This book studies how wisdom ideas in Genesis 37-50 relate to the themes and motifs that emerge from the Abrahamic promises. While the Joseph narrative is not simply a wisdom tale, there appear to be many features that are suggestive of wisdom. A literary reading of the chapters examines how these 'wisdom-like elements' relate to the story as a whole. Chapter 37 establishes that God will cause Joseph to rise to prominence. The intriguing story of Tamar in chapter 38 is seen as a kind of microcosm of the entire Joseph story. Joseph's public use of wisdom is considered in chapters 39-41, where he uses power successfully and with discernment. Joseph's private use of wisdom occupies chapters 42-45. Chapters 46-50 complete the story by weaving the concerns of the previous chapters into the fabric of God's purposes for his covenant people. In the final form of the narrative, both the wisdom and the covenant strands are seen to be prominent. The covenant strand is reflected in the connections forged with the rest of Genesis and the wider Pentateuch. The wisdom strand is evident in the public and private arenas, as well as in Joseph's tested character. God's behind-the-scenes activity, coupled with human initiatives, emerges as another 'wisdom-like element.' Both covenant and wisdom retain their distinctive contributions and are complimentary ways of God's establishing his active rule. God uses wise human initiatives to accomplish his overarching purposes.

New volume in the TOTC replacement programme

Robin Lindsay Wilson's is a distinctive style - the hallmark short lines that turn with dexterity into a single, often unpunctuated, sentence running through a whole poem. He pushes this style hard in this third collection, finding an assured and beguiling voice. Shrewd and sharp-sighted, this intelligent writing offers alternative perspectives throughout these wry, layered poems. Always inventive, Backstage in Paradise is another highly accomplished collection.

In many ways, Proverbs is similar to the wisdom literature of the wider ancient Near East. However, while the book initially appears to consist primarily of practical advice, wisdom is grounded in a relationship with God. In this replacement Tyndale Commentary, Lindsay Wilson shows how the first nine chapters provide a reading guide for the many proverbs in subsequent chapters; and how the fear of the Lord, choosing wisdom not folly, and having our characters formed by wisdom are crucial for understanding Proverbs as Christian Scripture and living out our faith in daily life. The Tyndale Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting, and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. In the new Old Testament volumes, the commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings: Context, Comment, and Meaning. The goal is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.

In this commentary Lindsay Wilson shows the book of Job to be a coherent literary work that addresses this question: Is it possible for humans to have genuine faith in God regardless of their circumstances? Wilson argues that Job's bold, sometimes questioning cries to God are portrayed as legitimate expressions of trust for a righteous person in adversity. Through critical exegesis of the text, Wilson focuses on the message of Job and its implications for practical ministry, examining such key issues as suffering, justice, lament, and faith. He also touches on various pertinent topics in Christian ethics, including individual character, wealth, suicide, and the environment. In a final section Wilson offers guidance on using Job as a resource book for pastoral care and prayer, and he discusses how to teach and preach from the book of Job.

Each of the compelling microfictions in this extraordinary collection is a monologue spoken by someone with a distinctive point-of-view. Weaving together, the human condition is expressed by characters addressing their positive, negative, humorous, tragic and contradictory thoughts, so that the overall effect is immersive and full of revelation and insight. For drama students, each monologue presents specific textual challenges to a performer in training. For all those fascinated by what makes us human, these tightly honed and layered pieces throw a spotlight on the attitudes, difficulties and relationships which make up the world at large. A compendium of five hundred and fifty-eight first person micro-fiction monologues, Rehearsals for the Real World builds bridges between and interrogates the nature of drama's relationship to life, peeling away the masks we wear and providing a rich repository that will inspire, educate and delight alike drama students and all readers fascinated by the human condition.

In popular perception, Wisdom literature is a "self-help" or "philosophy" section of the Old Testament library--the odd and interesting bits of canonical mortar between History and Prophets. Themes that are prominent elsewhere in the Old Testament receive only scant attention in the wisdom books. Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes focus on everyday life rather than on God's special dealings with the nation of Israel. But Old Testament scholarship has come to see the wisdom of the wise as reflecting an aspect of the Israelite worldview, not something totally foreign. The covenant beliefs are presupposed, even if rarely rising to the surface. Wisdom must be learned from parents, teachers, and friends, but it is ultimately a gift from God--not primarily intellectual but intensely practical. The issues addressed--justice, faith, wealth, suffering, meaning, sexuality--are highly relevant today. The focus of this volume is on both wisdom books and wisdom ideas. The first section surveys recent developments in the field of Old Testament wisdom, and the second section discusses some issues that have arisen in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, and examines the Song of Songs as a wisdom text. The final section explores wisdom in Ruth, in some Psalms, and in the broader field of Old Testament narrative (from Joshua to Esther), while also examining wisdom, biblical theology, the concept of retribution in wisdom, and the vexed issue of divine absence. The following contributors are featured: Christopher B. Ansberry Craig G. Bartholomew Lennart Bostroem Ros Clarke Katharine J. Dell David G. Firth Gregory Goswell Ernest C. Lucas Brittany N. Melton Simon Stocks Lindsay Wilson