Lido ( )

This is from Ignatius Books which is a publisher I like a lot. They started out publishing the work of Swiss theologian Von Balthasar and have produced many other worthwhile titles. This book had two blurber names from the past: Ronda Chervin and Ralph McInerny. Both were philosophy teachers who did much to enhance Catholicism as conversant with modern culture. Kreeft is part of the newer breed of philosophy people urging a focus of attention on Catholicism’s world view.
Here Kreeft tries to develop his own thesis of three Old Testament books linked together to form a loose Divine Comedy in the Dantean sense. This was a novel idea at the time Three Philosophies of Life was written (1989) but is dated now as a title concept. Kreeft says that Ecclesiastes is a version of Dante’s Inferno. The book of Job a version of Dante’s Purgatorio, and The Song of Songs a version of Dante’s Paradiso. Dante wrote a medieval epic poem describing his own journey from being lost at midlife during Good Friday and ends with an Easter Sunday visit to heaven’s upper reaches. Kreeft says the Old Testament books set three different moods which he develops through 140 pages. Kreeft writes a short work doing spiritual exegesis on these three books. Kreeft is at home bringing in Catholic thought and Theology to interpret these scriptures. Because of this, the book is written for Catholics, and mostly for Catholics, to read these three Old Testament works. Or, at least he hopes anyone will read these works as literary masterpieces and see the value in the Catholic interpretation of those works.
The book seems aimed at college students/undergrads who may not be familiar with these books due to their religious associations. Kreeft wants these works to be reevaluated by readers for what they say about current questions about life. The sort of questions which students were supposed to ask during their twenties. Kreeft has an issue when dealing with marriage. His ideas of marriage often come across as dogmatic which is grating to my ears and lacking, not complications, but complexity. Marriage is a sacrament, but he treats like only an ideal and anyone who falls short can never be a true catholic. Sadly, he has one chapter called Love is “sexist”. This is strange to my ears but his views are his own and this is a literary analysis philosophical book. This is minor criticism of mine since the book was otherwise complete in its stated aim. I doubt Dante would endorse his poem’s structure as a way understand these three crucial Old Testament books, but he would appreciate Kreeft’s mission to have people read the Old Testament more seriously and more earnestly as a way to struggle with our individual faith journeys.
A book worth reading. It takes some time to digest his arguments, but it will result in you rereading these great Old Testament literary works which Dante himself knew well. ( )

"I've been a philosopher for all my adult life and the three most profound books of philosophy that I have ever read are Ecclesiastes, Job, and Song of Songs." These are the opening lines of Kreeft's Three Philosophies of Life.

In these three books Kreeft shows how we have Dante's great epic The Divine Comedy played out, from Hell to Purgatory to Heaven. But it is an epic played out in our hearts and lives, here and now. Just as there is movement in Dante's epic, so there is movement in these books, from Ecclesiates to Job, from Job to Song of Songs. Love is the final answer to Ecclesiastes' quest, the alternative to vanity, and the true meaning of life. Finally, Kreeft sees in these books the epitome of theological virtues of faith, hope and love and "an essential summary of the spiritual history of the world."

This book is one of those rare books worth reading twice.

I bought the book while at Tyndale for a course in Wisdom Literature. I pulled it off the self a few weeks ago as a reference work for a sermon I was writing and couldn't stop reading. As Kreeft himself wrote (about Wisdom Literature), "a classic is like a cow: it gives fresh milk every morning" (7). This book will pull you in.

Three Philosophies of Life covers three books of the Bible: Ecclesiastes, Job, and Song of Songs. Kreeft interprets them in sequence.

Ecclesiates

Ecclesiastes is hell. As the first truly existentialist work, the author describes life "under the sun," apart from a God who loves. Kreeft describes this book as a starting point en route to faith. It is "like the silhouette of the rest of the Bible" (23). The final words of Ecclesiastes (whether appended by a later redactor or not) point us toward Job:

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV).

Job

Job is purgatory. Kreeft's footnote on this term demonstrates his sense of humour:

"Note to Protestant readers: please do not throw this book away just yet. I am not presupposing or trying to convert anyone to the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. Here I mean by Purgatory any suffering that purges the soul. It begins in this life. If it is completed in the next, you can just as well call it Heaven's bathroom, if you like. A sanctification by any other name would smell as sweet" (8).

