Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, and the Question of God (original) (raw)
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Debating Wisdom: The Role of Voice in Ecclesiastes
This paper argues for the presence of three distinct voices in Ecclesiastes: Qfn, Qs, and Qp. Qfn is the Frame-Narrator. Speaking in the third person, he introduces and concludes the skeptic’s words and worldview via proverbial reflections. His trademark phrases are “vanity of vanities” and “says the Preacher.” Qs is the voice of Qoheleth taking on the persona of Solomon. Speaking in the first person, he is Qoheleth’s foil, the skeptic whose views will ultimately be defeated by Qp, the Preacher. If even Solomon, the richest and wisest man in ancient Israel, could find life meaningless, how much more would that be the case for the hoi polloi? Despite the futility of Solomon’s endeavors, Qp teaches his students to fear God, keep his commandments, and consider the works of God, because “God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (12:14).
Will Kynes (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and Wisdom Literature, Oxford: Oxford University Press. , 2021
The figure of Qoheleth draws upon the historical figure of King Solomon. Though traditionally dated to that time, linguistic clues within Ecclesiastes have led scholars to consider the work a later composition. The purpose of the fictionalized royal setting of the work is then to concretize effectively its central idea: the futility of wealth, power, and wisdom in the face of the arbitrariness of death. Qoheleth is notable within his literary milieu for exercising independent judgment based on his observed environment. This central feature of the work has led scholars to explore parallels between Ecclesiastes and other ancient philosophical and sapiential literature, though no conclusive evidence of direct influence has been found. The dissonance between Qoheleth's numerous conservative statements and skeptical observations contradicting traditional beliefs is the most characteristic theme of the work.
Qohelet's Courtly Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2006
ECCLESIASTES 8:1-9 has long posed interpretive problems. William A. Irwin remarked on the views of his contemporaries in 1945, "By common consent we have here a series of more or less disconnected comments, perhaps in some way gathered about the general theme of monarchs and despots." 1 This fragmenting interpretive tendency, undoubtedly facilitated by a text that is among the most difficult in the book, is not merely a thing of the past. Several scholars have more recently expressed doubts about the coherence of the passage, interpreting it as a dialectic between traditional wisdom and contrary, relativizing statements. 2 In addition to these assumptions regarding the role of traditional material, problems in delimiting the scope of the passage and radically different translations of A version of this essay was presented under the title "Visionaries, Kings, and the Rhetoric of Retribution in Ecclesiastes 8:1-9" at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 2003.1 am grateful for the insights and conversation at that venue and also especially for the comments and criticisms of C. L. Seow. All of the essay's shortcomings are my own. 1 William A. Irwin, "Ecclesiastes 8:2-9," JNES4 (1945) 130-31, here 130. 2 Diethelm Michel ("Qohelet Probleme: Überlegungen zu Qoh 8,2-9 und 7,11-14," Theologia Viatorum 15 [1979-80] 81-103, esp. 87-92) believes that 8:2-5 is a quotation of traditional wisdom that is critiqued in w. 6-9. He is followed by Pane Beentjes, "'Who Is Like the Wise?': Some Notes on Qohelet 8, 1-15," in Qohelet in the Context of Wisdom (ed. Anton Schoors; BETL 136; Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1998) 303-15, here 306. Roland E. Murphy {Ecclesiastes [WBC 23A; Dallas: Word, 1992] 82) sees w. 2-4 as modifying v. 1, w. 6-12a as modifying v. 5, and vv. 14-15 opposing vv. 12b-13. Norbert Lohfink (Kohelet [NEchtB; 4th ed.; Würzburg: Echter Verlag, 1993] 60) also proposes the final two pairs of opposition. Evidence of this tendency is found also in the most recent full-scale commentary on Ecclesiastes by Ludger Schwienhorst-211 212 THE CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY | 68,2006
A Wise Man Reflecting on Wisdom: Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes
Tyndale Bulletin, 2020
This paper looks at Qoheleth's ambivalent attitude towards wisdom and being wise. At times wisdom is his presupposition, his strength, and his benchmark for judging everything; at other times he sees its limitations and relativity in the light of divine unpredictability and human death. This is not contradictory; rather, Qoheleth weighs up proverbs and provides an interpretation of them, fulfilling the description of him in 12:9. Whilst some see the Epilogist as critical of the wise, using Qoheleth's own words to discredit the wisdom movement, I maintain that this is not the case; rather, the Epilogue reinforces Qoheleth's approach to the wisdom task.
