Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms [Hardcover]

Daniel Estes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801026997 | ISBN-13: 978-0801026997 | Publication Date: December 1, 2005

In this work, Daniel Estes introduces students to the Old Testament poetical books--Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Each chapter explores one of the five poetical books. Estes first summarizes some of the book's key issues. He then devotes the main portion of the chapter to an exposition of the book, interacting with major commentaries and recent studies. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography, allowing for further exploration. Following in the tradition of Handbook on the Pentateuch (over sixty thousand copies sold), this valuable resource will help pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and Bible study leaders better understand the overall flow of each poetical book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Old Testament wisdom literature contains beautiful songs of worship and praise (Psalms), pithy and moralistic aphorisms (Proverbs), lyrical erotic poems (Song of Songs), world-weary philosophical reflections (Ecclesiastes) and probing poetry about the nature of evil (Job). In this engaging and helpful survey of the types and themes of wisdom literature, Estes, who teaches at Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio, provides a generous introduction for readers interested in the interpretation of these books. Each chapter examines the authorship and date of a particular book and proceeds to discuss its structure, style and major themes. Estes then provides an illuminating exposition of the writing and an invaluable bibliography that students of wisdom literature can use to enhance their understanding. Estes's survey represents all major positions on introductory matters in judicious fashion. Thus, while Solomon is traditionally thought to be the author of Proverbs, Estes concludes that Solomon cannot be the final compiler of the collection even though he might have played a role in the beginning of the process. Estes's book joins the other volumes in this series in providing significant introductions to the literature of the Old Testament. (Dec.)
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From the Back Cover

"In this handbook Estes takes his readers by the hand to guide them through some of the more difficult books of the Old Testament. The introductory sections provide excellent orientation to their contents and to appropriate reading strategies, while the commentary explains the thought flow of the biblical writers and, importantly, the sometimes apparent breaks in thought flow. Estes writes lucidly and informs his discussion from his acquaintance with a wide range of current biblical scholarship. This is a first-class study aid that anyone could read with profit."--Robert P. Gordon, University of Cambridge

"Estes here provides the advanced student with an overview of the contents and theological message of the poetic books of the Bible and with some of their current interpretation. His insights reflect the best findings of contemporary scholarship. Without resorting to critical technicalities, he decodes many of the secrets of the biblical text and uncovers cultural realities that throw light on otherwise obscure sayings. Though faithful to the ancient biblical message, he always has his modern readers in mind as he plumbs the depths of that message. The bibliographies that follow each chapter will only enhance the study of this often overlooked segment of the biblical tradition."--Dianne Bergant, CSA, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago

"Estes's Handbook represents an enormous amount of time and labor well spent, for which teachers and students will be grateful. The scholarly conversation around many issues is summarized and described, current research well represented, and the biblical materials themselves discussed, so that this work should prove accessible to and useful for beginning students, and especially those already somewhat familiar with the biblical text. . . . Estes's Handbook should prove useful to advanced students who want to explore the literature for potential thesis topics and to pastors who wish to preach these biblical books."--Frederic Clarke Putnam, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

"A model of balanced and judicious study. While taking advantage of the most recent scholarship on the Psalms and the wisdom writings, Estes is able to distill this information and present it in a form that is accessible to laypersons and helpful to any involved in the serious study of Scripture. He invites readers to an even greater delight in reading the Bible than they have had before."--Daniel I. Block, Wheaton College --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801026997
• ISBN-13: 978-0801026997
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cedarville Prof. Writes a Great Introduction to the Wisdom Literature of the Bible, March 15, 2006

By 

wisdomofthepages.com (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms (Hardcover)

Here is a great new book published by Baker Academic and written by Cedarville University professor Daniel J. Estes.

It is an introduction to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

This is not a full verse-by-verse commentary. Instead, it covers the kind of material that is normally covered in the beginning of a full commentary. That is, Estes discusses the authorship, date, genre, structure, etc. of each book. Additionally, each section has a "History of Interpretation" for each book, which is especially helpful for Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.

Traveling through Psalms in only 71 pages may seem to be a disservice to the text. However, the purpose is to give the "big picture" of the book in an exciting and fresh manner that invites the reader to go further in study.

In dicussion on Proverbs, Estes groups the verses under 12 themes. I took this same approach when preaching through Proverbs in the past, and definitely think this is the preferred approach for preaching through the book, at least chapters 10-31.

Regarding the Song of Songs, he rejects the allegorical interpretations in favor of: "...it extols the richness of human erotic love as a gift from God" (401)

If any of you have had the joy of sitting under the teaching of Old Testament professor Daniel Block, you know of his deep love for the Scriptures. Dr. Block gives the following recommendation for Estes' book:

"This introduction to the biblical books on godly piety and wisdom represents a model of balanced and judicious tudy. While taking advantage of the most recent scholarship on the Psalms and the wisdom writings, Estes is able to distill this information and present it in a form that is accessible to laypersons and helpful to any involved in the serious study of Scripture. He invites readers to an even greater delight in reading the Bible than they have had before."

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars helpful book, February 27, 2006

By 

Melissa Tinker (MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms (Hardcover)

This book is helpful in understanding overviews of the wisdom books, as well as the issues debated with each book.