The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness

Brent A. Strawn is Associate Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.

• Preface ; Abbreviations ; Contributors ; Introduction Brent A. Strawn, "The Bible and Happiness?" ; Part I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament ; Introduction to Part I ; Terence E. Fretheim, "God, Creation, and the Pursuit of Happiness" ; Nathan MacDonald, "Is There Happiness in the Torah?" ; Jacqueline Lapsley, "A Happy Blend: Isaiah's Vision of Happiness (and Beyond)" ; William P. Brown, "Happiness and Its Discontents in the Psalms" ; Carol A. Newsom, "Positive Psychology and Ancient Israelite Wisdom" ; Part II. New Testament ; Introduction to Part II ; Carl R. Holladay, "The Beatitudes: Happiness and the Kingdom of God" ; Joel B. Green, "We Had to Celebrate and Rejoice!' Happiness in the Topsy-Turvy World of Luke-Acts" ; Colleen Shantz, "I Have Learned to Be Content': Happiness according to St. Paul" ; Greg Carey, "Finding Happiness in Apocalyptic Literature" ; Part III. Beyond the Bible: ; Continuing the Conversation into Other Disciplines ; Introduction to Part III ; Ellen T. Charry, "The Necessity of Divine Happiness: A Response from Systematic Theology" ; Thomas G. Long, "A Constructed Happiness: A Response from Practical Theology" ; Steven J. Sandage, "The Transformation of Happiness: A Response from Counseling Psychology" ; Epilogue Brent A. Strawn, "The Triumph of Life: Towards a Biblical Theology of Happiness" ; Appendix Michael J. Chan, "A Biblical Lexicon of Happiness" ; Bibliography ; Index

These essays are from some of our most solid and respected scholars, who evidence great skill in moving from close textual work to more generalized conclusions...This is a welcome book, the only one of its kind in the discipline...This is a bold and compelling beginning of an important probe about faith and culture.