- Durham University, Dept. of Theology and Religion, Graduate StudentUniversität Zürich / Kantosschule Büelrain, Theologie, Post-Docadd
- Scribal Culture, Book of Job, Book of Isaiah, Wisdom Literature, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom Literature, Kingdom in Israel, and 69 moreBook of Proverbs, Scribal Culture In the Ancient Near East, Biblical Hebrew poetry, Dead Sea Scrolls, Theology, Middle Egyptian, Reformed theology, Jonathan Edwards, Communication, Dead Sea Scrolls (Religion), Ben Sira, Tobit, Book of Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Deuterocanonical Literature, Qumranic Studies, Qumran, Hellenistic Judaism, Book of Ecclesiastes, The Book of Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah, Trito-Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomistic History, Book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Fibonacci numbers, Book of Jonah, The book of Jeremiah, Book of Ezekiel, Book of Daniel, Prophetic Literature, 4QInstruction, Ancient Near East, Ot, NT, Bible, Biblical Archaeology, Biblical Interpretation, Pentateuch, Prophets, Paul, Pauline Letters, Hellenistic Literature, Hellenistic Philosophy, history of geographical thought . Five geographical concepts contained in the Bible book of Genesis, Isaiah, Job and Ecclesiastes, Legitimacy and Authority, Authority, Biblical Theology, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Hebrew and Egyptian Wisdom Literature, Egyptology, Mesopotamian Archaeology, Mesopotamian Religions, Ancient Egyptian History, Rape Culture, Rape as a Weapon of War, Sexual Offences and Rape, Elephantine, Intellectual History, Ancient History, History, Archaeology, Intertextuality, Biblical Law, Political Theory, Covenant Theology, and the Book of Jobedit
- Professor in Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies, South Korea (2020-) SNSF senior (Full-Time) at University Laus... moreProfessor in Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies, South Korea (2020-)
SNSF senior (Full-Time) at University Lausanne (UNIL), Faculty member, Swiss (2019-2021) with Prof. Thomas Römer
Postdoc Fellow, sponsored by Forschungskredit in Universität Zürich (UZH), Swiss (2018-2019) with Prof. Konrad Schmid: Project Title; The Dynamic of Wisdom Texts in the Second Temple Period; Was Israelite Wisdom Transformed to Torah?
Invited Lecturer in Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies, South Korea (2018)
Swiss Government Excellent Postdoc in Universität Zürich, Swiss (2016-2017) with Prof. Konrad Schmid: Project Title; Content and Context of the Book of Job
Lecturer/Editor in Hebrew Bible; New Wave Academy/Publishing, Korea (2015-2016)
PD in Hebrew Bible; Universität Zürich (UZH), Swiss (2016-2023). Thesis : "Wisdom and Torah in Second Temple Judaism: A Critical Appraisal of the Confluence of Wisdom and Torah"
PhD in Hebrew Bible; Durham University, UK (Sept 2011-Jan2016). Thesis: “Intertextuality and Scribal Culture: Literary and Historical Relationships between Job and Deutero-Isaiah”.Supervisors: Prof. Stuart Weeks and Prof. C.T.R. Hayward (Durham University); Examiners: Prof. Walter Moberly (Durham) and Dr Katharine Dell (Cambridge University)
MA in Theology and Religion; Durham University, UK (Sept 2010-Aug 2011)
Thesis: “Identity of the Valiant Woman in Proverbs 31:10-31”. Supervisor: Prof. Walter Moberly (Durham University)
MDiv focused on the OT; Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, USA (2007-2010)edit
Title: Job Unveiled and Reimagined: Current Issues, New Paradigms, and Future Horizons Title Explanation of the Edited Volume The title, “Job Unveiled and Reimagined: Current Issues, New Paradigms, and Future Horizons”, signifies a... more
Title: Job Unveiled and Reimagined: Current Issues, New Paradigms, and Future Horizons
Title Explanation of the Edited Volume
The title, “Job Unveiled and Reimagined: Current Issues, New Paradigms, and Future Horizons”, signifies a comprehensive exploration of the Book of Job, uncovering fresh insights and reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens, while addressing current issues, introducing new paradigms, and looking towards future horizons in biblical scholarship.
Title Explanation of the Edited Volume
The title, “Job Unveiled and Reimagined: Current Issues, New Paradigms, and Future Horizons”, signifies a comprehensive exploration of the Book of Job, uncovering fresh insights and reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens, while addressing current issues, introducing new paradigms, and looking towards future horizons in biblical scholarship.
Ben Sira places more substantial weight on the leadership of pan-Aaronid/anti-Zadokite (Olyan) or Zadokite priests (Boccaccini, Kaiser) such as Aaron, his grandson Phinehas son of Eleazar (Sir 45:6-26)—missing non-Aaronid Levites—than the... more
Ben Sira places more substantial weight on the leadership of pan-Aaronid/anti-Zadokite (Olyan) or Zadokite priests (Boccaccini, Kaiser) such as Aaron, his grandson Phinehas son of Eleazar (Sir 45:6-26)—missing non-Aaronid Levites—than the governance of Moses (45:1-5). The honour of the two great forefathers culminates in the praise of the high priest, Simon II son of Onias (50:1-24) and his priestly Temple service. From such a supportive reaction on the Jerusalem priesthood and Temple, scholars have maintained that Ben Sira belongs to a priestly group or a circle of the scribe-sage subjugated to priests and that Sirach hints at the merging point between the created and the priestly order. Consequently, this indication of the harmonization between Sapiential and Zadokite Judaism might justify Jerusalemite priestly groups much power. There is nothing problematic in talking about Sirach’s engagement (Sir 24; 50) with P writings and the divine election of the Jerusalem priesthood in the framework of Sir 44-50, but it is misleading to put Sirach in Priestly writings and to conclude that Sirach merges the two separate traditions (sapiential and priestly). Here, I argue that wisdom discourses in Sir 24 and 44-50 (esp. 50) are the structuralized adaptation of Prov 8 and 31:10-31 and that Ben Sira as a Jewish scribe grants its authority and power to Zadokites derived from the model of the divine wisdom in Proverbs.
