Three Philosophies of Life: Ecclesiastes, Life As Vanity Job, Life As Suffering Song of Songs, Life As Love

Rating:
Summary: Stellar (& not at all slapdash)
Review: Haven't read this book in four years (gave my copy to my cousin in the northern wilderness), but if memory serves, Kreeft's exegesis of these three Old Testament books was well thought out, occasionally colloquial, scholarly but not impenetrable, inspiring, apt, delightful.

The readers who prefer the actual Biblical books being discussed to Kreeft's essays about those books are, of course, right in their preference -- but it should be added that, for this reader at least, Kreeft's "Philosophies" inspired us to take long, deep, reverent looks at the texts in question. Which we might not have done otherwise.

We are perhaps entitled to disagree with a few of his notions, or argue that emphasis has been misplaced here or there -- but the reader who would not benefit in some way from Kreeft's engaging study is, I would venture to say, in a very small minority.

We remember liking best the explication of the Song of Songs. The reader who is not stirred spi!ritually and intellectually by this part of the book, we believe, asymptotically approaches the inanimate.

Have begun to read a fairly recent book by Dr Kreeft, his "Prayer for Beginners," also published by Ignatius Press. Do we exaggerate if we call Dr Kreeft a lay counterpart to the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, an engaging lecturer-writer of unquestioned intellect and of companionable accessibility?

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, just wonderful!
Review: I just finished this book, and it has jumped almost to the top of my list of books. It is a wonderful explanation of three books of the Bible that I never would have considered together. I love it!

Rating:
Summary: If You Liked "Tuesdays With Morrie," Check Out This Book
Review: This is a fantastic book, but I'm afraid the title turns off many potential readers. In the book, the author Peter Kreeft indicates that the title, "The Three Philosophies of Life," was not his idea, but rather his publisher's, and that he had other ideas for the title. This book is more in the vein of practical and inspiring wisdom literature along the lines of Seneca, Epictetus, Epicurus, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, and Le Petit Prince, etc., than it is standard philosophy along the lines of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Sartre, etc. Maybe someday the publisher will reissue this book with a better title. In the meantime, check it out. This book is about life itself, in all of its depths and riches, heights and hardships. The author is a Catholic Christian, and the book deals with three books of the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament"), yet the book is not preachy at all; I believe readers of any religion or no religion will find this book enjoyable and helpful. This book has a great deal in common with the Mitch Albom's bestseller "Tuesdays With Morrie." Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: If You Liked "Tuesdays With Morrie," Check Out This Book
Review: This is a fantastic book, but I'm afraid the title turns off many potential readers. In the book, the author Peter Kreeft indicates that the title, "The Three Philosophies of Life," was not his idea, but rather his publisher's, and that he had other ideas for the title. This book is more in the vein of practical and inspiring wisdom literature along the lines of Seneca, Epictetus, Epicurus, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, and Le Petit Prince, etc., than it is standard philosophy along the lines of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Sartre, etc. Maybe someday the publisher will reissue this book with a better title. In the meantime, check it out. This book is about life itself, in all of its depths and riches, heights and hardships. The author is a Catholic Christian, and the book deals with three books of the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament"), yet the book is not preachy at all; I believe readers of any religion or no religion will find this book enjoyable and helpful. This book has a great deal in common with the Mitch Albom's bestseller "Tuesdays With Morrie." Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Irrelevant gibberish meant to sound intelligent.
Review: Until I read this book, all I knew about Ecclesiasties was that it was the source of the lyrics for that Byrds song. Kreeft opened my eyes to the wealth of philosophy (in the Bible? ) in this book. It's amazing how modern the thought presented here is. The idea that life has no meaning is by no means a new one, and the author of Ecclesiasties expounds on that fact as well as any modern philosopher. Kreeft says that when he teaches his Bible class at Boston College, he teaches Ecclesiasties first, because the rest of the Bible is the answer to the question Ecclesiasties poses.

The other two sections of the book are just as eye-opening, but the one on Ecclesiasties surprised me the most. "Three Philosophies" is a great, thought-provoking little book.

Rating:
Summary: Slapsash Biblical exposition
Review: You'd be better advised to spend your time with these three lovely Bible books than with Kreeft's superficial work on them. I tend generally to agree with Kreeft on theological and cultural issues, but there's a slapdash quality to his books that can get on one's nerves. Kreeft tends to force the text he's expounding to say what he's determined it's darned well going to say. For example, I don't buy Kreeft's idea that Ecclesiastes tells us what life is like without God.