NEJS 110b · Brandeis University · Spring 2016
Israelite wisdom texts comprise a significant portion of the Hebrew Bible. The genre is perhaps most famous from the book of Proverbs, but that is far from its only exemplar. In this course we will examine a shorter example of Israelite wisdom literature: the book of Qohelet. This small work with its strangely named (or titled) author “Qohelet” and its ostensibly apathetic worldview will serve as an introduction to Israelite wisdom traditions. A close reading of the text will reveal some of the various debates and disagreements surrounding the book and its ideas, both in the ancient world and the modern.