Keywords: Priestly Pentateuch, Wisdom Literature, Sirach/Ben Sira, The Book of Proverbs, Torah
Keywords: Priestly Pentateuch, Wisdom Literature, Sirach/Ben Sira, The Book of Proverbs, Torah
Research Interests:
Ben Sira is in general classified as the Jewish wisdom literature with Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, but has peculiar characteristics of combining both the Law and the Israelite wisdom tradition with the history of Israel. Especially,... more
Ben Sira is in general classified as the Jewish wisdom literature with Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, but has peculiar characteristics of combining both the Law and the Israelite wisdom tradition with the history of Israel. Especially, Ben Sira (along with Qoheleth and the Wisdom of Solomon) utilizes the idea and language of determinism, that God absolutely determines human activities and fates in time and space. Determinism in Sirach, however, is neither identical as the philosophical determinism in Stoicism nor precisely belongs to the genre of apocalyptic such as Daniel (e.g., Sir 1:1-11). Instead, Ben Sira deals with the theological tension between inescapable evildoings and divine determination (Sir 15:11-20) and with the divine appointment of times and days (33:7-13). In this presentation, by examining passages related to the deterministic idea and the Jewish history in Ben Sira (Sir 15:11-20; 33:7-13; 43:1-8; 50:22-29), I will argue that Ben Sira’s conception of time and Jewish history is associated with the broad Hellenistic determinism along with the wisdom tradition (e.g., Sir 24).
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The earliest form of the book of Proverbs given as self-executing sentences has been considered as something secular and nonreligious. Scholars have then argued that Proverbs came through the evolutionary development from secular to... more
The earliest form of the book of Proverbs given as self-executing sentences has been considered as something secular and nonreligious. Scholars have then argued that Proverbs came through the evolutionary development from secular to theological wisdom. However, the close examination of Proverbs 25-29 does not support such a redactional scheme allegedly having a sort of secular wisdom. Although various redactions of the book of Proverbs, as scholars claimed, have widely been accepted, Proverbs 25-29 has later ideas and styles that do not fit into any particular texts La forme la plus ancienne du Livre des Proverbes, qui se composait de phrases explicites, était considérée comme quelque chose de séculier et de non religieux. Les savants ont ensuite soutenu que les proverbes sont passés de la sagesse laïque à la sagesse théologique à travers le développement. Cependant, un examen attentif des Proverbes 25-29 ne soutient pas un tel schéma éditorial, qui aurait une sorte de sagesse mondaine. Bien que divers éditeurs du Livre des Proverbes aient été largement acceptés par les savants, les Proverbes 25-29 ont des idées et des styles ultérieurs qui ne correspondent pas à certains textes des Proverbes. Si l'en-tête «Proverbes de Salomon, qui ont été copiés par les hommes d'Ezéchias, roi de Juda» (Prov 25.1) est reconnu comme une historicisation tardive analogue aux titres des Psaumes de la
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The Aramaic Ahiqar was found in Elephantine (Yeb) at a Persian military garrison and does not contain the notion of Yahwism found in the Hebrew Bible. Neither does it refer to Moses or the Torah, although the Egyptian diaspora would... more
The Aramaic Ahiqar was found in Elephantine (Yeb) at a Persian military garrison and does not contain the notion of Yahwism found in the Hebrew Bible. Neither does it refer to Moses or the Torah, although the Egyptian diaspora would probably have had contact with a religious group from Jerusalem. Yet Ahiqar is similar in interesting ways to the Book of Job, which belongs to the Israelite wisdom corpus if we assume that the final form is approximately dated to the late Persian period. These two wisdom materials in the Achaemenid period have similar literary elements and, even more significantly, reflect common scribal views on humans and God(s), even though they were written in different places and in distinctive religious settings. Notably, Ahiqar interweaves Achaemenid imperial ideology with its story and proverbs and has a polytheistic view. This paper will present an intertextual study of Ahiqar and Job and argue that the diaspora scribes of Ahiqar in ancient Egypt broadly share more commonalities with the Jewish scribes of Job than any other biblical books.
Research Interests: Intertextuality, Book of Job, Wisdom Literature, Hebrew Wisdom Literature; The Book of Proverbs, Babylonian Wisdom Literature, Akkadian Literature, History of Religious Concepts, and 6 moreGod the book of Job, Biblical Intertextuality, Ahiqar, Biblical Wisdom literature, Reception of the book of Job, and the Book of Job
Deutsches Abstract Der Artikel argumentiert, dass das Hohelied (Canticles) ein Stück jüdischer Literatur im kulturellen Hintergrund des Hellenismus in Alexandria ist und dass es neben der hellenistischen Liebesdichtung Teil eines... more
Deutsches Abstract
Der Artikel argumentiert, dass das Hohelied (Canticles) ein Stück jüdischer Literatur im kulturellen Hintergrund des Hellenismus in Alexandria ist und dass es neben der hellenistischen Liebesdichtung Teil eines ähnlichen kulturellen Umfelds ist. Es enthält Motive, Formen und Ideen wie "Paraklausithyron", "Runaway Love" und "Beschreibungslied". Da solche Gattungen in den kürzeren und damit früheren Ausgaben von Qumran primär sind, wurde Hohelied sicher nicht vor 270 v. Chr. geschrieben und erreichte wahrscheinlich im späten 2. Jahrhundert v. Chr. seinen endgültigen Zustand.
