Module Level
8
Time Allowance
Lectures 24 hours; Tutorials 3 hours; Tutorial preparation 12 hours; Reading for class 24 hours; Assignment 24 hours; Exam preparation 12 hours
Assessment
Continuous assessment: 25% = 1500-word paper; 15% = 3 tutorials; Final examination: 60% = 120-minute examination (end of semester)
Module Aims
MODULE AIM: To introduce theology students to the study of the Old Testament Wisdom Literature and the Psalms.
Indicative syllabus:
• Composition of the Psalms within their historical and literary context
• David and the Psalms
• Major genres of Psalms, especially lament and thanksgiving
• Royal Psalms and their messianic interpretation
• Question of theodicy in the prose tale of Job the innocent sufferer
• Job’s dialogues with his friends
• Creation theology in the divine speeches to Job
• Book of Proverbs and its Egyptian parallels
• Instruction for wise living in the Book of Sirach
• Hope of the afterlife in the Book of Wisdom
Learning Outcomes
- — Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
- — Recognize the role and function of Israel’s Psalms and Wisdom texts within their historical, socioeconomic, political and religious context;
- — Apply appropriate reading strategies to a variety of Psalms and Wisdom writings;
- — Compare the treatment of key theological themes and motifs (e.g., creation, lament, retribution, theodicy) across a number of different texts;
- — Suggest ways in which the Psalms and Wisdom books continue to offer insights for the life of faith.
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Bibliography
- — BIBLE: Psalms, Job.
- — Crenshaw, J. L., Old Testament Wisdom. 3rd ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010. [223.061]
- — Crenshaw, J. L., Defending God: Biblical Responses to Problem of Evil. Oxford: OUP, 2005. [Ebook]
- — McCann, J. C., A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993. [223.206 McC]
- — McCarthy, C., The Psalms: Human Voices of Prayer and Suffering. Dublin: Dominican Publications, 2012. [242.5 McC]
- — Murphy, R. E., The Tree of Life. 2nd ed. New York: Doubleday, 1996. [223.06 MUR]