Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), Bible book.

Name

Greek and Russian title of the book - Greek translation of the Hebrew word cohelet(from kagal, “To gather”), which means a preacher in the congregation.

"Kochelet" is a word not fixed anywhere else. In form, it is a participle of the verb "kahal" "to gather, to convene" and is usually interpreted as "the leader of the meeting, speaking to the public" or "preaching in the congregation, teaching the people." By "assembly" is meant a gathering of full-fledged citizens, that is, in a broad sense, the entire Jewish people. There are two difficulties associated with this interpretation. First, the verb “kahal” does not exist in its original form, and only the breed “hifil” is used in the causative meaning of “to gather, to convene”. It turns out that "kohelet" is a participle from a non-existent verb. However, in a poetic language (and we are dealing with a poetic book) this is possible. Secondly, "kohelet" is a participle female, which clearly does not correspond to the gender of the author. But if we remember that abstract concepts in Hebrew are usually feminine, "kohelet" can be interpreted as instructive wisdom

- Eduard Grigorievich Yuntz (for the first time the journal "Questions of Philosophy", 1991, No. 8)

Authorship

In the first line of the book, which serves as a kind of title for the book, it is characterized as the "words" of Ecclesiastes, "the son of David, king in Jerusalem." In line 12, the author states that he "was king over Israel in Jerusalem." On this basis, traditional commentaries identify Ecclesiastes with Shlomo (Solomon), who, according to the Bible, was famous for his wisdom (I C. 5: 9-11; in the Russian tradition 4: 29-31) and literary talent (I C. 5:12) –14; in the Russian tradition 4: 32–34).

Truth, linguistic features the books indicate that it could not have been written before 300 BC. NS. In the language of Ecclesiastes, features are found inherent in post-biblical (Mishnait) Hebrew; in the vocabulary and, to a certain extent, in the syntactic structure, the influence of the Aramaic language is felt (most scientists at the present time do not adhere to the theory that the book is a translation from the Aramaic original), as well as the Persian language (for example, the borrowed words pardes - `sad` , `grove`, pitgam -` decree`, `sentence`). Some phrases widely used in the book (for example, "under the sun" meaning "in the world") do not occur in other parts of the Bible, but have parallels in Phoenician inscriptions; on this basis, some researchers suggest that its author came from Phenicia or lived there for a long time. Since the text of Ecclesiastes was known to the compiler of Ben Sira of Wisdom, dated approximately 190 BC. e., and in the book itself there is almost no mention of war and other disasters, it is usually attributed to the 2nd half of the 3rd century. BC e., when Judea entered a period of economic recovery and political stability.

According to Talmudic tradition, Shlomo wrote this book in his old age, as he wrote the book of Song of Songs in his youth. We see in Kohelet an aged sage who, during his long life, comprehended all the vanity of the earthly and from whose chest bursts a deeply tragic exclamation: "vanity is vanity, and all is vanity and vexation of the spirit!" This is the motto of the entire book, which sometimes rises to a remarkable height of poetic animation.

The author of Ecclesiastes, who reveals familiarity with Greek philosophy, as well as with the classical works of Mesopotamian and Egyptian literature (The Legend of Gilgamesh, The Conversation of the Master with the Servant, The Teaching of Ankhsheshonk, etc.), apparently belonged to the upper strata society, however, was not a king: the book was written from the position of a subject, not a ruler (cf. especially Eccl. 10:20). Since Eccl. 1:12 the author speaks of his reign in the past tense, it can be attributed to the genre of fictitious wills, represented in the Bible by Deuteronomy and the book of Nehemiah, and especially widespread in post-biblical literature, which was created almost simultaneously with Ecclesiastes. At the same time, it is not entirely clear why the king, on whose behalf the book was written, is called cohelet, especially since morphologically this participle, found only in Ecclesiastes, refers to the female gender (in Eccl. 1: 2 and 12: 9-10 it is agrees with the masculine verbs in Eccl. 7:27 and probably 12: 8 in the feminine; existing Russian translations do not convey this distinction). Various commentators interpret kohelet as a male anthroponym (cf. the similarly shaped name Alemet in I Chr. 7: 8), as the personification of wisdom (depicted in Proverbs 7: 4, 8: 1-36 in the form of a woman) and as the name of an institution or positions (cf. sofheret - `college of scribes`, Ez. 2:55, Neh. 7:57). In any case, it is clear that this term, used almost exclusively in the opening and closing chapters of the book, characterizes it as a public teaching.