Abstract en Français
L'article affirme que le Cantique est un morceau de littérature juive s'inscrivant dans le contexte culturel de l'hellénisme à Alexandrie et que, avec la poésie d'amour hellénistique, il fait partie d'un cadre culturel similaire. Il comprend des motifs, des formes et des idées comme "Paraklausithyron", "Amour fugitif" et "Beschreibungslied". Puisque de tels genres sont fondamentaux dans les éditions plus courtes et donc antérieures de Qumran, Cantique des Cantiques n'a surement pas été écrit avant 270 ans avant notre ère et a probablement atteint son état final à la fin du 2e siècle avant notre ère.
English abstract
The article argues that the Song of Songs (Canticles) is a piece of Jewish literature within the cultural background of Hellenism in Alexandria and that, along with the Hellenistic love poetry, it is part of the similar cultural setting. It includes motifs, forms, and ideas in "Paraklausithyron", "Runaway love", and "Beschreibungslied". Because such genres are primary in shorter and thus earlier editions of Qumran, Song of Songs was unlikely written before 270 BCE, and probably reached its final form in the late 2nd century BCE.
Der Artikel argumentiert, dass das Hohelied (Canticles) ein Stück jüdischer Literatur im kulturellen Hintergrund des Hellenismus in Alexandria ist und dass es neben der hellenistischen Liebesdichtung Teil eines ähnlichen kulturellen Umfelds ist. Es enthält Motive, Formen und Ideen wie "Paraklausithyron", "Runaway Love" und "Beschreibungslied". Da solche Gattungen in den kürzeren und damit früheren Ausgaben von Qumran primär sind, wurde Hohelied sicher nicht vor 270 v. Chr. geschrieben und erreichte wahrscheinlich im späten 2. Jahrhundert v. Chr. seinen endgültigen Zustand.
Abstract en Français
L'article affirme que le Cantique est un morceau de littérature juive s'inscrivant dans le contexte culturel de l'hellénisme à Alexandrie et que, avec la poésie d'amour hellénistique, il fait partie d'un cadre culturel similaire. Il comprend des motifs, des formes et des idées comme "Paraklausithyron", "Amour fugitif" et "Beschreibungslied". Puisque de tels genres sont fondamentaux dans les éditions plus courtes et donc antérieures de Qumran, Cantique des Cantiques n'a surement pas été écrit avant 270 ans avant notre ère et a probablement atteint son état final à la fin du 2e siècle avant notre ère.
English abstract
The article argues that the Song of Songs (Canticles) is a piece of Jewish literature within the cultural background of Hellenism in Alexandria and that, along with the Hellenistic love poetry, it is part of the similar cultural setting. It includes motifs, forms, and ideas in "Paraklausithyron", "Runaway love", and "Beschreibungslied". Because such genres are primary in shorter and thus earlier editions of Qumran, Song of Songs was unlikely written before 270 BCE, and probably reached its final form in the late 2nd century BCE.
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In Job’s speeches, metaphors to expose the status of his mind and emotion are recurrently connected to his physical body parts that are significant instruments in expressing his unimaginable mental anguish (7:15a; 9:27-31; 14:21; 16:15).... more
In Job’s speeches, metaphors to expose the status of his mind and emotion are recurrently connected to his physical body parts that are significant instruments in expressing his unimaginable mental anguish (7:15a; 9:27-31; 14:21; 16:15). His broken body parts signify the foremost reason of his suffering, namely the fact that God’s enmity against Job is destroying human body (6:4, 9; 16:7; 30:19, 21; 7:12; 10:8-13, 16-17; 16:14; 9-11, 13). Because of this, Job’s sensibility malfunctions, and God’s presence is hidden from Job’s sight (9:11; 23:8-9; 16:20; 10:4; 19:25-27). Moreover, Job’s body metaphors are sometimes used for vindicating his innocence and are suggested as faithful witnesses in a court (9:17, 20; 16:8, 17-18; 19:20-24; 23:11; 27:4, 6; 31:35-36). This paper, therefore, will show how Job’s body parts and sensibility denote his cognitive dissonance and mental turmoil and will indicate that irrelevant to the physical suffering from the Adversary (2:7), Job is experiencing a sort of “somatic symptom disorder” (SSD) which means that persons focus on physical symptoms such as fatigue, fragility, and pain according to their particular cognitive schematic in terms of property loss, extreme anxiety, and the absence of God that lead them to chief anguish and agony in their daily lives. The inter-relationship between body and mind/spirit of Job plays a central role in resisting the retribution principle of Job’s friends and in doubting the justice of God.
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Comparative studies about the relationships between wisdom and prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible, bringing on the intersection of two different traditions—wisdom and prophecy—have been done. The conventional methodology about literary... more
Comparative studies about the relationships between wisdom and prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible, bringing on the intersection of two different traditions—wisdom and prophecy—have been done. The conventional methodology about literary “tradition” and “influence” or “inspiration” from one to the other, however, has produced several limits. For instance, scholars have frequently interpreted Isaiah in wisdom genre and setting. This paper, therefore, searches methodological problems of adopting the notion of wisdom tradition and influence in prophetic literature from the example of Job and Deutero-Isaiah.
