Lesson planning

This semester I’ve been assisting a colleague as a teaching constituent for his History of the Old Testament class. Several months ago was promised a lecture of choice. I have always been drawn to difficult biblical texts; therefore I decided to work with Ecclesiastes. I’ve been preparing my lecture for several days in advance, but I might have my work cut out for me. I have one week to prepare my presentation. Why is this text difficult? Ecclesiastes (or Qoheleth) is an important part of the Israelite wisdom tradition and asks, perhaps, the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life?” One can only imagine the difficulty of this question with respect to Qoheleth’s treatment of meaning, life, and death. I am thrilled, nonetheless, to share my knowledge of the Old Testament with these inquisitive, bright students. The timing of this lesson (I believe) is perfect. The students at North Central College end their semester at the beginning of May. Ecclesiastes marshals a sense of “immediacy” in its readers/hearers. This ushers the readers/hearers to reflect upon his or her life in light of the reality that one day, everything he or she knows will change because of the reality of death. Sounds terrible, right? The reality, however, is that death doesn’t wait for anyone. I think that this text is one of the most important morsels that are included in the canon because it addresses big, perennial questions of life and death – and how we should live in light of them. It is truly beautiful literature. I best get back to work. Have a wonderful night.

-Dan