Almost all researchers agree that Eccl. 1: 1 and 12: 9-14 are not by the author of Ecclesiastes, whose essay begins and ends with the programmatic formula "vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, all is vanity" in Eccles. 1: 2 and 12: 8, but to a later editor seeking to reconcile the book with the earlier biblical tradition. To this end, he linked Ecclesiastes with David (Eccl. 1: 1), characterized his statements as “words of truth” (Eccl. 12:10), emphasized that all the judgments of the wise men, even the most daring and unexpected, are “from a single shepherd ”(Eccl. 12:11), and provided the book with a new conclusion praising the fear of God and calling for keeping the commandments (Eccl. 12: 13-14; cf. Prov. 1: 7).

It should be assumed that these additions were made during the canonization of Ecclesiastes, as is evident from the treatise of Mishna Yadaim (3: 5), which states that the sanctity of the book was a matter of disagreement between Bet-Hillel and Bet-Shammai. The treatise cites a statement by Rabbi Akiva indicating that the canonical character of Ecclesiastes (as opposed to the Song of Songs) was not obvious to him. In the Jewish environment, the process of canonization was completed no earlier than the middle of the 2nd century. n. NS.

Kohelet's book

Summary

The book consists of XII chapters.

1. Vanity and immutability of the world.
2. Description of the experience of the life of a rake.
3. Everything has its time and place.
4. A pessimistic picture of the world, the sadness of loneliness, the advantages of the mind.
5. There is no point in savings in this world, because you cannot take them into the next.
6. Continuation of the previous topic.
7. Benefits of wisdom, truth, humility.
8. The benefits of wisdom.
9. The virtues of the wise.
10. Benefits of hard work, loyalty.
11. Allegorical descriptions of the correct lifestyle
12. "Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is everything for man."

Style and structure

Ecclesiastes is a work of wisdom literature, represented in the Bible also by the books of Proverbs and Job. With the first, Ecclesiastes has in common the absence of a plot outline, with the second - the predominance of speculative-critical tendencies over didactic ones. The main structural unit of the book is wise judgment, sometimes as an element of more or less lengthy reflection (for example, 4:12 is part of the reflection on the benefits of mutual assistance and consent, 4: 9-12). Many judgments are preceded by first-person references to personal experience Ecclesiastes and his conclusions: "I saw" (1:14, 3:10, 9:13 and others), "I knew" (2:14, 3: 12,14), "I said in my heart" ( 2: 1, 15, 3:17), etc. Among the literary forms found in Ecclesiastes are the autobiographical narrative (1: 12-2: 26), the parable (9: 14-15), the allegory (12: 2-6 ), an aphorism (4: 6), a proverb (1:15), a lesson (5: 1-8), etc. It is possible that some fragments of the book (in particular, 1: 2-11, 3: 2-8, 11: 7-12: 8) are a kind of philosophical and poetic works that have no analogues in the literature of the Ancient East. Many of Ecclesiastes' sayings are difficult to understand or ambiguous, in large part due to the unusual construction of the phrase in the Bible.

