Ecclesiastes

Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Ecclesiastes (often abbreviated Ecc ) ( , Kohelet , variously transliterated as Kohelet , Qoheleth , Koheles , Koheleth , or Coheleth ) is a book of the Torah . The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title . The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qohelet, introduces himself as "son of David , and king in Jerusalem ." The work consists of personal or autobiographic matter, at times expressed in aphorisms and maxims illuminated in terse paragraphs with reflections on the meaning of life and the best way of life. The work emphatically proclaims all the actions of man to be inherently "vain", "futile", "empty", "meaningless", "temporary", "transitory", or "fleeting," depending on translation, as the lives of both wise and foolish men end in death. While Qohelet clearly endorses wisdom as a means for a well-lived earthly life, he is unable to ascribe eternal meaning to it. In light of this perceived senselessness, he suggests that one should enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life, such as eating, drinking, and taking enjoyment in one's work, which are gifts from the hand of God. According to Talmud , however, the point of Qohelet is to state that all is futile under the Sun . One should therefore ignore physical pleasures and put all one's efforts towards that which is above the Sun. This is summed up in the second to last verse: "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep His commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone" (12:13).

Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Ecclesiastes ( / [invalid input: 'ɨ'] ˌ k l iː z i ˈ æ s t iː z / ; Greek : Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklesiastes , , Qoheleth , Koheleth ) is one of 24 books of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible , where it is classified as one of the Ketuvim (or "Writings"). It is among the canonical Wisdom Books in the Old Testament of most denominations of Christianity . The title Ecclesiastes is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Koheleth (meaning "Gatherer", but traditionally translated as "Teacher" or "Preacher" ), the eponymous author of the book. Koheleth introduces himself as "son of David , king in Jerusalem ", perhaps implying that he is Solomon , but the work is in fact anonymous and was most probably composed in the last part of the 3rd century BCE. The book is in the form of an autobiography telling of his investigation of the meaning of life and the best way of life. He proclaims all the actions of man to be inherently hevel , meaning "vain", "futile", "empty", "meaningless", "temporary", "transitory", "fleeting", or "mere breath", as the lives of both wise and foolish people end in death. While Koheleth clearly endorses wisdom as a means for a well-lived earthly life, he is unable to ascribe eternal meaning to it. In light of this senselessness, one should enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life, such as eating, drinking, and taking enjoyment in one's work, which are gifts from the hand of God. The book concludes with the injunction: "Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone" (12:13). Ecclesiastes has had a deep influence on Western literature: American novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote: "[O]f all I have ever seen or learned, that book seems to me the noblest, the wisest, and the most powerful expression of man's life upon this earth — and also the highest flower of poetry, eloquence, and truth.

Book of the Bible For other uses, see Ecclesiastes (disambiguation) . Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Ecclesiastes ( / ɪ ˌ k l iː z i ˈ æ s t iː z / ; , qōheleṯ , Greek : Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs ) is one of 24 books of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), where it is classified as one of the Ketuvim (Writings). Originally written c. 450–200 BCE, it is also among the canonical Wisdom literature of the Old Testament in most denominations of Christianity . The title Ecclesiastes is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Kohelet (also written as Koheleth , Qoheleth or Qohelet ), the pseudonym used by the author of the book. In traditional Jewish texts and throughout church history (up to the 18th and 19th centuries), King Solomon is named as the author, but modern scholars reject this. Textually, the book is the musings of a King of Jerusalem as he relates his experiences and draws lessons from them, often self-critical. The author, who is not named anywhere in the book, or in the whole of the Bible, introduces a "Kohelet" whom he identifies as the son of David ( 1:1 ). The author does not use his own "voice" throughout the book again until the final verses (12:9–14), where he gives his own thoughts and summarises what "the Kohelet" has spoken. It emphatically proclaims all the actions of man to be inherently "hevel" (a word meaning "vapor" or "breath", but often interpreted as "insubstantial", "vain", or "futile") [...] as the lives of both wise and foolish men end in death. While Qoheleth clearly endorses wisdom as a means for a well-lived earthly life, he is unable to ascribe eternal meaning to it. In light of this perceived senselessness, he suggests that one should enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life such as eating, drinking, and taking enjoyment in one's work, which are gifts from the hand of God. The book concludes with the injunction to "Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone," though the lines are likely a later insertion meant to support the book's orthodoxy despite its overarching existential concerns (12:13).

