Suffering and Flourishing : Ecclesiastes

Book chapter

Stump, Eleonore. (2024). Suffering and Flourishing : Ecclesiastes. In Paradox and Contradiction in Theology pp. 130-153 Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003319221-10
AuthorsStump, Eleonore
Abstract

Central to Christian theology are certain paradoxical claims attributed to Christ, such as “whoever will lose his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). Such paradoxical sayings are often interpreted this way: what is lost are worldly goods and what is saved are goods of the spiritual realm, and the spiritual realm is incommensurably greater than the earthly realm. But then how are human beings to live in this world? The biblical book most focused on this question is the book of Ecclesiastes. One recurrent theme of the book is that everything human beings care about is just vanity. But Ecclesiastes also recurrently recommends joy in the small goods of everyday life. What is notable about the paradoxical character of the combined claims in Ecclesiastes is that they cannot be reconciled in the way that the paradoxical sayings of Christ are. The realm in which a person can rejoice in the small goods of his day is apparently the same realm as the one in which everything is vanity. In this chapter, I explore the way in which the paradoxical character of the themes of Ecclesiastes is resolved to give a particular view of the good for human life.

KeywordsHumanities; Theology; Christianity
Page range130-153
Year01 Jan 2024
Book titleParadox and Contradiction in Theology
PublisherRoutledge
Place of publicationUnited States
ISBN9781032321097
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003319221-10
Web address (URL)https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/acu/detail.action?docID=30724774
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Print28 Sep 2023
Publication process dates
Accepted2023
Deposited25 Jun 2024
Additional information

Copyright © 2023. Taylor & Francis Group. All rights reserved.

Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/90q6x/suffering-and-flourishing-ecclesiastes

