Respected Old Testament scholar Craig Bartholomew, coauthor of the well-received Drama of Scripture, provides a careful exegetical reading of Ecclesiastes in this addition to the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series. Along with helpful translation and commentary, Ecclesiastes considers the theological implications of the text and its literary, historical, and grammatical dimensions. Footnotes deal with many of the technical matters, allowing readers of varying levels of interest and training to read and profit from the commentary and to engage the biblical text at an appropriate level. Pastors, teachers, and all serious students of the Bible will find here an accessible commentary that will serve as an excellent resource for their study.

This book argues that an approach to Buddhist-Christian dialogue where biblical texts are analyzed by placing Christian and Buddhist perspectives side by side is a method which provides a good platform for further in-depth dialogue.

"Depressing." "Ungodly." "Skippable." Each of these words have been used to describe Ecclesiastes. Catching the Wind: A Guide for Interpreting Ecclesiastes provides an interpretive companion for pastors, Bible study teachers and leaders, and Bible readers who are tired of skipping Ecclesiastes because either it is too hard to understand or its content appears too contrary to fit into preconceived notions of what and how God reveals Himself in His Word. The message of Ecclesiastes, often lost to readers and interpreters in the puzzling, enigmatic details of the book, becomes readily accessible when Ecclesiastes is considered in the whole. Catching the Wind utilizes the structure of a modern social research report to reveal the divine intent of Ecclesiastes, the divine truth that true meaning in human life comes in covenant relationship with the sovereign God and through no other means. The guide provides instruction for developing a biblical hermeneutic, an interpretation of the text of Ecclesiastes, examples of personal application, and abundant study questions for further investigation.

This new volume in the ICC on Ecclesiastes 1-5 brings together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary and theological - to enable the scholar to have a complete knowledge and understanding of this Old Testament book. Stuart Weeks incorporates new evidence available in the field, surveys the wealth of secondary literature and provides an extensive introduction to Ecclesiastes as a whole.

Offers an interdisciplinary interpretation of Ecclesiastes based on psychological research and a wide-ranging context of ancient literature.