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The book of Tobit, which is dated to the Hellenistic period, is often compared with the model of the pious and innocent sufferer in the book of Job which is assumed to be the product of a late Persian or early Hellenistic scribal idea. It... more
The book of Tobit, which is dated to the Hellenistic period, is often compared with the model of the pious and innocent sufferer in the book of Job which is assumed to be the product of a late Persian or early Hellenistic scribal idea. It has been argued that in many ways, the author of Tobit directly alluded to Job's texts and put its literary framework and themes into a new historical context, the Assyrian Diaspora. However, both literary works are quite dissimilar in how they used various Israelite and non-Israelite materials and they substantially reflect different thoughts and interests. In this paper, I indicate how each book understands Jewish literary tradition and suggest that both books reflect their own intellectual background. This will be discussed in four areas; (1) suffering and theodicy, (2) dialogue, (3) retribution, law, and piety, (4) election, eschatology, and apocalyptic.
Research Interests: Early Judaism (2nd Temple, Greco-Roman), Apocalypticism, Wisdom, Eschatology and Apocalypticism, Second Temple Judaism, and 26 moreIntertextuality, Apocalypticism In Literature, Early Christian Apocryphal Literature, Wisdom Traditions, Book of Job, Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha, Pentateuchal Theory, Judaism, Wisdom Literature, Hebrew Wisdom Literature; The Book of Proverbs, Torah/Pentateuch, Hellenistic Judaism, Ancient Judaism, Formative Judaism, Early Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, Torah, Pentateuch Studies, Tobit, Biblical Wisdom literature, Reception of the book of Job, Book of Tobit, the Book of Job, History of Judaism In Antiquity, Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, and Jewish and Christian Apocryphal Texts
Abstract: Ausgehend von der Frage, welche Personen und Familien (z.B. Sirachiden, Lehrer der Gerechtigkeit) den intellektuellen Hintergrund von Kohelet teilt, entwickelt der folgende Artikel die geistige Nähe zwischen Kohelet und der... more
Abstract: Ausgehend von der Frage, welche Personen und Familien (z.B. Sirachiden, Lehrer der Gerechtigkeit) den intellektuellen Hintergrund von Kohelet teilt, entwickelt der folgende Artikel die geistige Nähe zwischen Kohelet und der Familientradition der Tobiaden, soweit sich diese aus Josephus und anderen Quellen erschliessen lässt. Vielleicht beeinflussen sich beide gegenseitig oder sind gar Teil von einander. Josephus berichtet den Höhepunkt der Tobiaden (zwischen 220 und dem ersten Drittel des 2. Jh. v. Chr.) als eine Zeit, in welcher in Jerusalem der Luxus blühte. Das könnte zum historischen Ort von Kohelet passen. Sowohl Kohelet wie die Tobiaden waren hellenisierende Laien, deutlich beeinflusst von der griechischen Literatur und Philosophie. Werden solche gemeinsamen intellektuellen Hintergründe sorgfältig herausgearbeitet, so lässt sich am Ende – mit sechs im Artikel genannten Argumenten – sogar eine konkrete Identifikation Kohelets in Betracht ziehen. Dabei spielen die beiden Koheletfragmente aus Qumran (4Q109Koh a und 4Q76Koh b) eine Schlüsselrolle.
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The book of Job prominantly portrays the motif of the pious sufferer and the confrontation between Job’s three friends who claim the retribution principle and Job who witnesses the undermined moral order in reality, and indicates finally... more
The book of Job prominantly portrays the motif of the pious sufferer and the confrontation between Job’s three friends who claim the retribution principle and Job who witnesses the undermined moral order in reality, and indicates finally Yahweh’s speech which marginalises issues of justice and judgment which Job violently called for. On the one hand, these distinct features to some extent may reflect a critical and belittling idea of Deuteronomistic Torah, although it does not deny the entire concept of Torah and traditional laws about divine judgment. On the other hand, while it has been argued that the book of Job reflects the Priestly context in Pentateuch, in a closer examination the author of Job hardly has the creational order, rituals, and ideology that priestly materials in general imply.
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Abstract It has been suggested that the books of Job and of Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) have a variety of similarities in their linguistic features and common subject-matter and because of this, it has been argued that there is literary... more
Abstract
It has been suggested that the books of Job and of Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) have a variety of similarities in their linguistic features and common subject-matter and because of this, it has been argued that there is literary dependence or influence of one book upon the other. Although such an author-oriented approach, by which scholars explain similarities by the theory of literary references, has some value, there is no specific reason to understand those similarities by a sort of direct literary dependence. Instead, these two books are likely to include the common scribal mindset of the Persian period. Here I put forward shared ideas of God’s universal control and freedom which are distinct from the Mosaic covenant and the ideas of the Hellenistic period. With these comparisons between Job/Deutero-Isaiah and other concepts in the Hebrew Bible, I propose the dating of the two books and argue that these cultural ideas about God’s control and freedom reflect the Persian scribal idea on the formation of the two books.
It has been suggested that the books of Job and of Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55) have a variety of similarities in their linguistic features and common subject-matter and because of this, it has been argued that there is literary dependence or influence of one book upon the other. Although such an author-oriented approach, by which scholars explain similarities by the theory of literary references, has some value, there is no specific reason to understand those similarities by a sort of direct literary dependence. Instead, these two books are likely to include the common scribal mindset of the Persian period. Here I put forward shared ideas of God’s universal control and freedom which are distinct from the Mosaic covenant and the ideas of the Hellenistic period. With these comparisons between Job/Deutero-Isaiah and other concepts in the Hebrew Bible, I propose the dating of the two books and argue that these cultural ideas about God’s control and freedom reflect the Persian scribal idea on the formation of the two books.
