Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs (Westminster Bible Companion) [Paperback]

Ellen F. Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000 | Series: Westminster Bible Companion

These books of the Bible, despite their differences, all treat the phenomenon of what it means to live wisely before God. In this readable commentary, Ellen Davis points out that the writers of these books considered wisdom--and the fruits of wisdom, a well-ordered life and a peaceful mind--to be within the grasp of anyone wholeheartedly desiring it.

Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance for faithful living today. These books are ideal for individual study and for Bible study classes and groups.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ellen F. Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. She is the author of Who Are You, My Daughter? Reading Ruth Through Image and Text; Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Getting Involved with God; and Imagination Shaped.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1st edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664255221
• ISBN-13: 978-0664255220
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite Religious Reading of the Text, February 18, 2005

By 

Gerard D. Launay (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs (Westminster Bible Companion) (Paperback)

Ellen Davis is one of those rare scholars who is willing to go outside the mainstream to provide new and tantalizing interpretation of the Bible. Thinking particularly of her work on the Song of Songs, she gives a sensitive analysis that explores the religious metaphors of the Book. Rather than thinking of the Song as the least biblical of the Bible books, she argues that it is the most biblical of books. For example, the verse,"your nose is the tower of Lebanon" makes sense once you grasp that Lebanon is an exchange word for Jerusalem...since the temple of Solomon was built primarily from Lebanon wood.

Unfortunately, some modern scholars refuse to even consider a religious reading of the Song...as if the great church and rabbinical thinkers were fools.

Ellen Davis is correct that the rich imagery is closely linked INTERTEXTUALLY with other works of scripture. (Put another way, the Song of Solomon is written in the language of the Bible...not just Hebrew but in the language of the Bible). Once that point is understood, the Song becomes much more exciting to listen to. Hands down, this is one of the best books

on the subject. Indeed, the author is the preeminent scholar on the ecological/spiritual aspects of the Song. Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars read it for the Song of Songs commentary alone, December 5, 2005

By 

Wes Howard-Brook (Issaquah, WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs (Westminster Bible Companion) (Paperback)

For centuries, rabbinic and Christian interpreters of the mysterious poem, Song of Songs, have argued over whether the dialogue is a mystical conversation between Israel/the believer and God on the one hand, or an erotic exchange between two human lovers on the other. Ellen Davis brilliantly and beautifully cuts through this false divide by showing how the Song is both these and more: a three-level presentation of the restored relationships between the people of God (Israel) and their lover (God); between human men and women (healing the rift from the Garden of Eden) and between Israel and the Land. With Davis' commentary, readers will suddenly experience the depth of this classic poem opened up with the spaciousness of the vast plains and the intimacy of the marital bed.

A rare commentary that combines scholarly precision with faith-filled sensitivity to the importance and power of the biblical Word. Not only that, it's very readable by ordinary, literate people, not just scholars or pastors.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs, August 17, 2008

By 

M. Delaney (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs (Westminster Bible Companion) (Paperback)

The writing is clear, very readible,and insightful. It will be a good reference for me. The Rev. Dr. Mary Delaney