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ecclesiastes
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ecclesiastes, 2020
There is a significant overlap, of course, between Schoors' 2013 commentary and his earlier works-in particular The Preacher I and II. The commentary became available only after I had finished a significant proportion of my own work, and I have retained existing references to these other studies, but noted places where the views expressed in his commentary differ.
The contribution of the theme of divine judgment to the argument of the book of Ecclesiastes
There has been no general agreement among scholars about the argument of the book of Ecclesiastes. There are several interpretive paradigms for handling tension in the book. Many scholars think the book does not affirm afterlife or a divine judgment in it. This dissertation studies what the book teaches about divine judgment and how it contributes to the argument of the book. The argument of the book is evaluated by studying key lexemes and their usage. Key passages discussing divine judgment are exegeted to determine what the book teaches about divine judgment and how that relates to the argument of the book. The teaching on divine judgment is placed in the context of the canon. Finally, homiletic implications of the study are discussed. This study concludes that the book of Ecclesiastes argues that no permanent profit is possible in this life. This makes all work futile with respect to the goal of securing permanent profit. This futility is discussed using the key word הבל 'futility', which is used as an antonym of יתרון 'profit' and with a singular meaning whenever used in reference to the summary “all is futile”. This futility is used to argue for valuing joy instead of living an achievement-centered life. The book of Ecclesiastes teaches a personal divine judgment of all deeds in the afterlife in the epilogue and probably in the body of the work. In the area of divine judgment, tensions in the book are to be solved by reading the book harmonistically. There is a possible allusion to the Egyptian view of afterlife in Ecclesiastes 3:21. The theme of divine judgment is used to address lack of justice in this life, as a basis for revering God, and to guide the pursuit of joy. The teaching on divine judgment is in agreement with the rest of the canon. The use of the key word הבל 'futility' argues for a unified meaning, but such a meaning has been elusive. I present a novel solution to the lexical dilemma. While the idea that הבל means 'futility' is not novel, this study shows that the futility is specifically in relationship to an attempt to secure permanent profit. The minority view that Qohelet consistently affirmed a conscious afterlife and a divine judgment in it has significant ramifications for understanding the book and for Old testament biblical theology. The view that this is a plausible interpretation of the book is supported by new arguments.
Qohelet's concept of deity - a comparative philosophical enquiry
This article discusses the concept of deity in the book of Ecclesiastes (Qohelet) from the perspective of issues of interest in analytic philosophy of religion. Of concern are assumptions in the text about religion, the nature of religious language, religious epistemology, the concept of revelation, the attributes of the divine, the existence of God, the problem of evil, the relation between religion and morality and religious pluralism. A comparative philosophical clarification is offered with the aim of discerning similarities and differences between popular views in Christian philosophical theology and what, if anything, Qohelet took for granted on the same issues.
DavarLogos, 2018
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the motif of “fear of God” can be designated as the supreme song and quintessence of biblical piety (Delitzsch, Ecclesiastes, 183). This motif that appears seven times in the book (3,14; 5,7; 7,18; 8,12, twice, 13; 12,13), finds in its epilogue its theological synthesis. However, the passage in Ecclesiastes 12,13.14 has been commonly evaluated by book scholars as a later textual addition by a second author or simply the intervention of a wise commentator. In this article the text of Ecclesiastes 12,13-14 will be approached (with special emphasis on verse 13), through an exegetical analysis according to its own textual design within the book, examining its vocabulary both in its two final verses as well as throughout chapter 12. Also will be analyzed the linguistic connections with the rest of the book and how this passage turns out to be an elaborate conclusion of the wise writer. In this study, some intertextual relations with sapiential, poetic, and prophetic literature will be examined, with the purpose of demonstrating how this text offers us a rich theology for the entire Hebrew Bible focused especially on the important relationship between the moral character of the human being, the Decalogue as their fundamental life norm, and the eschatological orientation of the last verses of Ecclesiastes. The Qohelet’s epilogue can be considered a veritable master theological work and the present article will seek to investigate in this passage and its truths for our time.