Research Interests: Persian Literature, Intertextuality, Julia Kristeva, Book of Job, Persian Culture, and 13 moreWisdom Literature, Literary Influence, Book of Isaiah, The Book of Isaiah, Scribal Culture, Scribes, Prophetic books, Biblical Intertextuality, Biblical Wisdom literature, Intertextuality and Allusion, Prophetic Literature, Scribalism, and Deutero-Isaiah
Research on the association between “Wisdom” and “Torah” has been undertaken by scholars who study the reception history of the Torah in the Second Temple wisdom texts inside and outside the Hebrew Bible. Scholars (Von Rad, Hengel,... more
Research on the association between “Wisdom” and “Torah” has been undertaken by scholars who study the reception history of the Torah in the Second Temple wisdom texts inside and outside the Hebrew Bible. Scholars (Von Rad, Hengel, Schnabel, Sheppard, Blenkinsopp, Collins, Sanders, etc) have debated over the identification of Wisdom as Torah in the Second Temple Judaism; whether Wisdom is torahised or Torah is sapientialised. Nonetheless, although the combination of priestly and non-priestly Pentateuchal sources already occurred in the Persian period, the Pentateuch, as a collection of Mosaic laws, might not gain authority until the Maccabean revolt (167 BCE), and Hellenistic wisdom texts such as Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon did not seem to be dominated by the ideology of the Pentateuch in a canonical consciousness. If the long-standing framework of “torahized” wisdom in Israel and early Judaism makes substantial misconceptions in understanding the nature of wisdom literature, it is necessary to re-examine and rethink assertions in terms of the transformation of Jewish wisdom texts from the Achaemenid period to the Hellenistic period. In order to challenge the conventional paradigm, we ask: “Was Israelite Wisdom finally transformed into and by the Mosaic Torah in the Hellenistic period?” This edited volume particularly focuses on how one can reformulate the model of Wisdom-Torah identification, confluence, or transformation in Jewish wisdom texts.
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The amalgamation between Wisdom and Torah in Bar 3:9-4:4 alongside Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon has been claimed due to emphasis on the force of the Torah in Hellenistic Judaism. However, the wisdom discourse of Baruch affirms no more... more
The amalgamation between Wisdom and Torah in Bar 3:9-4:4 alongside Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon has been claimed due to emphasis on the force of the Torah in Hellenistic Judaism. However, the wisdom discourse of Baruch affirms no more than the traditional concerns of the Israelite instruction genre (Proverbs 8, Job 28, and Sirach 24), rather than the Deuteronomi(sti)c ideology; although Baruch designates the particularism of Jacob-Israel. In this essay, by reexamining specific texts of Baruch (Bar 3:9-14, 15-38; 4:1-4), I will show why the hypothesis of the confluence of Wisdom and Torah is problematic.
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Some researchers have argued the book of Job is a parody of an existing text, tradition, or genre, and that the genre of Job is solely a parody. 2 In particular, Katharine Dell argues that the author of Job misuses the hymnic genre and... more
Some researchers have argued the book of Job is a parody of an existing text, tradition, or genre, and that the genre of Job is solely a parody. 2 In particular, Katharine Dell argues that the author of Job misuses the hymnic genre and parodies specific texts of Psalms;
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Kwon, JiSeong James. ‘Minjung in Global Context’. In The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in Korea, edited by Won W Lee. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022.
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It has been argued that Ben Sira, as a Hellenistic wisdom text, is an important document that combines Israelite wisdom tradition with Torah including Deuteronomistic languages, so that wisdom in Ben Sira is recognised as Torah (15:1;... more
It has been argued that Ben Sira, as a Hellenistic wisdom text, is an important document that combines Israelite wisdom tradition with Torah including Deuteronomistic languages, so that wisdom in Ben Sira is recognised as Torah (15:1; 24:23). Scholars until now have proposed diverse ways of understanding such a close relation between Wisdom and Torah. Some think that Ben Sira is “sapientializing” Torah or Deuteronomi(sti)c heritage, others still maintain that Ben Sira is “torahizing” wisdom tradition. Otherwise, both literary profiles are not subjugated to each other, but are correlated as retaining independent identities (e.g., Goering). A closer look at these scholarly claims indicates that Ben Sira does not equate the concept of wisdom with Torah, but it uses no more than the widespread Jewish laws that are integrated with instruction or advice literature just as indicated in Proverbs 1-9. In Ben Sira, wisdom is the consequence of Torah (1:26; 15:1-8; 24:23-26) and Torah is the consequence of pursuing all wisdom (19:20) and wisdom is a product of internalizing and working with Torah and instructions (1:26; 6:37; 15:1; 24:23-7). In this paper, I examine scholarly arguments which make assumptions about the confluence of Wisdom and Torah in Ben Sira, and I put forward the claim that Ben Sira has little influence of the canonical form of Torah and that the context of Ben Sira, though there are similar expressions with Pentateuch, is quite different from what Torah says.
