Abstract:
This article will be concerned with the question whether the books of Job and Ecclesiastes
can be viewed as (postmodern) wisdom in revolt or not. Three questions underlie this title:
firstly, are the books of Job and Ecclesiastes wisdom books? Secondly, if so, is their wisdom
revolutionary in nature? And thirdly, are there any similarities between the thoughts of Job
and Ecclesiastes on the one hand and that of postmodern thinkers on the other hand? It will be
argued that there are various similarities to be cited between the ideas of the ancient wisdom
writers of Job and Ecclesiastes and more recent postmodern thinkers. This does not, however,
necessarily justify a postmodern tag for the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, but points to a
similarity in thought development between the ancient societies of Job and Ecclesiastes and
the present-day societies. Such similarities are viewed as a clear indication of the meaningful
role which Old Testament wisdom, or wisdom in revolt for that matter, can play in current
intellectual and theological debates.
