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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes Much about this OT book is mysterious—who wrote it and when; what its message is. Not once is it quoted in the NT; and in the 1st cent. CE the rabbinic school of Shammai questioned whether it should be regarded as part of holy scripture, though the more liberal Hillel did accept it. (One practical effect of this was that the liberal school felt obliged to wash after touching it, since touching a book that belongs to the canon renders the hands unclean.)
In Hebrew the title of the book is Qoheleth (and the Greek title may be an attempted interpretation of this) which has come to be translated ‘the Preacher’; the late form of the book's Hebrew indicates that King Solomon could not have been the author (cf. Eccles. 1: 12), and its links with Hebrew wisdom literature suggest a date for it of about 200 BCE. Is the pursuit of pleasure or riches or work or womanizing the way of wisdom (Eccles. 2: 3 ff.)? Not so: all end in death. Time and again the author dismisses what passes for human existence as fleeting, futile, and ‘vanity’; and there are strict limits to understanding any guiding purposes. Life's ambiguities had best be accepted and that which is satisfying should be enjoyed while it lasts (Eccles. 8: 14–15) for good things will surely come to an end (Eccles. 12: 1–2). It is not true that God rewards the just; it is all a matter of time and chance (Eccles. 9: 11–12): but it is advisable to keep on good terms with God, and not hurt oneself by useless resentment of what inevitably happens (Eccles. 3: 1–8). Modern scholarship has felt that the combination of scepticism and conventional moral advice was evidence that the book as we have it was the work of more than one author. Possibly a basically sceptical book was worked over by an editor to make it acceptable to more orthodox readers. An alternative hypothesis of the composition of Ecclesiastes was put forward by form critics: a miscellaneous collection of independent proverbs which had been in circulation orally was collected into an anthology without regard to their theological compatibility. These two views about the book are to some extent brought together by Redaction Critics who suggest that advice to enjoy life while the opportunity lasts (as in 11: 9 ff.) has been put by a redactor into a religious context: we are to enjoy what God gives and to remember that he is the judge at the hour of death (12: 1a). The original pessimistic scepticism of the Preacher is no longer the last word of Ecclesiastes. Certainly that is how generations of readers who have approached it with Christian presuppositions have seen it. |
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ecclesiastes." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ecclesiastes." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Ecclesiastes.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Ecclesiastes." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Ecclesiastes.html |
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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes , book of the Bible, the name of which is a latinized derivation of the Hebrew Qohelet [the Preacher]. Although traditionally ascribed to Solomon (who is identified as the author in the text), it was clearly written much later (c.300 BC). Like Job, the book takes issue, it would seem, with the confident assertions of the Wisdom tradition exemplified by Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) and Proverbs, both of which stress the possibility of leading a life in harmony with cosmic order. For the author of Ecclesiastes, life bears no order and no meaning. Omnipresent wickedness and death are realities which mock all effort to find meaning and purpose in life. Moreover, the purposes of God cannot be fathomed. It opens with the theme that, since "all is vanity," life should be enjoyed. This is followed by passages in praise of wisdom and mercy, with increasing emphasis on the universality of death; there is a brief epilogue on the fear of God's judgment. Despite the devout and ill-fitting conclusion of the work, the apparent cynicism of the book as a whole is said to have distressed the ancient rabbis; some scholars ascribe to pious correctors a number of nonpessimistic observations. Ecclesiastes is one of the biblical examples of wisdom literature (see Wisdom of Solomon ).
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"Ecclesiastes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ecclesiastes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ecclestes.html "Ecclesiastes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ecclestes.html |
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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (Heb., Qoheleth). A book in the Hebrew scriptures. Written by ha-Qoheleth (often tr. as ‘the preacher’, but more accurately ‘the convoker’), ‘Son of David, king in Jerusalem’, the book is traditionally ascribed to Solomon and is one of a group, collectively described as the five scrolls. The writer argues that everything is ordained by God and that ultimately the life of humanity is transient: ‘vanity of vanities! All is vanity!’ (1. 2). The impression of scepticism is enhanced in the English by the translation of ḥebel as ‘vanity’: it is a word for ‘mist’ or ‘steam in a bathroom’, hence transience.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Ecclesiastes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Ecclesiastes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ecclesiastes.html JOHN BOWKER. "Ecclesiastes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ecclesiastes.html |
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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes. The main theme of this OT Book is the worthlessness and vanity of human life. The title ‘Ecclesiastes’ is an attempted rendering of the Hebrew title ‘Qoheleth’; English versions usually translate this as ‘the Preacher’. Though the Book is traditionally ascribed to Solomon, the subject-matter and linguistic style make it clear that it is the product of a late age in OT history; it was one of the latest Books to be admitted to the Hebrew canon.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ecclesiastes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ecclesiastes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Ecclesiastes.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ecclesiastes." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Ecclesiastes.html |
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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes Old Testament book of aphorisms, compiled under the pseudonym ‘the Preacher, the son of David’. Evidence suggests that the book dates from after the Babylonian Captivity. Its theme is the vanity and emptiness of human life and aspirations, relieved only by faith in God.
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"Ecclesiastes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ecclesiastes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Ecclesiastes.html "Ecclesiastes." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Ecclesiastes.html |
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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to Solomon, consisting largely of reflections on the vanity of human life.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ecclesiastes." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ecclesiastes." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Ecclesiastes.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ecclesiastes." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Ecclesiastes.html |
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Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes
•atlantes, Cervantes
•Ecclesiastes • penates • gentes
•Orestes, testes, Thyestes
•Achates, Euphrates
•diabetes • striptease
•pyrites, Stylites, troglodytes
•Orontes • Boötes • Procrustes
•Harpocrates, Hippocrates, Isocrates, Socrates
•litotes • Surtees • Dives
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"Ecclesiastes." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ecclesiastes." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Ecclesiastes.html "Ecclesiastes." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Ecclesiastes.html |
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