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Research Interests: Proverbs, Wisdom, Intertextuality, Rereading and Intertextuality, Wisdom Traditions, and 11 moreWisdom Literature, Book of Proverbs, Hebrew Wisdom Literature; The Book of Proverbs, Book of Jeremiah, Prophet Jeremiah, The book of Jeremiah, Biblical Wisdom literature, Jeremiah in LXX, Jeremiah in MT, Intertextuality and Allusion, and Jeremiah 31
In this work, JiSeong James Kwon examines a variety of scholarly arguments concerning the distinctive literary and historical relationship between the book of Job and the second part of the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 40–55), so-called... more
In this work, JiSeong James Kwon examines a variety of scholarly arguments concerning the distinctive literary and historical relationship between the book of Job and the second part of the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 40–55), so-called Deutero-Isaiah. The general methodology in a comparative study between biblical texts has been the author-oriented approach which traces the complex interrelationships between corresponding texts, considering many verbal and thematic similarities, but this approach often arises from the misleading concepts of literary dependence from an early source to a later one. In this book, the author argues that scribes were writers of biblical materials and belonged to a group of the literate elite in Judahite society, and that resemblances between the two books result from the production of a scribal culture. This view may shed a light on traditional researches influenced by form-criticism, which divides the literate groups in Israelite society into different professional groups—priests, sages, and prophets. The proposed approach of the scribal culture has also resulted in a different way of interpreting the association with ancient Near Eastern literature which is supposed to be closely related to the two books. Similarities with non-Israelite sources have been suggested by scholars as unequivocal evidence of literary dependence or influence, but a careful examination of those extra-biblical compositions possibly affirms that scribes would have a broad awareness of other ancient texts. Finally, shared ideas and interests between the two books do offer insights into the theological views of the scribes in the Persian period. We may see the historical development of scribal ideas by comparing the two books with other biblical texts and by confirming the diversity and discrepancy within them.
Research Interests: Intertextuality, Biblical Theology, Book of Job, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Wisdom Literature, and 10 moreBook of Isaiah, Scribal Culture, Scribes, Form Criticism, Biblical Wisdom literature, Prophetic Literature, Deutero-Isaiah, Second Isaiah, Scribal Culture In Bible, and Prophetical Literature
(Written in Korean) Kwon, JiSeong J. 특강 잠언 (“Studies on the Book of Proverbs: Israelite Wisdom Discourse for Instruction, Transformation, Character”). Seoul, Korea: InterVarsity Press, 2024.
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Kwon, JiSeong J. 특강 전도서 (“Studies on The Book of Ecclesiastes: A Monologue about Hebel, Death, and Pleasure”). Seoul, Korea: InterVarsity Press, 2021.
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Kwon, JiSeong J. “The Youth Whose Fathers I Would Have Disdained to Set with the Dogs of My Flock (‘내 양 떼를 지키는 개 중에도 둘 만하지 못한 자들’).” Pages 16–25 in Hatred and Korean Christianity (“혐오와 한국기독교”). Edited by JiSeong J. Kwon. Seoul, Korea:... more
Kwon, JiSeong J. “The Youth Whose Fathers I Would Have Disdained to Set with the Dogs of My Flock (‘내 양 떼를 지키는 개 중에도 둘 만하지 못한 자들’).” Pages 16–25 in Hatred and Korean Christianity (“혐오와 한국기독교”). Edited by JiSeong J. Kwon. Seoul, Korea: SamIn Publishing, 2020.
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This edited volume was published in Korean (Seoul, Korea).
Kwon, JiSeong J., ed. Hatred and Korean Christianity (“혐오와 한국기독교”). Seoul, Korea: 삼인출판사, 2020.
Kwon, JiSeong J., ed. Hatred and Korean Christianity (“혐오와 한국기독교”). Seoul, Korea: 삼인출판사, 2020.
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Written in Korean. 특강 욥기 (“Studies on The Book of Job: God’s Drama on Suffering, Justice, and Beauty”). Seoul, Korea: InterVarsity Press, 2019.
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Kwon, JiSeong J., ed. Sexual Violation, the Bible, and Korean Church (in Korean “성폭력, 성경, 한국교회”). Seoul, Korea: CLC, 2019.
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This paper examines various interpretations of Genesis 34 (the violence of Dinah).
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Divine Judgment in Job and Isaiah 40-55 (Written in Korean) The concept of divine judgment in the Old Testament is a distinguishing Hebrew idea when compared to ancient Near Eastern literatures. Yahweh in general is described as God who... more
Divine Judgment in Job and Isaiah 40-55 (Written in Korean)
The concept of divine judgment in the Old Testament is a distinguishing Hebrew idea when compared to ancient Near Eastern literatures. Yahweh in general is described as God who distributes blessing according to Israelites’ obedient behaviours to laws and curse according to their disobedient behaviours to laws. Prophetic literatures agree that the exile of Israel was caused by breaking the covenantal rules with their God. However, what biblical texts like the book of Job and Isaiah 40-55 highlight is certainly distinct from the traditional principle of the punishment and reward, although both books basically believe that Yahweh is the judge. Then, a question comes up; “do writers of both books exclusively consider the divine judgment in the grip of righteous and moral?” The book of Job without doubt deals with the suffering of an individual who is blameless and pious, though Job’s friends appeal to the moral order of divine judgment in their argument and analyse entirely Job’s suffering by the traditional principle of retribution theology. Isaiah 40-55 represents Jacob-Israel as Yahweh’s witness and suffering servant in Isaiah 53 and declares the unconditional forgiveness and restoration of the exiled community, and furthermore the motivation of divine act in Isaiah 40-55 does not depend on human behaviours, but the restoration of Israel counts on God’s own determination and will. In this way, this study explores the idea of divine judgment shown in Job and Deutero-Isaiah and conclusively will compare the distinct idea of divine judgment in Job and Isaiah 40-55 with the theology of Deuteronomy.
