Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

by Wright, J. Robert

• ISBN13: 9780830814794
• ISBN10: 0830814795
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-06-01
• Publisher: Ivp Academic

Summary

Among the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon were all thought by the early church fathers to have derived from the hand of Solomon. To their minds the finest wisdom about the deeper issues of life prior to the time of God's taking human form in Jesus Christ was to be found in these books. As in all the Old Testament they were quick to find types and intimations of Christ and his church which would make the ancient Word relevant to the Christians of their day.Of extant commentaries on Ecclesiastes none is so profound as the eight homilies of Gregory of Nyssa, even though they cover only the first three chapters of the book. Joining Gregory among those most frequently excerpted in this volume are Augustine, Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Origen, John Cassian, John Chrysostom, Athanasius, Bede the Venerable and Jerome. Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil the Great and Cyril of Jerusalem lead a cast of other less frequently cited fathers, and then there remains a large cast of supporting players, some of whose work is translated here into English for the first time.This volume edited by J. Robert Wright thus offers a rich trove of wisdom on Wisdom for the enrichment of the church today.

Table of Contents

GENERAL INTRODUCTION	xi
A GUIDE TO USING THIS COMMENTARY	xiii
ABBREVIATIONS	xv
INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES AND SONG OF SOLOMON	xvii
COMMENTARY ON PROVERBS	1	(189)
COMMENTARY ON ECCLESIASTES	190	(96)
COMMENTARY ON SONG OF SOLOMON	286	(83)
APPENDIX: EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS AND THE DOCUMENTS CITED	369	(11)
TIMELINE OF WRITERS OF THE PATRISTIC PERIOD	380	(5)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES	385	(12)
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGES	397	(14)
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION	411	(10)
AUTHOR/WRITINGS INDEX	421	(2)
SUBJECT INDEX	423	(8)
SCRIPTURE INDEX	431