Courses

Starts online April 22nd, in-class sessions are May 9-10, and ends June 7th.

Where can Christian wisdom for living in modern society be found? What is wisdom and how can Christians learn it? This course explores these questions through a study of the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the book of Job. This course will examine these three biblical books as involved an inner biblical wisdom dialogue, but also as texts that seeks to draw its (modern and postmodern) readers into a dialogue about the way of wisdom. Important themes will be explored such as: the fear of the Lord; loving God for God’s sake; theology as wisdom; and the wisdom of worship and prayer in Christian life and ministry today. This course will facilitate critical reflection and examination of worldviews, professional practices, and missional activities and their potential for transformation through attention to Christian wisdom and its foundational role in human flourishing.

Knowing…

• To know the place of wisdom in OT theology
• To gain an introductory knowledge of relevant Ancient Near Eastern Literature
• To know the content, historical contexts, and theological message of the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
• To have a thorough knowledge of the contents and message of the book of Job and its role in inner biblical wisdom dialogue

Being…

• To embrace the contemporary relevance of Old Testament Wisdom Literature for the Church today
• To be transformed through attention to Christian wisdom
• To grow closer to God through study of the wisdom literature

Doing…

• To be able to discuss the relation of the book of Job to discussions of theodicy and modern liberation theologies
• To be able to interpret Wisdom literature in its original contexts
• To be able to draw on Wisdom literature in service of critical reflection and examination of professional practices
• To be able to bring out the relevance of Wisdom literature for contemporary audiences