Book of the Hebrew Bible (450–180 BCE) For other uses, see Ecclesiastes (disambiguation) . Ecclesiastes 3 in the Leningrad Codex Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Ecclesiastes ( / ɪ ˌ k l iː z i ˈ æ s t iː z / , ih- KLEE -zee- ASS -teez ; , ) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament . The title commonly used in English is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word קֹהֶלֶת ( Kohelet, Koheleth, Qoheleth or Qohelet ). An unnamed author introduces "The words of Kohelet, son of David, king in Jerusalem" ( 1:1 ) and does not use his own voice again until the final verses (12:9–14), where he gives his own thoughts and summarises the statements of Kohelet ; the main body of the text is ascribed to Kohelet himself. Kohelet proclaims (1:2) "Vanity of vanities! All is futile!"; the Hebrew word hevel , "vapor" or "breath", can figuratively mean "insubstantial", "vain", "futile", or "meaningless". Given this, the next verse presents the basic existential question with which the rest of the book is concerned: "What profit hath a man for all his toil, in which he toils under the sun?", expressing that the lives of both wise and foolish people all end in death. In light of this perceived meaninglessness, he suggests that human beings should enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life, such as eating, drinking, and taking enjoyment in one's work, which are gifts from the hand of God. The book concludes with the injunction to "Fear God and keep his commandments; for that is the duty of all of mankind. Since every deed will God bring to judgment, for every hidden act, be it good or evil." According to rabbinic tradition the book was written by King Solomon (reigned c. 970–931 BCE) in his old age, but the presence of Persian loanwords and Aramaisms point to a date no earlier than about 450 BCE, while the latest possible date for its composition is 180 BCE.

Book of the Hebrew Bible (450–180 BCE) For other uses, see Ecclesiastes (disambiguation) . Ecclesiastes 3 in the Leningrad Codex Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e Ecclesiastes ( / ɪ ˌ k l iː z i ˈ æ s t iː z / ih- KLEE -zee- ASS -teez ) is one of the Ketuvim ('Writings') of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament . The title commonly used in English is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word קֹהֶלֶת ( Kohelet, Koheleth, Qoheleth or Qohelet ). An unnamed author introduces "The words of Kohelet, son of David, king in Jerusalem" ( 1:1 ) and does not use his own voice again until the final verses (12:9–14), where he gives his own thoughts and summarises the statements of Kohelet ; the main body of the text is ascribed to Kohelet. Kohelet proclaims (1:2) "Vanity of vanities! All is futile!" The Hebrew word hevel , 'vapor' or 'breath', can figuratively mean 'insubstantial', 'vain', 'futile', or 'meaningless'. In some versions, vanity is translated as 'meaningless' to avoid the confusion with the other definition of vanity. Given this, the next verse presents the basic existential question with which the rest of the book is concerned: "What profit can we show for all our toil, toiling under the sun?" This expresses that the lives of both wise and foolish people all end in death. In light of this perceived meaninglessness, he suggests that human beings should enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life, such as eating, drinking, and taking enjoyment in one's work, which are gifts from the hand of God. The book concludes with the injunction to "Fear God and keep his commandments, for that is the duty of all of mankind. Since every deed will God bring to judgment, for every hidden act, whether good or evil." According to rabbinic tradition, the book was written by King Solomon (reigned c. 970–931 BCE ) in his old age, but the presence of Persian loanwords and Aramaisms points to a date no earlier than c. 450 BCE , while the latest possible date for its composition is 180 BCE. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).