Introduction to Ecclesiastes

The title of this book, Ecclesiastes, means "someone who speaks in the assembly." It is a Greek translation of the Hebrew "Qohelet," which is translated in Ecclesiastes 1:1 as "the Teacher" or "the Preacher." Qohelet never refers to himself as Solomon, but it is traditionally assumed that he was Solomon, the son of David and king in Jerusalem, a man of abundant wealth who was known for his wisdom. However, it was common in antiquity to attribute something you had written to somebody else, especially someone famous (no copyright laws!) and there is wide disagreement among scholars about who actually wrote it and when.

The theme of the book is proclaimed in verse 2, meaninglessness. "Vanity of vanities" says the KJV, but the word "vanity" has changed its meaning since the KJV was translated. It comes from a Latin word meaning "empty." Life is empty of meaning. Everything is futile. The Hebrew term is literally “vapour”, and thus life is like vapour in that it lacks any substance that you can grasp a hold of, and it is fleeting and temporary, “a chasing after the wind."

It is hard to find a coherent philosophy in this book. Pete Enns writes that it is a common experience when reading Ecclesiastes that, just when you think you have got the point, "a verse or two later the author says something that turns it all on its head. One begins to suspect that this is precisely what he has in mind." (Pete Enns, Ecclesiastes, Two Horizons Commentary).

The writer has come to the conclusion that everything is meaningless by taking a hard look at everything he has done in life, and everything which people think will make their lives meaningful. He is deeply reflective, but confines his observations to what is discernible “under the sun." He is also honest, and ready to see that in his earlier years, he had poured his energy into things that were of no lasting, real, ultimate value. People ask the same questions today.

It is the nature of Wisdom Literature not to give a faith or theological perspective.

So why is Ecclesiastes in the Bible? Read it and see if you can figure that out.