Encountering Ecclesiastes: A Book for Our Time

Too often neglected or stigmatized as overly pessimistic, the book of "Ecclesiastes" speaks eloquently to the uncertainties and anxieties that people have experienced through the centuries. James Limburg brings to life this ancient book and shows how it still offers wisdom and hope in our probing, questioning twenty-first-century times. Drawing on years of careful study and classroom exposition, Limburg takes readers through this fascinating book systematically, pointing out connections to Jewish festivals and New Testament themes and incorporating interpretations by Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rabbi Harold Kushner. He illuminates the contemporary existential themes in "Ecclesiastes" - the quest for meaning in life, the incompleteness of our knowledge, the place of work in human lives, and the need to discover God amid life's uncertainties. And Limburg argues that, instead of a summons to flee the concerns of this world, "Ecclesiastes" is really a call to worldly involvement. Not a highly technical, verse-by-verse commentary but rather a fresh, relevant discussion arising from Limburg's extensive teaching experience, "Encountering Ecclesiastes" will be ideal for students, church study groups, and any reader seeking to understand the timeless wisdom of "Ecclesiastes".