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To better appreciate the relevance of the Dialogue of Pessimism for today, and how this relates to the canonicity of Qoheleth’s speech in Ecclesiastes, we now compare and contrast it with its modern counterpart: The Myth of Sisyphus by Nobel Prize-winning existentialist Albert Camus.
- I. Introductory Data.
- II. Outline of Ecclesiastes.
- More Thoughts on Ecclesiastes
The name of this book in the Hebrew is Qoheleth from the word qahal to call an assembly (the verb) or an assembly (the noun). (Note the similarity to Greek kaleo and English “call”). The LXX working from ekklesiatranslated it as Ecclesiastes or one who speaks to an assembly. The idea of the “preacher” is not so much the modern one, but refers to a ...
A. Introduction (1:1‑11).
1. The author is Qoheleth, the son of David, King in Jerusalem. This requires it to be a king and possibly Solomon. But the point is not to provide biography but a philosophy. 2. The main idea of the book is set out in verse 2 with the oft recurring phrase: “Vanity of Vanities.” This word is used 38 times in the book. It is intensive in 1:2; 12:7: “the most futile.”4The word “God” appears 39 times in the book. “Under the sun” occurs 29 times. 3. The preacher begins to develop his theme: the r...
B. The preacher provides a counterpoint to the teaching of wisdom by showing the exceptions to the general rule (1:12‑18).
1. His position allowed him to pursue wisdom (1:12). 2. His search showed him that life is full of futility (1:13‑16). a. The crooked cannot be made straight (i.e., what God has done cannot be undone) (1:15). b. Wisdom, though it is the result of fear of the Lord, brings pain because of the knowledge it provides (1:17‑18).
C. The preacher sets out to determine what would make life worthwhile (2:1‑26).
1. He discusses the process of the search (2:1‑11). a. He tested pleasure, laughter, and wine (2:1‑3). b. He tested building projects (2:4‑6). c. He tested life through slaves and other experiences including concubines (2:7‑8). d. He had more than anyone had before him—the result was futility (2:9‑11). 2. He evaluates what he has learned (2:12‑17). a. He acknowledges that wisdom is better than foolishness (a standard wisdom teaching, of course) (2:12‑14). b. Yet, he says, both the wise man an...
God’s sovereignty:
God does things in the world that cannot be changed. “What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted” (1:15 with 7:13). The idea that there is a time appointed for everything (3:1-8) implies that God is sovereignly in control of the events of this life. This idea is taken up in 9:1 when he says that “righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God.” A similar idea is found in 11:5 where God’s work is beyond man’s knowledge. God’s work in the live...
Man’s limitation
Whatever profit, advantage (yetherיֶתֶר) means, the implication of 1:3 and other verses like it is that man is limited in his ability to enjoy life. Related to this is the inability of man to comprehend the vast creation of God (1:8). This sounds a bit like Job who is silenced when challenged to do this very thing. Man’s ignorance of life is set out in 3:11 (“yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end”), in 7:14 (“So that man may not disco...
Limits of Wisdom
In his opening unit, Qoheleth uses the word “wisdom” five times to say that he used wisdom in the sense of special ability to accomplish something without producing answers to the riddle of life (1:13-18). Furthermore, all the wealth gained by wise actions is eaten up (6:7-9). By wise action, one should be able to learn what life is all about, but Qoheleth says that all his efforts only led him to the conclusion that the wise man cannot really say, “I know” (8:17). The fool and the wise man s...
Sep 11, 2019 · Qoheleth was primarily concerned with life’s “coherence,” which depends on predictable and reliable patterns in life that render it sensible, yet he also addressed life’s “purpose” and “significance.”
- Arthur Keefer
- 2019
Jun 6, 2015 · They would say that the narrator speaks a little too negatively about kings. And if he’s a king, he wouldn’t speak that way about himself and others who are in his position. There’s also a place in Ecclesiastes where Koheleth speaks of those who reigned before him in Jerusalem.
Ecclesiastes 1:12-6:9. New American Bible (Revised Edition) I. Qoheleth’s Investigation of Life. Twofold Introduction. 12 I, Qoheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 and I applied my mind to search and investigate in wisdom all things that are done under the sun. A bad business God has given.
Jan 4, 2022 · Qoheleth, a Hebrew word meaning “preacher,” “teacher,” or “a collector of sayings,” appears in the first verse of the book of Ecclesiastes. In fact, the literal Hebrew title of this book is “The Words of Qoheleth, the Son of David, King in Jerusalem,” which is often shortened to simply “ Qoheleth.”. The Preacher (or Teacher ...
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The superscription of the book identifies Qoheleth as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” Qoheleth 1:12 repeats that he was king over Israel. He was traditionally identified as Solomon.
