PDF Three Philosophies of Life EcclesiastesLife as Vanity JobLife as Suffering Song of SongsLife as Love Peter Kreeft 9780898702620 Books

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Product details Paperback 140 pages Publisher Ignatius Press; 58890th edition (June 1, 1990) Language English ISBN-10 9780898702620 ISBN-13 978-0898702620 ASIN 0898702623

Three Philosophies of Life EcclesiastesLife as Vanity JobLife as Suffering Song of SongsLife as Love Peter Kreeft 9780898702620 Books Reviews

• The great Peter Kreeft turns his attention to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes Life as
  Vanity, Job Life as Suffering, and Song of Songs Life as Love. He describes them as a philosophy reflecting
  the last things-Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) as hell on earth, Job as purgatory on earth, and Song of Songs as
  heaven on earth.
  
  I was glad that this great teacher seemed to find Ecclesiastes as interesting as I did when I was a late
  teenager. It is the question to which the rest of the Bible is the answer, as Kreeft also pointed out in
  You Can Understand the Bible. It is the only book of pure philosophy in the Bible, the only book
  where God is silent. Life as vanity, not meaning looking in the mirror but meaninglessness. Although
  written before the time of Jesus, the book (attributed to Solomon) is similar to the existentialists of
  today, like Sartre with his Nausea.
  
  Kreeft's best book in my opinion is Making Sense Out of Suffering, his tribute to C.S. Lewis' Problem
  of Pain. So it's no surprise that he's got a sharp analysis of Job, bringing his expert logical skills to
  look at the problem of evil. But it's not just the problem of evil, it's the problem of God. The difference
  between Ecclesiastes and Job is that God speaks at the beginning and the end. We know that Job is
  just, even though his friends don't think so, because the author, and more importantly, God, say so
  at the beginning. And at the end, God speaks, because Job finally is silent long enough to listen. Even
  when he was on the dungheap, Job was God's beloved.
  
  Finally, there's the Song of Songs. This is both a human love song at the literal level, and at the spiritual
  level an allegory for the union of God and the soul and Christ and the Church. Kreeft uses this as an
  opportunity to explain the principle of the Catholic both/and. Solomon had 900 wives, but wasn't
  happy until he found love. Whether or not Solomon was the historical author of Ecclesiastes and
  Song of Songs, he is associated with the wisdom tradition, so those connections can be made between
  the different texts. I was curious where he would go with the idea that "love is 'sexist' ". It was just the
  basic point that God is He/Him in relationship to the soul because He impregnates the soul with love.
  As Lewis had said, we are all feminine in relationship to God. This point also goes back to Bernard
  of Clairvaux. It has falsely been blamed for the feminization of Christian faith, which is due to other
  factors such as the loss of faith in France after the revolution. At a more basic level, God is He simply
  because if you are a Christian, Jesus revealed him as the Father.
  
  Kreeft notes that he is "over my head" following Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Bernard,
  John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and many other Fathers, Doctors and saints in commenting on the
  song of songs. Well, Kreeft is one of the finest writers of our time.
• "The beginning stage of love is to believe there is only one kind of love. The middle stage of love is to believer there are many kinds of love and the Greeks had different words for each. The ending stage of love is to believe there is one kind of love." Frederick Buechner.
  
  I've read this book three times, portions of it more, and bought it for others.
  
  Kreeft's gift is a combination of Dallas Willard and C.S. Lewis rigorous thinking rendered well. He shows the connections and integrity (wholeness) of vast swaths of three key OT books -- the linearity, the overlapping, the timeliness and timelessness, the overlapping, the linearity.
  
  Read the book in order; it's like that for a reason.
• Even better than Dr. Kreeft's usual. Wonderful, clear, and interesting explanations of the three of the most challenging books of the bible. Kept my attention and stimulated outside reading. The only complaint is the dreadful editing of the kindle edition. It is occasionally unreadable due to the lack of competence by the editors.
• Peter Kreeft has the ability to sort out the weighty matters of life in a smooth and concise way. In the "Three Philosophies of Life..." he manages to reveal the meaning of three Old Testament books, "Ecclesiastes," "Job," and "Song of Songs (Solomon)," and apply them lyrically to the patterns of our lives. His books are so stirring that they manage to sort us out as well as the subject matter. He shows us three aspects of life "Much of our life is vanity," "the meaning of suffering," and "the manifestation and importance of love." He challenges the reader without ever being opaque--not an easy task with such deep material. Being straighforward and smooth, he seldom uses parenthetical matter to interrupt his own thoughts. This is a brilliant work from a brilliant author and teacher.
• Kreeft does a very nice job of adding life perspective that is universal to the human condition as he develops Biblical understanding of vanity, suffering and love. If you are planning on reading Ecclesiastes, Job, or Song of Songs reading Kreeft alongside will add to the enjoyment and depth that you take away from that experience.
• Dr. Kreeft explains the complex by weaving us through a tapestry of phrases and pictures that makes the content come alive. Never before have I seen an explanation of three books of the Bible offered as a visual through a window on a moving train that seems to make the journey meaningful.
• You know what? So many times philosophy books give pure abstract ideas, which is fine for those who are exercised in thinking in pure abstract; but, I often struggle to really grab hold of an idea until someone throws me a bone, and gives me some practical examples and illustrations. Well, this is what Peter Kreeft has done here in Three Philosophies of Life. To dig into the structure of the books of Ecclesiastes, Job and Song of Songs to extrapolate the most difficult and unavoidable areas of life meaninglessness and suffering. What a blessing though to have such a biblical scholar help walk us through these critical issues. Of course, Peter Kreeft doesn't stop there as he goes on to give us not only a superb analysis' and responses through vanity and suffering, but also continues with the greatest law of life and teaching of all teachings, the many facets of love --most especially sacrificial love.
  Ya, one of the best books I've read in awhile. My mom is reading it now and she loves it too.
• Merry never disappoints. A great read and very insightful. It opened up The Song of Songs to me in a way I never considered before. I highly recommend.