Professor: Dr. Daniel Ragusa
Time: November 15 – 21, 2025

Schedule:
Saturday, November 15, 09:00-12:00
Monday, November 17, 18:00-21:00
Wednesday, November 19, 18:00-21:00
Thursday, November 20, 18:00-21:00
Friday, November 21, 18:00-21:00

Place: Brivibas gatve 291, Riga. Registration necessary for participation.
Language: English, with simultaneous translation channel in Russian (on Zoom).

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines the wisdom and poetic literature of the Old Testament—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs—with special attention to their covenantal structure, redemptive historical context, and literary artistry. We will study these books in the light of Jesus Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Students will be equipped to interpret and apply biblical wisdom in a richer way.

ABOUT PROFESSOR

Dr. Daniel Ragusa is the pastor of Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship in New York City. Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship is a member church of the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA). Dr. Ragusa received his M.Div. from Mid-America Reformed Seminary (2016) and his Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary (2023). He is the author of Fullness of Joy: A Biblical Theology of God with Us (2024) and Exploring Second Peter: The Promise and the Path (2025), a contributing author in Petrus Van Mastricht (1630-1706): Text, Context, and Interpretation (2020), as well as translator and editor of Cornelius Van Til’s Letters from America: A Dutch Reformed Perspective on the Struggle for Orthodoxy in American Presbyterianism (1935–1940) (forthcoming). He has also published academic articles in the MidAmerica Journal of Theology and the Confessional Presbyterian and writes for Reformed Forum (reformedforum.org). He is an adjunct instructor in doctrinal studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He is married with two young children.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Attendance at all class sessions (10%).
2. Required reading (30%) (Please note that the required reading list for Russian- and Englishspeaking groups is different!):
   • Mark Futato, Interpreting the Psalms: An Exegetical Handbook
   • Richard Belcher, Finding Favour in the Sight of God: A Theology of Wisdom Literature
   • Geerhardus Vos, “The Eschatology of the Psalter,” in The Pauline Eschatology
     Deadline: November 21, 2025 (by the end of the course)
3. Writing Assignments:
   • Final Exam (30%): This exam will focus on the structure and major themes of the wisdom books of the Old Testament that we studied in class.
     Deadline: November 30, 2025
   • Exegetical Paper (30%): A 10–12-page exegetical paper on a select psalm that focuses on itsmeaning, literary features, and place within redemptive-history, that is, how we see Christ in the Psalm.
     Deadline: December 14, 2025

INFORMATION:

Andrejs Prieditis, e-mail: aprieditis@brts.edu.lv,
Phone: (371) 26177539.

COURSE OUTLINE:

1. Introduction to Hebrew Poetry
2. Introduction to Wisdom Literature
3. Psalms: Structure, Theology, and Application
4. Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord
5. Job: The Problem of Suffering
6. Ecclesiastes: Meaning under the Sun
7. Song of Songs: True Love