Hebrew Poetry Flashcards
What elements of Western poetry does Hebrew poetry include? What elements does it not include?
Include: Emotion & metaphor
Not include: Meter and rhyme
What are five different kinds of parallelism in Hebrew Poetry?
- Synonymous parallelism (lines express the same idea in different ways)
- Antithetical parallelism (lines produce a contrast)
- Emblematic parallelism (lines produce a comparison)
- Step parallelism (lines build towards a climax)
- Formal parallelism (lines do not have any meaningful correspondence)
What are two things that Biblical poetry shows us?
1) the imagination is a significant part of theology
2) emotion, in all its fullness and complexity, should be expressed
How many “books” within the psalter?
Five
What three different things have psalms been used for within the faith community?
Singing
Speaking
Meditating
What are five subgenres of psalms?
Lament Thanksgiving Confidence Praise Wisdom
What is the most common subgenre of psalm?
Lament
What subgenre of psalm could be identified with the theme “waves have overtaken me”?
Lament
What subgenre of psalm could be identified with the theme “you have calmed the waves”?
Thanksgiving
What subgenre of psalm could be identified with the theme “you will help me survive the waves”?
Confidence
What subgenre of psalm could be identified with the theme “you are king over the waves”?
Praise
What subgenre of psalm uses proverbs and similes as well as wisdom motifs/strategies?
Wisdom
Song of Songs uses imagery that is related to what genre of poetry?
Erotic poetry
What makes Song of Songs challenging to make sense of?
- It is not clear if it has a plot or a consistent cast of characters.
- Even if it does, there is uncertainty around who is speaking when.
What are two different ways of reading Song of Songs?
- Allegory (for Yahweh and Israel or Jesus and the Church)
- Love poetry - a poetic exploration of human sexual desire and love
What are three motifs that stand out (in contrast to alternatives) in Song of Songs?
- monogamy and sexual purity
- reciprocal pursuit
- romantic love is enjoyed, approved and exalted by both partners
What are two things that wisdom literature does?
- Explores various facets of life
- Exhorts people to live in accordance with what is learned
What is wisdom according to the authors of Jewish wisdom literature?
Moral and social discernment (rooted in reverence for Yahweh)
What does Proverbs consistently stress?
An orientation of reverence to Yahweh
What does Proverbs say is the beginning and the end-goal of wisdom?
The fear of the Lord
According to Proverbs, what does wisdom enable?
A life of goodness and integrity
According to proverbs, what will be the result of living with wisdom, all things being equal?
Typically, protection, long life, wealth, and honour.
What is the five-part structure of Proverbs?
1) Instruction from a Father and Lady Wisdom
2) Maxims of Solomon #1
3) Instructions from the Wise
4) Maxims of Solomon #2
5) Instructions from a Wise Man and a Mother
What is the purpose of the collection of proverbs?
To train youth so they can become mature adults in leadership positions.
What is the nine-part structure of Job?
1) Prologue
2) First Cycle of Dialogues
3) Second Cycle of Dialogues
4) Third Cycle of Dialogues
5) The Search for Wisdom
6) Job’s Last Defense
7) Elihu’s Speeches
8) God’s Speeches
9) Job’s Change and Restoration
In what chapter of Job is “The Search for Wisdom” sidebar?
Job 28
What key question sets up the focus of Job?
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” [Will human beings worship God and maintain moral integrity even when it doesn’t benefit them?]
What does the book of Job NOT do?
Explain suffering
What is the point of the book of Job?
The reader (like the character) will NOT have an adequate explanation for his or her pain and suffering.
How could God lose the trial in Job?
1) If Job curses God
2) If Job tries to appease Yahweh in order to get the blessing back
What are the three corners of the “triangle of righteousness” in Job?
1) Righteousness of God
2) Righteousness of Job
3) Rightness/justice of the World
Who in Job is committed to the retribution principle (defending God’s righteousness and the rightness of things in the world)?
Eliphaz
Bildad
Zophar
Whose righteousness is Job committed to?
His own
Which righteousness is the book committed to?
Job’s righteousness
Divine justice
Which two parts of Job do some suggest were added later?
- Job 28 and its shift from justice to wisdom.
- Elihu’s speeches
What is the lesson Job learns through the divine speeches?
Epistemic humility (humility in regards who what we claim to know)
What does Job say humanity’s task is?
To fear God and not suppose that our own understanding will make sense of the world God created.
What does Job repent of at the end of the book?
For overlooking the inadequacies of his understanding
In Job, what leads to a change in a person?
People’s perceiving of the presence of God.
What could Job’s restoration be a reminder of?
God’s freedom to dispense of blessings as gifts, not expectations or obligatory rewards.
Who’s voice is used in Ecclesiastes?
That of an influential teacher of wisdom. (Qohelet)
What is the purpose of Ecclesiastes?
To explore the meaning in life and temper extremes
What are the two important endings in Ecclesiastes?
- Editor’s Epilogue concerning Qohelet the Wise (12:9-12)
- Postscript on Reverent Obedience (12:13-14)
What are four key themes in Ecclesiastes?
- Everything is hevel (like a vapour, transient, meaningless)
- Death is the great leveller
- People should avoid all extremes (enjoy the simple things in moderation)
- Fear God regardless of whether or not life makes sense