Composition

I. L. Asknazy. Ecclesiastes. 1889

There are no clearly defined problem-thematic sections in the book: the author constantly moves from one subject to another, and at the same time, over and over again returns to the topics that are of concern to him, varying, but not developing them. Among these topics is the cyclical nature natural phenomena and historical events(1: 4-11, 3: 1-8,15, 4:16, 12: 7), the finiteness of human existence (2: 14-16,24-26, 3: 18-20, 7: 1-4, 9: 2-6, 12: 1-6), the futility of any activity, especially the pursuit of wealth (2: 1-11, 18-23, 3: 9-10, 4: 4-8, 5: 9-16 , 6: 1-9), the benefits, but also the limitations of wisdom, the dangers lurking in it (1: 12-2: 3,12-16, 4: 13-16, 7: 5-12,19, 8: 1, 5, 9: 17-18, 10: 1-3, 12-17), injustice reigning in the world (3: 16-17, 4: 1-3, 5: 7, 7:15, 8: 9-14, 9: 11,13–16, 10: 5–7), the incomprehensibility of God and the universe (3: 11,21–22, 6: 11–12, 7: 13–14, 8: 1,5–8,16– 17, 9:12, 11: 1-6). Attempts by some commentators to clarify the composition of Ecclesiastes using genre and stylistic criteria or based on the distribution of certain stable phrases in the text (for example, “all the vanity and vexation of the spirit,” “who will comprehend,” “under the sun”) were unsuccessful.

Since the book of Ecclesiastes is stylistically heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory (for example, 7: 1 states that the day of death better than the day birth, and in 9: 4 - that “a living dog is better than a dead lion”), a number of researchers view this book as a compilation of oral “wisdom” (cf. 12: 9-10, which says that Ecclesiastes was a collector and editor of parables ). However, this conclusion is contradicted by the fact that Ecclesiastes, as a rule, either refutes judgments borrowed from other works of wisdom literature or from the tradition common to all this literature, or gives them a new, original interpretation. In addition, a single author's idea is visible in the structure of the book: it begins and ends with similar phrases (see above) included in relatively lengthy poetic fragments (1: 2-11 and 11: 7-12: 8). According to one of the modern hypotheses, Ecclesiastes has two main parts (1: 2-6: 9 and 6: 10-12: 8), each of which, in turn, splits into two sections, and in the initial sections of both parts ( 1: 2–4: 16 and 6: 10–8: 17) are dominated by observation and reflection, and the concluding ones (4: 17–6: 9 and 9: 1–12: 8) are dominated by teachings. main topic the first part - uncertainty about the future, the second - injustice and death.

Ecclesiastes's worldview

Most feature Ecclesiastes - deep pessimism. The book constantly draws the reader's attention to the fact that all phenomena of the material world, including human life, are transient. Therefore, any pleasure is illusory and ephemeral, and all attempts to conquer power, to achieve wealth or knowledge are doomed to failure in advance. Their futility is indicated by the key term for Ecclesiastes hevel (literally `steam, sigh`; in the traditional Russian translation - vanity), which is used over 30 times in the book, including nine times - in verses 1: 2 and 12: 8, which set the tone the whole composition.

According to Ecclesiastes, death equates the rich with the poor (5: 14-15), the scientist with the ignorant (2: 14-16, 6: 8), the ruler with the last of his subjects (4: 13-16); even the distinction between humans and animals does not matter before her (3: 18-21). The desire to gain support in a changeable world deprives a person of the opportunity to enjoy even those few joys that fall to his lot: for example, the money-grubber who “ate all his days in the dark, in great irritation, in chagrin and annoyance” (that is, denied himself everything) , dies, not having time to enjoy the accumulated wealth (5: 12-16, 6: 1-7). Moreover, any life success internally contradictory: “whoever multiplies knowledge, multiplies sorrow” (1:18); “The satiety of the rich keeps him awake” (5:11). Even righteousness is not absolute, for “there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin” (7:20).

Ecclesiastes is also deeply skeptical of wisdom (in stark contrast to its rampant praise in the book of Proverbs): it is in any case preferable to stupidity, especially when it comes to public affairs (1: 13-14, 4:13, 7: 5- 12, 19, 9: 17-18, 10: 1-3, 12-17), but she cannot rescue a person from the fear of death and uncertainty about tomorrow... Although “every thing has its own time and ordinance” (8: 6; cf. 3: 1–8), and “the heart of the wise knows both the time and the ordinance” (8: 5), a person “does not know what will happen and how it will be ”(8: 7; cf. 9:12, 11: 2,6), does not have“ authority over the day of death ”(8: 8), and therefore cannot choose the right path (6: 11-12) ... Even the most sophisticated wisdom is not able to comprehend God and His purposes (3:11, 8: 16-17, 9: 5), explain the obvious imperfection of the world He created, and most importantly - change this world for the better: “who can straighten that what did He [that is, God] make crooked? " (7:13; cf. 1:15, 3:14 and especially 6:10, where many commentators see an allusion to Job's argument with God). Since “there is nothing new under the sun” (1: 9; cf. 3:15), any reform activity is meaningless. According to Ecclesiastes, the pursuit of wisdom is as much a pernicious passion as money-grubbing or lust for power: “God gave this hard work to the sons of men to exercise in it” (1:13; cf. 3:10).

