Sapiental Literature
Module Code: 510TSL Credits: 10 Contact Hours: 30 Level: 5 Lecturer: Seamus Mulholland OFM
Syllabus
This module comes towards the end of the Old Testament courses and it allows the student to reflect on some of the questions concerning human life which they will have encountered in their explorations of Old Testament literature thus far.
It examines the Wisdom tradition of the Bible and how the difficult and pressing issues concerning the human condition are dealt with. These issues include responses to war, violence, terrorism e.g. London Bombings, Iraq and to natural disasters such as the Afghanistan earthquake, New Orleans and the tsunami would include. It makes particular use of the Book of Job and Qoeleth [Ecclesiastes] but also examines the nature, content and literary styles of the Wisdom tradition e.g. Poetry, proverbs, aphorisms, reflective discourse, narrative, lament.
It will also briefly examine extra-biblical ‘wisdom’ literature so as to place the Israelite tradition within its literary and historical contextuality. It will explore issues such as the suffering of the innocent, the injustice often found in human living, the doctrine of retribution and death.
Aims
- to explore the literary nature, content and style of the Wisdom tradition
- to examine the hard questions about human life with which the Wisdom tradition deals
- to show that in these questions the Wisdom tradition draws from the common experience of humanity
- to demonstrate to students that the Bible does not necessarily have an answer [especially an easy answer] to the situations in which people often find themselves
- to explore the understanding of compassion for the reality of the human condition as it is outlined especially in Job and Qoeleth
Assessment
This module will be assessed by a 3,000 word essay
Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of this module students will have
- examined the literary styles and content of the Israelite Wisdom tradition
- an understanding of the issues of human life and its meaning that preoccupied that tradition.
- an understanding that the Biblical text does not have all the solutions to life?s every problem
- an understanding of the historical context of the Israelite Wisdom tradition
Subject Specific Skills
By the end of this module students will be able
- to form independent opinions and demonstrate an ability to use evidence appropriately to support conclusions
- to display an ability to distinguish between fact and opinion on the Wisdom tradition, and be able to make appropriate choices from primary/secondary sources
- to situate their argument in the light of contemporary scholarship.
- to contribute confidently to group/class discussions.
- to communicate the module content in a balanced manner to others e.g. members of the student’s religious community.
- to select appropriate passages from the Wisdom tradition for work with liturgical/spiritual groups
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