Log in to edit

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 32
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Aquinas's Theory of Goodness
Stump, Eleonore. (2022). Aquinas's Theory of Goodness. The Monist. 105(3), pp. 321-336. https://doi.org/10.1093/monist/onac003
The sunflower : Guilt, forgiveness, and reconciliation
Stump, Eleonore. (2021). The sunflower : Guilt, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In In Warmke, Brandon, Nelkin, Dana and McKenna, Michael (Ed.). Forgiveness and Its Moral Dimensions pp. 172 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190602147.003.0008
The true self and life after death in heaven
Stump, Eleonore. (2021). The true self and life after death in heaven. In Death, Immortality and Eternal Life pp. 65-81 Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003058380
Atonement : Response to critics
Stump, Eleonore. (2021). Atonement : Response to critics. Religious Studies. 57(1), pp. 165-178. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034412519000660
Revelation and the veridicality of narratives
Stump, Eleonore. (2021). Revelation and the veridicality of narratives. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion. 13(4), pp. 27-43. https://doi.org/10.24204/EJPR.2021.3734
The Openness of God : Eternity and free will
Stump, Eleonore. (2019). The Openness of God : Eternity and free will. In In Arbour, Benjamin (Ed.). Philosophical Essays Against Open Theism pp. 21 Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315755700
The Personal God of Classical Theism
Stump, Eleonore. (2019). The Personal God of Classical Theism. In In Hazony, Yoram and Johnson, Dru (Ed.). The Question of God's Perfection pp. 65-81 Brill - Rodopi. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004387980_006
Aquinas's ethics - The infused virtues and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
Stump, Eleonore. (2019). Aquinas's ethics - The infused virtues and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses. 95(2), pp. 269-281. https://doi.org/10.2143/ETL.95.2.3286476
The doctrine of the atonement : Response to Michael Rea, Trent Dougherty, and Brandon Warmke
Stump, Eleonore. (2019). The doctrine of the atonement : Response to Michael Rea, Trent Dougherty, and Brandon Warmke. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion. 11(1), pp. 165-186. https://doi.org/10.24204/EJPR.V11I1.2710
The problem of suffering : A Thomistic approach
Stump, Eleonore. (2018). The problem of suffering : A Thomistic approach. In In Trakakis, N. N. (Ed.). The problem of evil : Eight views in dialogue pp. 12-25 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198821625.003.0002
Moral responsibility without alternative possibilities
Stump, Eleonore. (2017). Moral responsibility without alternative possibilities. In Moral Responsibility and Alternative Possibilities: Essays on the Importance of Alternative Possibilities pp. 139-158 Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315199924
Natural Law, Metaphysics, and the Creator
Stump, Eleonore. (2017). Natural Law, Metaphysics, and the Creator. In In Glas, Gerrit and de Ridder, Jeroen (Ed.). The Future of Creation Order pp. 33-49 Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70881-2_2
Theology and the knowledge of persons
Stump, Eleonore. (2017). Theology and the knowledge of persons. In In Ellis, Fiona (Ed.). New models of religious understanding pp. 172-190 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198796732.003.0010
Analytic theology and the richness of classical theism: An interview with eleonore stump
Agustín Echavarría and Eleonore Stump. (2017). Analytic theology and the richness of classical theism: An interview with eleonore stump. Scripta Theologica. 49(1), pp. 85-95. https://doi.org/10.15581/006.49.1.85-95
Love and forgiveness: Swinburne on atonement
Stump, Eleonore. (2016). Love and forgiveness: Swinburne on atonement. In In M. Bergmann and J.E. Brower (Ed.). Reason and faith: themes from Richard Swinburne pp. 148 - 170 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198732648.003.0007
The atonement and the problem of shame
Stump, Eleonore. (2016). The atonement and the problem of shame. Journal of Philosophical Research. 41, pp. 111 - 129. https://doi.org/10.5840/jpr201641859
Atonement and Eucharist
Stump, Eleonore. (2015). Atonement and Eucharist. In O D Crisp and F Sanders (Ed.). Los Angeles Theology Conference. pp. 209 - 226
Augustine on free will
Stump, Eleonore. (2014). Augustine on free will. In In Meconi, David and Stump, E. (Ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Augustine pp. 166 Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9781139178044.014
Faith, wisdom, and the transmission of knowledge through testimony
Stump, Eleonore. (2014). Faith, wisdom, and the transmission of knowledge through testimony. In In L.F. Callahan and T. O'Connor (Ed.). Religious faith and intellectual virtue pp. 1 - 38 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199672158.003.0010
Narrative and the knowledge of persons
Stump, Eleonore. (2013). Narrative and the knowledge of persons. Euresis journal. 5, pp. 153 - 169.
Narrative and the knowledge of persons
Stump, Eleonore. (2013). Narrative and the knowledge of persons. Euresis. 5, pp. 153 - 169.
Not my will but thy will be done: Aquinas and Eckhart on willing what God wills
Stump, Eleonore. (2013). Not my will but thy will be done: Aquinas and Eckhart on willing what God wills. Medieval Mystical Theology. 22(2), pp. 155 - 171. https://doi.org/10.1179/2046572613Z.00000000011
Athens and Jerusalem: The relationship of philosophy and theology
Stump, Eleonore. (2013). Athens and Jerusalem: The relationship of philosophy and theology. The Journal of Analytic Theology. 1(1), pp. 45 - 59.
Atonement and the Cry of Dereliction from the Cross
Stump, Eleonore. (2013). Atonement and the Cry of Dereliction from the Cross. In In S. T. Kolodziejcyk and J. Salamon (Ed.). Knowledge, action, pluralism: Contemporary perspectives in philosophy of religion pp. 167 - 181 Peter Lang Edition.
Christianity and the contemporary challenge
Stump, Eleonore. (2013). Christianity and the contemporary challenge. In In R. Lundin (Ed.). Christ across the disciplines: Past, present, future pp. 117 - 132 William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
The nature of the atonement
Stump, Eleonore. (2012). The nature of the atonement. In In K. Clark and M. Rea (Ed.). Reason, Metaphysics, and Mind: New Essays on the Philosophy of Alvin Plantinga pp. 128 - 144 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199766864.001.0001
The problem of suffering: A Thomistic approach
Stump, Eleonore. (2012). The problem of suffering: A Thomistic approach. In In J. McEvoy, M. Dunne and J. Hynes (Ed.). Thomas Aquinas Teacher and Scholar pp. 101 - 119 Four Courts Press.
Emergence, Causal Powers, and Aristotelianism in Metaphysics
Stump, Eleonore. (2012). Emergence, Causal Powers, and Aristotelianism in Metaphysics. In In R Groff and J Greco (Ed.). Powers and Capacities in Philosophy: The New Aristotelianism pp. 48 - 68 Routledge.
Providence and the problem of evil
Stump, Eleonore. (2012). Providence and the problem of evil. In In B. Davies and E. Stump (Ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas pp. 401 - 417 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195326093.013.0030
God's simplicity
Stump, Eleonore. (2012). God's simplicity. In In B. Davies and E. Stump (Ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas pp. 135 - 146 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195326093.013.0011
Resurrection and the separated soul
Stump, Eleonore. (2012). Resurrection and the separated soul. In In B. Davies and E. Stump (Ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas pp. 458 - 466 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195326093.013.0035
The non-Aristotelian character of Aquinas's ethics: Aquinas on the Passions
Stump, Eleonore. (2011). The non-Aristotelian character of Aquinas's ethics: Aquinas on the Passions. Faith and Philosophy. 28(1), pp. 29 - 43.
Eternity, simplicity, and presence
Stump, Eleonore. (2011). Eternity, simplicity, and presence. In In G. T. Doolan (Ed.). The Science of Being as Being: Metaphysical Investigations pp. 243 - 263 Catholic University of America Press.
The problem of evil and the history of peoples: Think Amalek
Stump, Eleonore. (2011). The problem of evil and the history of peoples: Think Amalek. In In M. Bergmann, M. Murray and M. Rea (Ed.). Divine evil? The moral character of the God of Abraham pp. 179 - 197 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576739.003.0018
Wandering in darkness: Narrative and the problem of suffering
Stump, Eleonore. (2010). Wandering in darkness: Narrative and the problem of suffering Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199277421.001.0001
The problem of evil
Stump, Eleonore. (2010). The problem of evil. In In R. Pasnau (Ed.). Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy pp. 773 - 784 Cambridge University Press.
Modes of knowing: Autism, fiction, and second-person perspectives
Stump, Eleonore. (2009). Modes of knowing: Autism, fiction, and second-person perspectives. Faith and Philosophy. 26(5), pp. 553 - 565.
The problem of evil: Analytic philosophy and narrative
Stump, Eleonore. (2009). The problem of evil: Analytic philosophy and narrative. In In O. Crisp and M. Rea (Ed.). Analytic Theology: New Essays in the Philosophy of Theology pp. 251 - 264 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203567.003.0013
Samson and self-destroying evil
Stump, Eleonore. (2008). Samson and self-destroying evil. In In B. D. Cooperman (Ed.). Philosophers and the Jewish Bible pp. 199 - 218 University Press of Maryland.
Goodness and the nature of faith: Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael
Stump, Eleonore. (2008). Goodness and the nature of faith: Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael. Archivio di Filosofia. 76(1/2), pp. 133 - 140.
The problem of evil and the desires of the heart
Stump, Eleonore. (2008). The problem of evil and the desires of the heart. In In J. Kvanvig (Ed.). Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion pp. 196 - 215
Presence and omnipresence
Stump, Eleonore. (2008). Presence and omnipresence. In In P. Weithman (Ed.). Liberal Faith: Essays in honor of Philip Quinn pp. 59 - 82 University of Notre Dame Press.