Please explain the meaning of the book of Ecclesiastes. What is her morality?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

Greek title of the book Ecclesiastes is an accurate translation of the Hebrew name Kochelet(from kohal- meeting) - speaking in the meeting, i.e. preacher. Ancient Christian exegetes (Origen, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nyssa, Blessed Jerome and others) recognized the book as a farewell and penitential speech of King Solomon, like the farewell speeches of the prophet Moses (Deut. 28 - 32 chap.), Joshua ( Joshua 24 ch.) And the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 12 ch.). The spiritual meaning of the book is determined by the words put at the very beginning of the book: Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities - all is vanity! (Eccl. 1: 2). Word bustle occurs 39 times in a small holy book. In the Hebrew text stands haveal. The original meaning of this word is breath, breath, i.e. what quickly disappears evaporates. Hence the figurative meaning: an empty, futile exercise. The prophet Isaiah has a word havevel called a deed that does not bring benefit, vain, vain (30: 7). In Hebrew grammar, the phrase havevel hawalim (Vanity) is called status constructus, i.e. conjugate relationship. It is used to express the ultimate degree of something. For example, in a positive value: heaven heaven(Deut. 10:14; Ps. 67:34), King of Kings(Ezra 7:12; Dan 2:37). IN Ecclesiastes the conjugate relationship expresses extreme vanity, nonsense: What is the benefit of a man from all his labors, which he toils under the sun?(1: 3). All vanity, because there is no benefit. This concept benefit is, as it were, the sought after, the achievement of which would make a person's life non-vain, meaningful. The sacred writer uses the noun itron. It's in the Bible besides the book Ecclesiastes, no longer occurs. Have experienced everything in life cohelet, but everything experienced and seen is not itron, all - haveal hawalim (Vanity). The unattainability of lasting human happiness is expressed in the constant change of human generations: The genus passes, and the genus comes, but the earth abides forever(1: 4). The monotonous repetition of natural phenomena also brings sadness to the soul: The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hurries to its place, where it rises. The wind blows to the south, and passes to the north, whirls, whirls on its way, and the wind returns to its circles. All rivers flow into the sea, but the sea does not overflow: to the place from which the rivers flow, they return to flow again. All things are in work: a person cannot retell everything; the eye will not be filled with sight, the ear will not be filled with hearing(1: 5-7). But human occupations do not comfort the preacher. To a favorite expression havevel he adds reut ruach(and vexation of spirit) (1:14). Ecclesiastes betrayed his heart to learn wisdom, but this occupation revealed the insignificance of everything earthly. Convinced that knowledge only multiplies sorrow, he decided to test his heart with joy, but even this - vanity of vanities and vexation of the spirit. A. Pushkin has a very strong and accurate poetic expression: crazy years faded fun(Elegy). The years are called insane because the participants in the fun are given pleasure as something endless. Epithet insane the poet uses in another poem, applying it to those who do not think about the inevitable end of earthly life:

Do I wander along the noisy streets,
I enter a crowded temple,
I sit between the mad young men,
I give myself to my dreams.
I say: the years will pass
And as far as you can see us,
We will all ascend under the eternal vaults -
And someone's hour is already close.

It's hard to doubt that the poem is inspired by reading Ecclesiastes, if we turn to the beginning of the original edition of the poem:

Am I spinning in a rebellious crowd
I taste sweet peace,
But the thought of death is inevitable
Always close, always with me.

