Wisdom and Work: Theological Reflections on Human Labor from Ecclesiastes

1. Introduction ....1
The Challenge of Ecclesiastes.....1
The virtually unexamined Thesis in Ecclesiastes .......4
How to Read Ecclesiastes........6
The Abiding Relevance of Ecclesiastes......13
2. Wisdom Literature and the Wisdom Perspective........17
The wisdom perspective........17
Ecclesiastes and the Form of Wisdom .......23
The Morality of Wisdom .....30
Ecclesiastes and the Theology of Wisdom ...........33
The Universality of Wisdom ......39
Ecclesiastes and the Crisis of Wisdom ..........41
3. Interpretive Strategy in Ecclesiastes..........48
On Reading Ecclesiastes.........48
Literary- Rhetorical Strategy in Ecclesiastes......56
Interpreting the All is Meaningless Thesis ....62
Contrasting two competing outlooks......66
Discerning the Message of Ecclesiastes...70
Interpreting the Enjoyment Thesis ....73
Discerning Life`s Meaning .........79
4. Wisdom and the Work of God in Ecclesiastes....81
Divine Inscrutability ..82
Divine sovereignty and Human Limitation .....84
The work of God.........89
The Fear of God....92
The Unchanging Character of God .....96
5. Wisdom and Human Labor in Ecclesiastes......99
Joy in Ecclesiastes...99
The Enjoyment Refrains ......101
A Summary of the Argument in Ecclesiastes....124
The Essence of Joy : Finding Satisfaction in One`s Work .....126
6. Concluding thoughts on the end of the matter ..130
A Recasting of Human Labor ......131
Allowing wisdom to Speak ..........134
A Recasting of work and Vocation .......135
7. Rethinking the Message of Ecclesiastes ........150
The Intrinsic Value of Work .......150
Theology in the Service of Vocation : Rethinking the Doctrine of Divine providence ......156
A Theology of Vocation ....160
Further Reflections on Human Labor ........166