt ecological readings of the Bible will gain more if they also take less favoured texts into consideration. The exploration of water and water-related phenomena in the Old Testament wisdom books, therefore, goes beyond what studies on water or water-related phenomena have hitherto done. Furthermore, a study on both aspects of water as a life-giving and life-threatening entity demonstrates that an eco-friendly view of nature does not do justice to the biblical texts themselves. This will be seen through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)