Pessimist! Hedonist! Skeptic! Fatalist! Scholars have used these and a variety of other pejoratives to describe Qoheleth, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes. But are these monikers fair assessments of this formative book of the Hebrew wisdom tradition? Brian Neil Peterson challenges this dominant scholarly perspective by arguing that Qoheleth’s message is more optimistic than is often proposed. He insists that Qoheleth—a realist who recognizes that the world is broken due to the Fall of Genesis 3—is instructing his readers to live life to the fullest in the fear of God despite the presence of injustice, oppression, and futility experienced on a daily basis. Due to the fleeting nature of life, Qoheleth offers hope to his readers and urges them to put God first and enjoy God’s good gifts, not as a destination in life, but rather as part of one’s earthly journey.

Synopsis: One of the most perplexing and misunderstood books of the Bible, Ezekiel has left many scholars and exegetes scratching their heads regarding its message, coherency, and interpretation. Brian Peterson's look at the book of Ezekiel as a unified whole set within an exilic context helps explain some of the more difficult symbolic aspects in the book and makes Ezekiel as a whole more intelligible. Drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts and motifs such as covenant and treaty curses, the various gods that made up the Babylonian pantheon, and the position that Israel held as the people of Yahweh, Peterson enlightens readers by showing that Ezekiel can only be understood in its original context. By placing the book first in its historical context, Peterson demonstrates how the original hearers of its message would have understood it, and how this message can be appreciated and applied by people today as well. Endorsements: "Not a commentary, theology, or a handbook on biblical backgrounds, this remarkable work combines all three of these and more with vital information about the historical, cultural, and religious milieu of the world in which Ezekiel, the most mysterious of prophets, lived and ministered." --Eugene H. Merrill, PhD Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary "Ironically, by taking the reader on a journey to a world far away and long ago, "Ezekiel in Context" brings the text of this fascinating biblical book alive. Peterson's sensitivity to the ancient milieu in which the book of Ezekiel was shaped and to the literary pictures through which its message was communicated makes this monograph essential reading for those interested in hearing the original message of this exilic prophet." --Mark J. Boda, PhD (Cantab.) Professor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity College Professor in the Faculty of Theology, McMaster University Author Biography: Brian Peterson is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. He completed his PhD at the University of Toronto in Hebrew Bible in 2009.

Scholars have long puzzled over the distinctive themes and sequence of John's narrative in contrast to the accounts in the Synoptic Gospels. Brian Neil Peterson now offers a remarkable explanation for some of the most unusual features of the Fourth Gospel, including the exalted language of the Johannine prologue; the focus upon Jesus as Word; the imagery of light and darkness, of glory and "tabernacling"; the role-and rejection-of prophecy; the early placement of Jesus' "cleansing" of the temple and his relation to it; the emphasis on "signs" confirming Jesus' identity; and the prominence ofJesus' "I Am" sayings. Peterson finds important connections with motifs, themes, and even the macrostructure of the book of Ezekiel at just the points of John's divergence from the synoptic narrative. His examination of events and sequence in the Fourth Gospel produces a novel understanding of John as steeped in the theology of Ezekiel-and of the Johannine Christ as the fulfillment of the vision of Ezekiel.

Peterson engages one of the most enduring controversies in current critical scholarship on the Hebrew Bible, the identities and provenances of the authors of the various "editions" of the Deuteronomistic History. Critically reviewing the presuppositions of scholars reaching back to Martin Noth, and using careful analysis of motif and characterization at each redactional level in each book of the Deuteronomistic History, Peterson asks where we might locate a figure with both motive and opportunity to draw up a proto-narrative including elements of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and the first part of 1 Kings. Posing his questions in the form of a "Whodunit?" Peterson identifies a particular candidate in the time of David who had both knowledge and a theological and political agenda, qualified to write the first edition. He then extends the method to identify the particular circle who became the custodians of the Deuteronomistic narrative and supplies successive redactions, informed by the original formative vision, down to the time of Jeremiah. Careful argumentation yields surprising results at each stage.