1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910789580203321

Autore

Schwab Zoltan S

Titolo

Toward an Interpretation of the Book of Proverbs : Selfishness and Secularity Reconsidered

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Winona Lake : , : Eisenbrauns, , 2014

©2014

ISBN

1-57506-857-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (333 p.)

Collana

Journal of Theological Interpretation Supplements ; ; v. 7

Disciplina

223/.706

Soggetti

HISTORY / Ancient / General

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 250-287) and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

13: A 'Post-Secular' Interpretation of Proverbs: The Hidden God14: Conclusions; Bibliography; Index of Subjects and Authors; Index of Scripture.

Table of Contents; 1: Theological Interpretation of Proverbs between 1800 and 1930; 2: Theological Interpretation of Proverbs between 1930 and Today; 3: Finding a Way Forward; 4: A Canonical Approach; 5: A Canonical Approach and Proverbs; 6: A Call for a Thomistic Reading; 7: Is Proverbs More Self-Interested than the Rest of the Bible?; 8: Is Proverbs Solely about Material Success?; 9: Is God the Highest End in Proverbs?; 10: The Meaning of 'Secular'; 11: Secular (Universal) vs. National (Particular) I; 12: Secular (Universal) vs. National (Particular) II.

Sommario/riassunto

Major religious themes of the Bible, such as election and covenant, are not mentioned in the book of Proverbs. Furthermore, self-interest underlies its motivational system (“you shall behave well, because it will be good for you”). These “selfish” and “secular” features have posed serious ethical and theological challenges for some interpreters, while others have claimed that their presence is only in the eyes of the beholder.After a thorough investigation of the history of Proverbs’ interpretation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Zoltán Schwáb argues that its self-interested and secular nature should not be simply affirmed or dismissed. The question is not whether Proverbs is selfish and secular but in what ways it is selfish and secular and



within what conceptual framework one is supposed to interpret these characteristics. In order to construct a proper framework, Schwáb uses such diverse sources as Thomas Aquinas’ theological ethics, modern secularization theories, ancient Near Eastern temple ideology, and the theological tradition of God’s incomprehensibility. The result is a reading that simultaneously reflects on the ancient context of the text and the concerns of its readers in a secular world.