The Hebel World, Its Ambiguities and Contradictions
Drawing on the arguments that hebel is the thesis of Ecclesiastes as well as Qoheleth’s rhetorical tool, this essay examines hebel’s connection with Qoheleth’s ambiguities and contradictions. Understanding hebel in terms of its basic meaning, that is, vapour, we argue that Qoheleth employs the image...
| Published in: | Journal for the study of the Old Testament |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2020]
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Old Testament
/ Historical background
/ Preacher (Motif)
/ Transitoriness
/ Vanitas
/ Hebrew language
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| IxTheo Classification: | HA Bible HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
vapour
B rhetorical B opaque B Qoheleth B Symbol B flux B Rhetoric B ambiguous B Ambiguity B Contradiction |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Drawing on the arguments that hebel is the thesis of Ecclesiastes as well as Qoheleth’s rhetorical tool, this essay examines hebel’s connection with Qoheleth’s ambiguities and contradictions. Understanding hebel in terms of its basic meaning, that is, vapour, we argue that Qoheleth employs the image as his rhetorical strategy because of its opaque and fluctuating character. Being opaque, hebel is an ideal symbol for delineating phenomena which are ambiguous and hard to define. Coupled with its capacity for infinite change, the opacity allows hebel semantic inexhaustibility, making it a versatile device for describing the fluctuating nature of reality. As everything is opaque and in constant change, Qoheleth cannot offer advice in absolute terms and often ends up making contradictory statements. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089220903333 |