The concept of divine judgment in the Old Testament is a distinguishing Hebrew idea when compared to ancient Near Eastern literatures. Yahweh in general is described as God who distributes blessing according to Israelites’ obedient behaviours to laws and curse according to their disobedient behaviours to laws. Prophetic literatures agree that the exile of Israel was caused by breaking the covenantal rules with their God. However, what biblical texts like the book of Job and Isaiah 40-55 highlight is certainly distinct from the traditional principle of the punishment and reward, although both books basically believe that Yahweh is the judge. Then, a question comes up; “do writers of both books exclusively consider the divine judgment in the grip of righteous and moral?” The book of Job without doubt deals with the suffering of an individual who is blameless and pious, though Job’s friends appeal to the moral order of divine judgment in their argument and analyse entirely Job’s suffering by the traditional principle of retribution theology. Isaiah 40-55 represents Jacob-Israel as Yahweh’s witness and suffering servant in Isaiah 53 and declares the unconditional forgiveness and restoration of the exiled community, and furthermore the motivation of divine act in Isaiah 40-55 does not depend on human behaviours, but the restoration of Israel counts on God’s own determination and will. In this way, this study explores the idea of divine judgment shown in Job and Deutero-Isaiah and conclusively will compare the distinct idea of divine judgment in Job and Isaiah 40-55 with the theology of Deuteronomy.
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Scholars have made a variety of arguments in terms of the relationship between the book of Job and Isaiah 40-55 (so-called Deutero-Isaiah), and have in general maintained that the two books have particular lexical, thematic, and... more
Scholars have made a variety of arguments in terms of the relationship between the book of Job and Isaiah 40-55 (so-called Deutero-Isaiah), and have in general maintained that the two books have particular lexical, thematic, and theological resemblances; several key themes include wisdom or prophetic disputation, the suffering servant, creation theology, theodicy, and existential theology. By this hypothesis, they insisted that there was to some degree authorial “allusion”, “quotation”, or “echo” between the two books. However, the claim for this special relationship was not properly investigated and given logical evidence was meager. Further, determining the historical relationship of literary influence only with linguistic parallels is misleading and greatly exaggerated. Therefore, in this essay, I will examine whether detailed cases supporting the literary relationship, that former comparative studies between Job and Isaiah 40-55 usually indicate, can be upheld. If proposed resemblances imply either that the author(s) of Job knew the author of Isaiah 40-55 or that the author of Isaiah 40-55 was aware of the work of Job, how can it be proved? In order to examine the distinctive relationship between texts and to test actual resemblances, I will examine three significant thematic commonalities between the two books; theodicy, suffering servant, and creation. Finally, I will re-examine a particular common expression, לבדו נטה שׁמים (“who stretched out the heavens alone”), between Job 9:8 and Isa 44:24 and will indicate why the given parallel cannot be the proper presentation of a distinctive relationship between the two books.
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This conference was initially planned for April 2020, but due to COVID 19, it has been cancelled and delayed. This conference will be held as Webinar: 30 April – 01 May 2021 (Friday–Saturday) [Webinars] 2021 SNSF Conference... more
This conference was initially planned for April 2020, but due to COVID 19, it has been cancelled and delayed. This conference will be held as Webinar: 30 April – 01 May 2021 (Friday–Saturday)
[Webinars] 2021 SNSF Conference Université de Lausanne (IRSB)
Title: Was Wisdom Transformed to the Torah in Second Temple Judaism?:
The Reception of the Torah in and beyond Israelite and Jewish Wisdom Literature
Organizers:
Prof. Thomas Römer (Collège de France, France; University of Lausanne, Swiss)
Dr. JiSeong J. Kwon (Université de Lausanne, Swiss; Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies, Korea)
Information
Date: 30 April – 01 May 2021 (Friday–Saturday)
Time: 13h00 (30 April)–17h30 (01 May) [Standard Time: CEST (UTC +2)]
This conference will be held by Webinar (ZOOM).
Online Registration (for General Participants)
There is no registration fee for this conference.
Except for invited presenters, participants should write and submit the on-line registration form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lMfsdXxzhjJgi6Py6buy-mu8RWL9-ihVJf7HO3FAmq4/edit
For conference webinar (ZOOM) access code and password will be sent to each person after confirming the registration form.
[Webinars] 2021 SNSF Conference Université de Lausanne (IRSB)
Title: Was Wisdom Transformed to the Torah in Second Temple Judaism?:
The Reception of the Torah in and beyond Israelite and Jewish Wisdom Literature
Organizers:
Prof. Thomas Römer (Collège de France, France; University of Lausanne, Swiss)
Dr. JiSeong J. Kwon (Université de Lausanne, Swiss; Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies, Korea)
Information
Date: 30 April – 01 May 2021 (Friday–Saturday)
Time: 13h00 (30 April)–17h30 (01 May) [Standard Time: CEST (UTC +2)]
This conference will be held by Webinar (ZOOM).
Online Registration (for General Participants)
There is no registration fee for this conference.
Except for invited presenters, participants should write and submit the on-line registration form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lMfsdXxzhjJgi6Py6buy-mu8RWL9-ihVJf7HO3FAmq4/edit
For conference webinar (ZOOM) access code and password will be sent to each person after confirming the registration form.
