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Scripture Connections
Old Testament Wisdom and Poetry: Contemplating a Lived Faith
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2025
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 9, 2025
I read this as I was teaching through the Poetic Books at my church in Brazil. But I was very disappointed in this book. Even though Caudill clearly knows her stuff and included a ton of information in this book, it was amazing how unhelpful it was for actually teaching through these books of the Bible. (Ecclesiastes was the only helpful chapter, even though she denies Solomonic authorship.)
I'm also uncomfortable with several of her proposals.
- She believes that Job's debates do not reflect real events (p. 25).
- She believes the inscriptions to the Psalms were written later and do not connect to the historical context of the Psalm (p. 52). She depends entirely too much on Goldingay and Brueggemann.
- She was sketchy on whether NT authors utilized Psalms for their own purposes or saw Jesus as the intended fulfillment (pp. 88-89).
- She denies Solomonic authorship of Ecclesiastes (p. 137).
- She denies Solomonic authorship of Song of Songs, finding the idea of a female author "intriguing" (p. 159).
With the unhelpful content and questionable proposals, I was honestly surprised and disappointed that B&H Academic chose to include this in their "Scripture Connections" series.
I'm also uncomfortable with several of her proposals.
- She believes that Job's debates do not reflect real events (p. 25).
- She believes the inscriptions to the Psalms were written later and do not connect to the historical context of the Psalm (p. 52). She depends entirely too much on Goldingay and Brueggemann.
- She was sketchy on whether NT authors utilized Psalms for their own purposes or saw Jesus as the intended fulfillment (pp. 88-89).
- She denies Solomonic authorship of Ecclesiastes (p. 137).
- She denies Solomonic authorship of Song of Songs, finding the idea of a female author "intriguing" (p. 159).
With the unhelpful content and questionable proposals, I was honestly surprised and disappointed that B&H Academic chose to include this in their "Scripture Connections" series.
October 29, 2025
Summary: Introduces the six books: outlines, author, date, message, biblical connections and application.
B & H Academic has launched a new series of introductory texts for the Bible that serve well as either a main or supplemental text in college courses but also are accessible enough for an adult education course. This volume covers six wisdom and poetry books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations.
First, the author sets the books in the context of the whole Old Testament in both Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Then she discusses some basics of Hebrew poetry, focusing on parallelism and the use of acrostics and a discussion of what is meant by “Wisdom” literature. One striking observation is of the “terse” lines in much of this poetry.
Caudill follows this rubric for each of the six books:
1. Outline
2. Author, Date, and Message. Include key background information.
3. Interpretive overview. By sections or genres, how interpreters have approached the book and key passages.
4. Biblical connections. This focuses on how these books either allude to or are alluded to in other parts of the Bible. For example, parallels between Job and the suffering servant in Isaiah are considered.
5. Gospel connections. Quotes or illusions in the New testament are noted. For instance, Caudill includes a chart listing all the Psalms used in the New Testament.
6. Ancient connections. These appear as occasional sidebars, offering examples of similar literature in other ancient Near East cultures. For example, Caudill sets Egyptian Harper songs alongside passages on life and death in Ecclesiastes. These parallels underscore not only similarities but distinctives.
7. Life connections. Here, the focus is on how each book is relevant for life and faith today. Lamentations models expressing grief and anger in honest prayer as well as coming along others in their suffering.
8. Interactive questions help review chapter content as well as interaction with that content with others.
9. Where to find more. Offers resources for further reading and research.
Here are a few of the interesting things I noted. Caudill proposes an exilic or post exilic date for Job, even though the setting is in the time of the patriarchs. She notes terms and grammatical features present in late biblical Hebrew to support this. As do many, she takes a genre approach to Psalms. She also calls attention to the numerous acrostic psalms.. Caudill highlights how the idea of lessons from a father to a son in Proverbs concerning wisdom is a feature in literature from several cultures. She also calls attention to the various types of sayings in Proverbs.
She argues against Solomonic authorship for both Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. One of the sidebars for Ecclesiastes considers all the questions Qohelet asks — some of the most profound questions philosophers ask. For Song of Songs, Caudill lays out different interpretive approaches to the song. She also includes a sketch of a goddess statue which explains Song 4:4. Finally, she highlights the interesting acrostic structure used in Lamentations.
The text is highly accessible for lay audiences but reflects contemporary scholarship. Hebrew is transliterated, except in instances where the writer is calling attention to acrostic patterns. The interactive questions help with both mastery and application of content. The biblical and gospel connections raise student awareness of the intertextual character of scripture. The concise format and reasonable price are also plusses. In sum, this is a marvelous introduction to these six books that will help every student of scripture better understand what they are reading.
_______________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
B & H Academic has launched a new series of introductory texts for the Bible that serve well as either a main or supplemental text in college courses but also are accessible enough for an adult education course. This volume covers six wisdom and poetry books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations.
First, the author sets the books in the context of the whole Old Testament in both Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Then she discusses some basics of Hebrew poetry, focusing on parallelism and the use of acrostics and a discussion of what is meant by “Wisdom” literature. One striking observation is of the “terse” lines in much of this poetry.
Caudill follows this rubric for each of the six books:
1. Outline
2. Author, Date, and Message. Include key background information.
3. Interpretive overview. By sections or genres, how interpreters have approached the book and key passages.
4. Biblical connections. This focuses on how these books either allude to or are alluded to in other parts of the Bible. For example, parallels between Job and the suffering servant in Isaiah are considered.
5. Gospel connections. Quotes or illusions in the New testament are noted. For instance, Caudill includes a chart listing all the Psalms used in the New Testament.
6. Ancient connections. These appear as occasional sidebars, offering examples of similar literature in other ancient Near East cultures. For example, Caudill sets Egyptian Harper songs alongside passages on life and death in Ecclesiastes. These parallels underscore not only similarities but distinctives.
7. Life connections. Here, the focus is on how each book is relevant for life and faith today. Lamentations models expressing grief and anger in honest prayer as well as coming along others in their suffering.
8. Interactive questions help review chapter content as well as interaction with that content with others.
9. Where to find more. Offers resources for further reading and research.
Here are a few of the interesting things I noted. Caudill proposes an exilic or post exilic date for Job, even though the setting is in the time of the patriarchs. She notes terms and grammatical features present in late biblical Hebrew to support this. As do many, she takes a genre approach to Psalms. She also calls attention to the numerous acrostic psalms.. Caudill highlights how the idea of lessons from a father to a son in Proverbs concerning wisdom is a feature in literature from several cultures. She also calls attention to the various types of sayings in Proverbs.
She argues against Solomonic authorship for both Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. One of the sidebars for Ecclesiastes considers all the questions Qohelet asks — some of the most profound questions philosophers ask. For Song of Songs, Caudill lays out different interpretive approaches to the song. She also includes a sketch of a goddess statue which explains Song 4:4. Finally, she highlights the interesting acrostic structure used in Lamentations.
The text is highly accessible for lay audiences but reflects contemporary scholarship. Hebrew is transliterated, except in instances where the writer is calling attention to acrostic patterns. The interactive questions help with both mastery and application of content. The biblical and gospel connections raise student awareness of the intertextual character of scripture. The concise format and reasonable price are also plusses. In sum, this is a marvelous introduction to these six books that will help every student of scripture better understand what they are reading.
_______________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
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