This book discusses the theory that the Psalter was compiled with the specific intention that it should be used as a book for private spiritual reading. It is argued that if this were so, the work of the final editors would not have been confined to arranging the psalms in a particular order but would have included additions and interpolations intended to give the whole book a new orientation. An investigation of selected psalms shows that although the Psalter may have become a book for private devotion not long after its compilation, there is little evidence that it was compiled for that purpose.

Ecclesiastes is at once a strange book and a modern one, at once enigmatic and curiously familiar. Here we find a man detached from the world and yet intensely aware of it, setting down in writing his thoughts about human life. Yet from the very first his readers have been unable to agree about his basic attitude to life. Whybray sorts through the options by asking questions regarding the author, his times, his language and his ideas.>

Who compiled the varied material in the book of Proverbs, and why? Is there any significance in the order in which it has been arranged? These and similar questions about the book have often been discussed in the past, but no agreed conclusions reached. In this study the question of the purpose behind the composition of the book is raised anew. Whybray first discusses each section of Proverbs separately and then enquires into the significance, if any, of the shape of the book as a whole in its final form. Among the chief features of this study are an analysis of redactional layers in chapters 1-9, the comparison of different concepts of wisdom in the book, the question of a theological development in the course of the redactional process and an investigation of the possibility that the numerous short proverbs in chapters 10-29 may have been consciously arranged in meaningful groups.>

This is not a sociological study in the technical sense. Its aim is simply to review the internal evidence of a single Old Testament book about attitudes towards what is now universally recognized as one of the most serious problems facing the world today: the unequal distribution of this world's goods. The study shows that there are some fundamental assumptions common to all sections of Proverbs: that wealth, unless acquired by dishonest or unscrupulous means, is a good rather than an evil, and that poverty as a feature of society is an evil which may to some extent be alleviated in particular cases but for which there is no universal cure.>

How did the ancient Israelites conceive of "the good life" - of how to live morally and well? This study explores the social world as depicted in the Bible and God's relationship with it.

Ecclesiastes is at once a strange book and a modern one, at once enigmatic and curiously familiar. Here we find a man detached from the world and yet intensely aware of it, setting down in writing his thoughts about human life. Yet from the very first his readers have been unable to agree about his basic attitude to life. Whybray sorts through the options by asking questions regarding the author, his times, his language and his ideas.>

'Whybray's recent book is a masterful review of all the options set out by critical scholarship since Wellhausen, i.e., over the last century. It is an exhaustive and up to date treatment, concise and highly readable.' E. Dyck, Crux 'Sensitive to standards of ancient historiography and parallels from the Greek sphere, Whybray proposes that the Pentateuch is the work of an ancient historian, possibly designed as a supplement or prologue to the deuteronomistic history. The analysis of the work of others and of the state of [CHECK REVIEW!] extremely valuable; the final suggestion makes it all the more engaging. Essential for all concerned with fundamentals of critical biblical studies.' W. Lee Humphreys, Religious Studies Review

Originally published as part of the acclaimed Sheffield Guides series, this helpful study-guide is designed to meet the needs of students and general readers in a concise, accessible and affordable format.
The complete set of books will offer a comprehensive introduction to the Bible and related writings.
Each study-guide comprises
-An Introduction to the content and message of the particular book
-A survey of the significant critical issues
-An assesment of recent scholarship
-Signposts towards major critical works in the area
-Annotated bibliographies
T & T Clark Study Guides are written by some of the world's greatest biblical scholars, each of whom draws on their extensive teaching experience to make their subject come alive for all who are approaching biblical studies for the first time.