In the last verses of chapter 2, the preacher comes to the important idea that even earthly goods do not depend on man. Continuing the thought about the Providence of God, the sacred writer says that the thirst for the highest good (striving for happiness) is invested in a person by God Himself: He made everything beautiful in his time, and put peace in their hearts, although a person cannot comprehend the deeds that God does, from beginning to end.(Eccl. 3:11). The Hebrew text uses the word olam... In the Septuagint it is translated by the word eternity... In the verse under consideration, this concept means to endow a person with god-like properties - to impose the imprint of eternity on human nature. All earthly vanity is vanity, only in God is the meaning and limit of human existence: the dust will return to the earth as it was; but the spirit returned to God who gave it(Eccl. 12: 7). From the limitations of man and the vanity of his earthly life, Ecclesiastes comes to his main idea: I have learned that everything that God does abides forever: there is nothing to add to it and nothing to subtract from that - and God makes it so that we should be in awe of His presence.(Eccl. 3:14). The preacher rises to theological-biblical teaching about the coming judgment of God for all: And I said in my heart, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is time for every thing and [judgment] over every work there."(Eccl. 3:17). The last verses of the book contain its main spiritual meaning: Let's hear the essence of everything: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is everything for man(Eccl. 12: 13-14).

Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes) - one of the canon books Old Testament... In the Hebrew Bible, it is placed between the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the book of Esther. The name Ecclesiastes (Εκκλησιαστής) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Qoheleth (from qahal - to convene). This is the literal meaning of this word, but its figurative (true) translation is "Preacher."

The main theme of the book is expressed at the beginning by its words: "vanity of vanities, all vanity and vexation of the spirit." Heine(followed by Delitzsch) calls Ecclesiastes "a song of skepticism." However, the skepticism of Ecclesiastes is not hopeless: starting from pessimism, he ends up with a calm and clear view of life, pointing out the joys of life in the correct use of the blessings of the world, as a gift from God. Ecclesiastes has always been the favorite reading of all those who have experienced and experienced a lot.

Ecclesiastes. Audiobook

Of all the Hebrew books, Ecclesiastes represents the most similarity to what we call philosophy. The author of this book sets himself the task of clarifying the question of man's relationship to the eternal laws of the world order. Everything in the universe changes; therefore, there is nothing lasting in the affairs of human life. Everything about it depends on chance; therefore, a person should use the joys that the course of chance gives him, wisely enjoy the fleeting pleasures that appear to him, and because of the impossibility of understanding the course of chances, not give up faith in God. Any excess is harmful. While enjoying life, one must remain pious, God-fearing. Everything in life is fleeting; therefore it should not be overly attached to anything in it. And everything is doubtful, except one: God exists. The book ends with an admonition to keep the commandments of God: “Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is everything for man. For God will bring every deed to judgment, and secret, whether it is good or bad. " According to the insistence with which Ecclesiastes speaks of the need to obey the king, albeit a bad one, and according to his remark that woman is the greatest evil, some scholars believe that this book was written when Judah was under the rule of the Syrian kings, under which they ruled all schemers.

In its direction, Ecclesiastes adjoins the school of Jewish sages of the post-Solomon period, known as "chokmah" (wisdom). She preached a special philosophical morality, the main features of which were its universality (in contrast to national character the most ancient Jewish literature) and in its religious foundation (in contrast to the materialistic school of "lecims").

In form, Ecclesiastes is a poetic work. It is usually divided into 12 chapters. The strophic form of the book was discovered by Köster (1831) and then by Weiging, who divided the book into 4 parts, and each of them, in turn, into 3 sections, of which almost all have 3 stanzas.

The head of King Solomon. From the fresco "Prophets and Sibylls" by Pietro Perugino, 1497-1500

The author of the book was previously considered (and some still believe) Solomon, on the grounds that the speech in it is conducted on behalf of some "king in Jerusalem", "son David". According to Jewish legends, Solomon wrote the Song of Songs in his youth, and Ecclesiastes in his old age. But already many church fathers doubted that the author of Ecclesiastes was this Jewish king. According to the content, the origin of the book had to be attributed to the end of Solomon's life, and yet the fact of his conversion after the fall is not attested in history (Augustine, Gregory the Great, Tertullian, Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, etc.). Book Contents Clearly Indicating Sad Times Jewish history, not corresponding to the main era of Solomon, and the language replete with Aramaic vocabulary, force the book to be attributed to a later time. Based on the particular closeness of Ecclesiastes, both in content and language, to the book of the prophet Malachi, the time of the book's origin is most often determined between 450 - 400 BC, although some Protestant theologians (Weiging, Ewald, Elster, Bergst, etc. ) believe that it was written much later (possibly even in the reign Herod the Great).

