Symbol and Rhetoric in Ecclesiastes: The Place of Hebel in Qohelet's Work

by Douglas B. Miller

Interpreters of Ecclesiastes have struggled with the word hebel (traditionally "vanity" but literally "vapor"). The positions they have adopted regarding the term have influenced their interpretation of the book as a whole. This work defends a new thesis for hebel. It presents a methodology for metaphor and symbol, then demonstrates how Qohelet employs hebel in the book with referents related to "insubstantiality," "transience," and "foulness." These...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589830296
• ISBN13: 9781589830295
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 9.1"