Research Interests:
[Conference] Was Wisdom Transformed to Torah in Second Temple Judaism?: The Reception of the Torah in and beyond Israelite and Jewish Wisdom Literature Information Date: 20th–21st March 2020 (Friday–Saturday) Time: 13h00 (20th)–18h00... more
[Conference] Was Wisdom Transformed to Torah in Second Temple Judaism?: The Reception of the Torah in and beyond Israelite and Jewish Wisdom Literature
Information
Date: 20th–21st March 2020 (Friday–Saturday)
Time: 13h00 (20th)–18h00 (21st)
Address: Université de Lausanne, Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB), Unithèque, CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
Organizers:
Prof. Thomas Römer (Université de Lausanne, Collège de France à Paris): thomas.romer@unil.ch
Dr. JiSeong James Kwon (Université de Lausanne): Jiseong.Kwon@unil.ch
Information
Date: 20th–21st March 2020 (Friday–Saturday)
Time: 13h00 (20th)–18h00 (21st)
Address: Université de Lausanne, Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB), Unithèque, CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
Organizers:
Prof. Thomas Römer (Université de Lausanne, Collège de France à Paris): thomas.romer@unil.ch
Dr. JiSeong James Kwon (Université de Lausanne): Jiseong.Kwon@unil.ch
Research Interests: Proverbs, Wisdom, Wisdom Traditions, Book of Job, Book of Genesis, and 14 moreDeuteronomy, Wisdom Literature, Book of Proverbs, Hebrew Wisdom Literature; The Book of Proverbs, Torah/Pentateuch, Book of Deuteronomy, Ben Sira, Torah, Pentateuch, Sirach, Pentateuch Studies, Biblical Wisdom literature, Hebrew Bible, Disability Studies, Deuteronomy and Deuteronomic Studies, and Old Testament - Pentateuch
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Information Date: 20th–21st March 2020 (Friday–Saturday) Time: 13h00 (20th)–18h00 (21st) Address: Université de Lausanne, Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB), Unithèque, CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland Organizers: Prof.... more
Information
Date: 20th–21st March 2020 (Friday–Saturday)
Time: 13h00 (20th)–18h00 (21st)
Address: Université de Lausanne, Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB), Unithèque, CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
Organizers:
Prof. Thomas Römer (Université de Lausanne, Collège de France à Paris): thomas.romer@unil.ch
Dr. JiSeong James Kwon (Université de Lausanne): Jiseong.Kwon@unil.ch
Date: 20th–21st March 2020 (Friday–Saturday)
Time: 13h00 (20th)–18h00 (21st)
Address: Université de Lausanne, Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB), Unithèque, CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
Organizers:
Prof. Thomas Römer (Université de Lausanne, Collège de France à Paris): thomas.romer@unil.ch
Dr. JiSeong James Kwon (Université de Lausanne): Jiseong.Kwon@unil.ch
Research Interests:
Wisdom and Torah as Dynamic Modes of Scribal Discourse in Israel and Early Judaism: Beyond Biblical Genres and Traditions 2019 The New Research Unit Proposal (EABS); Warsaw, Poland, 11-14 August 2019 This workshop organises two sessions... more
Wisdom and Torah as Dynamic Modes of Scribal Discourse in Israel and Early Judaism: Beyond Biblical Genres and Traditions
2019 The New Research Unit Proposal (EABS); Warsaw, Poland, 11-14 August 2019
This workshop organises two sessions in Warsaw 2019. The first session invites papers that address Israelite and Jewish wisdom texts as “dynamic modes of cultural discourse” in the relationship with the Mosaic discourse including Pentateuchal narrative, law, and diverse interpretations. The second session welcomes papers that deal with certain intertexts between Wisdom—Proverbs/Job/Ecclesiastes/Ben Sira/Wisdom of Solomon/Baruch/Qumran sapiential texts [4Q525, 4Q185, 4Qinstruction, 4Q424, the Book of Mysteries], etc—and Mosaic discourses—laws (legal texts), narratives, and interpretations including Apocrypha and Qumran materials—in the Second Temple period.
2019 The New Research Unit Proposal (EABS); Warsaw, Poland, 11-14 August 2019
This workshop organises two sessions in Warsaw 2019. The first session invites papers that address Israelite and Jewish wisdom texts as “dynamic modes of cultural discourse” in the relationship with the Mosaic discourse including Pentateuchal narrative, law, and diverse interpretations. The second session welcomes papers that deal with certain intertexts between Wisdom—Proverbs/Job/Ecclesiastes/Ben Sira/Wisdom of Solomon/Baruch/Qumran sapiential texts [4Q525, 4Q185, 4Qinstruction, 4Q424, the Book of Mysteries], etc—and Mosaic discourses—laws (legal texts), narratives, and interpretations including Apocrypha and Qumran materials—in the Second Temple period.
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"기독교"와 "성폭력" (Sexual Violation and Rape)이라는 주제로 신/구약 그리고 기독교 윤리와 관련된 연구자들과 학자들의 다양한 글을 모으고 있습니다.
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[Book Review] Tracking the Master Scribe: Revision through Introduction in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature Written by Sara J. Milstein
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Mark R. Sneed, ed. Was There a Wisdom Tradition?: New Prospects in Israelite Wisdom Studies. Ancient Israel and its literature 23. Atlanta: SBL, 2015.
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Reviewed by Wilson de Angelo Cunha, Bibliotheca Orientalis 76 (2019), pp. 525-529.
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Horizons", signifies a comprehensive exploration of the Book of Job, uncovering fresh insights and reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens, while addressing current issues, introducing new paradigms, and looking towards future... more
Horizons", signifies a comprehensive exploration of the Book of Job, uncovering fresh insights and reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens, while addressing current issues, introducing new paradigms, and looking towards future horizons in biblical scholarship. General Description This edited volume is a collection of cutting-edge essays on the book of Job, one of the most enigmatic and challenging texts in the Bible. While Job has traditionally been classified as a wisdom book along with Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, wisdom Psalms, Ben Sira, and the Wisdom of Solomon, recent scholarship has questioned this categorisation and highlighted Job's distinctive ideology and theology that diverge from the conventional wisdom genre. Moreover, Job's dialogue and prose-tale have been shown to draw on a variety of non-Israelite and Israelite intertexts, reflecting its complex literary and historical context. In light of these developments, this book aims to reexamine and re-interpret the text of Job from multiple perspectives and disciplines. The contributors are leading scholars from America, Africa, Asia, and Europe who offer fresh insights and innovative methods to stimulate academic dialogue and foster cross-cultural communication.