Name

Book title - Greek tracing paper from the Hebrew word cohelet(from kahal- "to collect"), which means a preacher in the congregation; therefore, in the Greek translation from Hebrew and, accordingly, in the Christian canon of the overwhelming majority of confessions, the book is called Ecclesiastes or Ecclesiastes (ancient Greek. ἐκκλησιαστής - "speaker in the meeting").

"Kochelet" is a word that is not fixed anywhere else. In form, it is a participle of the verb "kahal" - "to gather, to convene", and is usually interpreted as "the leader of the meeting, speaking to the public" or "preaching in the congregation, teaching the people." By "assembly" is meant a gathering of full-fledged citizens, that is, in a broad sense, the entire Jewish people. There are two difficulties associated with this interpretation. First, the verb “kahal” does not exist in its original form, and only the breed “hifil” is used in the causative meaning of “to gather, to convene”. It turns out that "kohelet" is a participle from a non-existent verb. However, in a poetic language (and we are dealing with a poetic book) this is possible. Secondly, "kohelet" is a feminine participle, which clearly does not correspond to the gender of the author. But if we remember that abstract concepts in Hebrew are usually feminine, "kohelet" can be interpreted as instructive wisdom

Meaning

The book of Ecclesiastes is in many ways a unique phenomenon in the composition of the Bible, markedly different from all its other books in the way of thinking of the author. One can hardly name a book in the Old Testament that would have had a greater influence on the minds of readers over the centuries that have passed since its writing. [ unauthorized source?] Even thinkers who were far from faith turned to it as one of the most profound philosophical treatises. The objections of Jewish theologians of the Talmud against the inclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (Shabbat, 30 b) have survived. It was directly stated that it contains heretical views (Vayikra Rabba, 28 a).

Ecclesiastes, describing the picture of the eternal cycle of the universe and man, says that the accumulation of wealth, honor, ranks, pleasure, and even righteous labor and the birth of children - all this was already under the sun and all this - bustle(pointless, aimless). He says that a person always rules over a person, that there have always been venal courts, violence and lawlessness:

“... Foolishness has been placed on high posts, And the worthy ones are below ... ... I saw slaves on horses And princes marching on foot like slaves ... ... I also saw under the sun: Place of judgment, and there is lawlessness ; The place of righteousness, but there is untruth ... ... The righteous understands what the deeds of the wicked deserve, and with the wicked there is what the deeds of the righteous deserve ... "

He also became disaffected in the sense of wisdom:

“And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and stupidity; I learned that this too is a vexation of the spirit. For there is much sorrow in much wisdom; And whoever multiplies knowledge multiplies sorrow. "

He says that "man has no advantage over cattle," because "as they die, so do these."

The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes is a convinced fatalist: “And I turned and saw that it was not the nimble who got a successful run, not the brave - victory, not the wise - bread, and not the wise - wealth, and not the skillful - goodwill, but time and opportunity for all of them. For a person does not know his time. As fish are caught in a pernicious net, and as birds are entangled in snares, so the sons of men are caught in times of trouble, when it unexpectedly finds them. "

The only worthy position in life, in his opinion, is not to try to improve the world and society, but to enjoy the very process of life: “So go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with joy in your heart, when God takes pleasure in your deeds. May your garments be bright at all times, and may the oil on your head not be depleted. Enjoy life with the wife you love, all the days of your vain life, and which God gave you under the sun for all your vain days; because this is your share in your life and in your labors as you work under the sun. "

see also

Notes (edit)

Links

• Read the Book of Ecclesiastes or Preacher. (st.-Slav.)
• Canonical book of EKCLESIAST or PREACHER (Text of the Synodal edition.)

Literature

• Fast Gennady, archpriest. Interpretation of the Book of Ecclesiastes. - Krasnoyarsk: Yeniseisky Blagovest, 2009 .-- 346 p.

