The Hebel World, Its Ambiguities and Contradictions

Autor:	Samuel T. S. Goh
Rok vydání:	2020
Předmět:	Symbol media_common.quotation_subject Philosophy Rhetoric Religious studies Rhetorical question Contradiction Epistemology media_common
Zdroj:	Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. 45:198-216
ISSN:	1476-6728 0309-0892
DOI:	10.1177/0309089220903333
Popis:	Drawing on the arguments that hebel is the thesis of Ecclesiastes as well as Qoheleth’s rhetorical tool, this essay examines hebel’s connection with Qoheleth’s ambiguities and contradictions. Understanding hebel in terms of its basic meaning, that is, vapour, we argue that Qoheleth employs the image as his rhetorical strategy because of its opaque and fluctuating character. Being opaque, hebel is an ideal symbol for delineating phenomena which are ambiguous and hard to define. Coupled with its capacity for infinite change, the opacity allows hebel semantic inexhaustibility, making it a versatile device for describing the fluctuating nature of reality. As everything is opaque and in constant change, Qoheleth cannot offer advice in absolute terms and often ends up making contradictory statements.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::6532924edf5e96ecf5a3ae513ccf03f9 https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089220903333 Zobrazit plný text záznamu