Job followed the advice at the end of Ecclesiastes and suffered greatly. This is still a big spiritual step forward, though, because Job engaged the living God—he didn't merely philosophize at a distance (cf. Ecclesiastes 5).

Kreeft lays out his theodicy here in logical fashion. He uses Augustine to make the problem clear, "If God were all-good, He would will only good, and if He were all-powerful, He would be able to do all that He wills. But there is evil [as well as good]. Therefore God is either not all-good or not all-powerful, or both" (64).

In the end, Job gained the audience with God he desired. Instead of protesting his innocence, however, he was shut up. This encounter is the transition from the suffering purgatory of Job to ...

Song of Songs

Song of Songs is heaven. It is a "double love story, vertical and horizontal, divine and human" (100). As a metaphor, it's been delved by saints of all ages.

Finally, we've reached the point where we understand God as lover and ourselves as beloved. Kreeft reflects on 26 aspects of love, while recognizing that he is only scratching the surface. "For more, both in quantity and quality, go to the saints" (201).

Kreeft's Three Philosophies will make these three ancient books of Scripture come alive in your life. ( )

Kreeft's premise is that there are only three philosophies in life, and each is best illustrated by three books of the Old Testament. The three books are known as wisdom books (aptly named) and are Ecclesiastes--life as vanity, Job--life as suffering, and Song of Songs--life as love. These parallel closely to hell, purgatory, and heaven. (Please do not be turned off by the theological term of purgatory. As Kreeft explains, it is a time full of hope, of transformation, a building of deep faith.)

This book is not an explanation or analysis of these Scriptures. It dwells on the summum bonum question--what is the meaning of life, why are we here, what is the point of it all? Each of these three books attempt to answer it in their own way. And as a result, they are linked together as stepping stones or phases on the path to seeking the answers for ourselves, in seeking God.

Everyone has had experiences of these three areas in their lives in some measure. As I read through each section, I felt my mood change as I found myself identifying deeply with the vanity and purposelessness the Preacher finds in Ecclesiastes, with the loss, doubt, questioning, and hope of Job, and with the love and desire of the lovers in Song of Songs.

Kreeft does a marvelous job throughout the whole book. He manages to tie philosophy, theology, and especially the mystery of God's love (mysticism) in a beautiful tapestry that will warm a seeking soul. ( )

There's a dangerous place in Seattle and it's called Harvest Logos bookstore. To me, it's a Christian bookstore done right--it gives more shelf space to books on theology than on self-help or fiction. In short, it offers a lot of good things to read. But it's run by a dangerous man named Michael. Michael will take an active interest in what you are browsing for and offer suggestions as to good things to read. And since there are good books for him to suggest and since his suggestions are sound, I spend more money there than I plan on. Anyway, on one visit, Michael directed my attention to a collection of books by Peter Kreeft, a philosphy professor who had just been in town for a lecture. I politely looked at the collection and noticed his book Three Philosophies of Life, which is an overview of the Biblical books of Ecclesiastes, Job and Song of Songs. I was planning to study Job, and on last minute impulse I grabbed the book. Once again I was not disappointed. Three Philosophies of Life is not a commentary, where the Bible is dissected and analyzed, but rather a contemplation of the three books, a look at the whole refracted through the lens of our modern culture and the human heart. Professor Kreeft sees the three biblical books as an expression of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, respectively. Ecclesiastes is "Life as Vanity", or life without God -- an empty existence under the sun. Job is "Life as Suffering", a life that also is missing the presence of our Heavenly Father but one that actively seeks, and hopes, for Him. Song of Songs is "Life as Love", the romance fulfilled and celebrated. As Kreeft studies these three outlooks on life, his own love for God pours through and entices the reader to come along and discover the our own love affair with God. This book is on my shelf, without a doubt. Unfortunately, it's not the only book written by Kreeft and Michael had a nice booklist of all the other things Professor Kreeft has written. Oh, well, who needs money anyway....
--J. ( )