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See what the "Book of Ecclesiastes" is in other dictionaries:

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The Book of Ecclesiastes- The Book of Ecclesiastes. K.E. refers to Heb. Bibles to scrolls (megillot). It was read during the divine service at the Feast of Tabernacles. In NT it is not cited, but among the sayings of the Lord, written on the papyrus from Oxyrinchus, there is a reference to Eccl. 10: 9: ... ... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia

Ecclesiastes or Preacher 1: 1- Words of Ecclesiastes, son of David, king in Jerusalem. 3 Kings 2:12 Prov. 1: 1 ...

Ecclesiastes or Preacher 1- "Vanity is vanity, everything is vanity"; "I gave my heart to ... to experience with wisdom everything that happens under heaven" ... Bible. Old and New Testaments. Synodal translation. Biblical encyclopedia of arch. Nicephorus.

Ecclesiastes or Preacher 1:10- There is something that they say: "Look, this is new"; but [it] was already in the centuries before us ... Bible. Old and New Testaments. Synodal translation. Biblical encyclopedia of arch. Nicephorus.

The name is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word cohelet(from kagal), which means a preacher in the congregation; therefore, in the Russian Bible, the book is called Ecclesiastes or The Preacher.

In the Russian Bible it is placed among the Solomon books, and in the Hebrew Bible - between the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the book of Esther.

This book, in addition to the original, has been preserved in many ancient translations, testifying to its popularity.

Authorship

From ancient times, King Solomon is recognized as its author, both in Jewish and Christian tradition. Although his name literally does not appear in the book, the person who symbolically takes on the name Ecclesiastes calls himself the son of David and declares that he is the king of Jerusalem, and the title of the Syriac translation reads directly: “the book of Kogelet, that is, Solomon, son of David, king of Jerusalem. "

This ancient tradition was shaken in the 17th century by Grotius, who questioned its belonging to Solomon. Doubt was taken up and substantiated by a number of subsequent Protestant scholars who have already emphatically denied the authenticity of this book.

Opinions also hesitated regarding the time of writing the book, diverging among themselves for at least eight centuries. So, Nachtigall relates it to the time between Solomon and Jeremiah (975-588 BC), Schmidt and Jan - to 699-588, Delitzsch - to 464-332, Gitzig - to 204. , and Graetz - to the reign of Herod the Great.

The basis for doubts about the authenticity of the book of Ecclesiastes are its external and internal signs, as if they did not correspond to the spirit of Solomon's time. There are foreign, Iranian and Aramaic words; depicts the disasters of life, which were not under Solomon; abstract philosophical terms are introduced that are not found in other biblical books. These signs do not provide sufficient grounds for doubting the authenticity of the book. Foreign words could easily come into use with Solomon, who loved everything foreign and maintained active trade and political relations with foreign states. The disasters in the book of Ecclesiastes are depicted as those that are inseparable in general with the life of mankind, even in the most brilliant periods of its prosperity. Abstract words could be the creation of Solomon's own wisdom.

In this book, on the one hand, the vanity and insignificance of everything earthly is depicted, which in itself cannot bring peace and tranquility to the human soul, because it is impermanent and changes, as the author proves on the basis of his own varied experience (1-6), and with on the other hand, it indicates the attitude of the wise towards the world. To ascend above the earthly to the eternal and unchangeable, amid earthly vicissitudes to seek for oneself happiness and peace in God - this is the true task of the earthly life of the wise.

According to Jewish tradition, Solomon wrote this book in his old age, as he wrote the Book of Songs in his youth. We see in Ecclesiastes an aged sage who, during his long life, comprehended all the vanity of the earthly and from whose chest bursts a deeply tragic exclamation: "vanity is vanity, and all is vanity and vexation of the spirit!" This is the motto of the entire book, which sometimes rises to a remarkable height of poetic animation. It is not without reason that she has always been a favorite reading for everyone who has experienced and experienced a lot. The final words of the book: "Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is all for man."

Used materials

• Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron.
• Bible Encyclopedia. Work and publication of Archimandrite Nikifor. Moscow. 1891 Reprint edition 1990