The Sage of Time and Chance

The Sage of Time and Chance is a work of fiction based on Ecclesiastes, the most skeptical book in the Bible. Ecclesiastes was written by a Hebrew sage called Koheleth who had the courage to wonder whether human beings were different from animals, and why the mind was limited in its ability to comprehend life. In The Sage of Time and Chance, Koheleth summons translators from all the corners of the Earth to review his provocative manuscript before he dies. The story is set in Jerusalem in the third century BCE, a peaceful period rich in cultural exchange and scholarship. Among the translators who come to the council are a monk from India, a Scythian warrior, and a shaman. Bitter rivalries and misunderstandings make reaching consensus difficult and dangerous. So also does the presence of actual translators of Ecclesiastes from the future, including Jerome (Latin) and Saadia ben Yosef (Arabic). The most unusual translator is a silent child who understands more than all the others what it means to be human--the essential question that drives Koheleth. Led by the child, Koheleth navigates around the pitfalls of cynicism and finds his way back to joy.

""The curious mixture of world-weariness, sharp advice and love, yes love, for the real world has drawn people to Koheleth. Housley builds for us an intriguing back story--a symposium in the sage's house in Israel, a place where people from all corners of the world assemble, argue, listen to shades, and even a computer that speaks across time. We feel this wise son of David's doubts, as he agonizes over every word in his scroll. And his peace too, as 'the silver cord snaps,' as his life moves to its end. To make Koheleth come so to life, in his time, in our time, is Kathleen Housley's great achievement in this wonderful book.""
--Roald Hoffmann, Professor of Chemistry, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

""Kathleen Housley's new book is an engaging meditation on the poetic process of selecting words that carry us beyond the utilitarian and linear. Informed but not overwhelmed by a scholarly understanding of the Bible, the book invites the reader to enjoy the delights found in the time-bending play and translation of words as experienced by the characters who comprise the symposium at the heart of the book.""
--Frank G. Kirkpatrick, Professor of Religion, Trinity College, Hartford, CT


Kathleen L. Housley is the author of nine books. Her poems and essays on science and religion have appeared in many national publications, including Image, The Christian Century, NOVA (MIT Press), Isotope, Ars Medica, Bio Logos (online), and Metanexus (online). She holds degrees in English and interdisciplinary studies from Upsala College and Wesleyan University.