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Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (Volume 18 of the acclaimed Anchor Bible series) are translated and edited by R.B.Y. Scott, Professor Emeritus, the Department of Religion, Princeton University.
Volume 18 contains two books of the Bible which are part of the "wisdom" literary tradition in ancient Israel and in neighboring cultures. In his General Introduction, Professor Scott presents the context in which both books emerged, and breaks new ground in his survey of the history of the Wisdom Movement.
Proverbs And Ecclesiastes , considered together, are as instructive in their similarities as in their differences. Each has a coherent view of life, and each proceeds ultimately from a religious premise. Yet no two books could be more strikingly different.
Proverbs is a collection of literary and folk maxims and adages, often sententious, sometimes humorous, compiled as a source book for the education of youth. It is a guide to practical wisdom, pointing the way to a virtuous and successful life. The translator, in both the introduction and notes, traces the literary history of the work, and in addition analyzes the various types of proverbs common to the Bible as well as to other folk and literary traditions.
The book of Ecclesiastes , unlike Proverbs , is intensely personal, speculative, seemingly negative in outlook. The product of one pen, the philosophic and poetic outpourings of one troubled mind, Ecclesiastes , in its pessimistic eloquence, is unmatched in biblical literature--perhaps in any literature. Yet Ecclesiastes is not a work of despair, for it ends finally on a note of its wisdom stems from long pondering on the mysteries of man's existence, and its conclusions, far from facile, are all the more persuasive because they are hard-won.
Ecclesiastes is a short book, beautifully and faithfully rendered in this the translation is not only a considerable scholarly contribution to biblical studies; it is also a high literary achievement.
Volume 18 contains two books of the Bible which are part of the "wisdom" literary tradition in ancient Israel and in neighboring cultures. In his General Introduction, Professor Scott presents the context in which both books emerged, and breaks new ground in his survey of the history of the Wisdom Movement.
Proverbs And Ecclesiastes , considered together, are as instructive in their similarities as in their differences. Each has a coherent view of life, and each proceeds ultimately from a religious premise. Yet no two books could be more strikingly different.
Proverbs is a collection of literary and folk maxims and adages, often sententious, sometimes humorous, compiled as a source book for the education of youth. It is a guide to practical wisdom, pointing the way to a virtuous and successful life. The translator, in both the introduction and notes, traces the literary history of the work, and in addition analyzes the various types of proverbs common to the Bible as well as to other folk and literary traditions.
The book of Ecclesiastes , unlike Proverbs , is intensely personal, speculative, seemingly negative in outlook. The product of one pen, the philosophic and poetic outpourings of one troubled mind, Ecclesiastes , in its pessimistic eloquence, is unmatched in biblical literature--perhaps in any literature. Yet Ecclesiastes is not a work of despair, for it ends finally on a note of its wisdom stems from long pondering on the mysteries of man's existence, and its conclusions, far from facile, are all the more persuasive because they are hard-won.
Ecclesiastes is a short book, beautifully and faithfully rendered in this the translation is not only a considerable scholarly contribution to biblical studies; it is also a high literary achievement.
- GenresReligion
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 1965
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 5, 2014
This commentary was a hard read and I am not a novice. The general introduction on wisdom literature is probably the most interesting and informative for the lay person.
May 30, 2018
It feels a touch blasphemous to "rate" books of Sacred Scripture--as though the extent to which *I* liked the inspired works of the Holy Spirit were what's really important. So, consider that as a review this is really more about the Anchor Bible presentation/translation and about the experience of reading Wisdom literature as a genre than this is any sort of commentary on content.
I devoured the much-larger Anchor Bible volume on Jeremiah in the span of a fortnight, but this slender volume on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes took me months. That's an indication of two things: first, my far deeper fascination with Jeremiah, the prophet of the First Temple's last days, and second, an indication of the genre difference. Wisdom literature--and this is especially true of Proverbs, which comprises the bulk of this volume--is almost like reading an index.
There was a great amount to learn about proverbs and wisdom literature and this book certainly expanded that knowledge, but one of the things that I learned as that Proverbs really isn't a book that was written to be read--it's a collection of proverbs, each of which would probably have been memorised separately and on which a whole teaching might have hung. To read them straight through is not the intent--it's closer in form to a bathroom reader, designed to be opened to any page for a quick snippet.
I devoured the much-larger Anchor Bible volume on Jeremiah in the span of a fortnight, but this slender volume on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes took me months. That's an indication of two things: first, my far deeper fascination with Jeremiah, the prophet of the First Temple's last days, and second, an indication of the genre difference. Wisdom literature--and this is especially true of Proverbs, which comprises the bulk of this volume--is almost like reading an index.
There was a great amount to learn about proverbs and wisdom literature and this book certainly expanded that knowledge, but one of the things that I learned as that Proverbs really isn't a book that was written to be read--it's a collection of proverbs, each of which would probably have been memorised separately and on which a whole teaching might have hung. To read them straight through is not the intent--it's closer in form to a bathroom reader, designed to be opened to any page for a quick snippet.
February 18, 2024
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite works. You can see my thoughts on the work in my review of Robert Alter's wonderful transition here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just a few words on the RBY Scott translation and introduction. Overall, it is a solid and reliable translation, but plain. There's very little poetry in the poetry. He uses the word "vapor" for the famous KJV "vanity." (Alter uses "breath" which may be a more literal translation, but is almost as poetic as "vanity.")
I enjoyed several lines from Scott's intro of this "strangest book in the Bible":
"In Ecclesiastes God is not only unknown to man through revelation; his unknowable through reason, the only means by which the author believes knowledge is attainable." p 191
"Thus, in place of a religion of faith and hope and obedience, [Ecclesiastes] expresses a mood of disillusionment and proffers a philosophy of resignation." p 191
The KJV is a masterful but difficult translation. If you are looking for something more modern, I would recommend starting with Alter's translation. If you really enjoy a work in another language I always think it is a good idea to read a second translation and this Anchor version would do a commendable job.
Proverbs
I scanned the Proverbs section but didn't read it. I have found it to be too much about faith, hope and obedience.
Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite works. You can see my thoughts on the work in my review of Robert Alter's wonderful transition here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just a few words on the RBY Scott translation and introduction. Overall, it is a solid and reliable translation, but plain. There's very little poetry in the poetry. He uses the word "vapor" for the famous KJV "vanity." (Alter uses "breath" which may be a more literal translation, but is almost as poetic as "vanity.")
I enjoyed several lines from Scott's intro of this "strangest book in the Bible":
"In Ecclesiastes God is not only unknown to man through revelation; his unknowable through reason, the only means by which the author believes knowledge is attainable." p 191
"Thus, in place of a religion of faith and hope and obedience, [Ecclesiastes] expresses a mood of disillusionment and proffers a philosophy of resignation." p 191
The KJV is a masterful but difficult translation. If you are looking for something more modern, I would recommend starting with Alter's translation. If you really enjoy a work in another language I always think it is a good idea to read a second translation and this Anchor version would do a commendable job.
Proverbs
I scanned the Proverbs section but didn't read it. I have found it to be too much about faith, hope and obedience.
Read
April 14, 2016Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books. Religions aside. As a book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews