Ecclesiastes

born to achieve all that we can to eventually departure it or is there a greater plan at play, is there a goal we are created to strive for? The Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes questions the purpose of life. This paper will examine Ecclesiastes all while cross-examining it with Peter Kreeft’s analysis of Ecclesiastes and will provide personal reflections with respect to both texts. Thus, is the concept of death and purpose of life mutually exclusive or are they simple complementary to one another? Martin Luther King. Jr. said, “If a man has not…

In this assignment I will discuss the theological construction of Ecclesiastes 3 with focus on verses 1 to 15 which is on the topic of time. I have not included verse 16 to 22 here as from verse 16 onward Qohelet introduces his new topic on judgement in a typical manner by using “I saw something” signaling another reflection. Although he mentions in v. 17 “a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed”, I do not see any significant connection of these verses with verses 1 to 15. In…

Ecclesiastes 1:1 states that this book contains “the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” For this reason, it is traditionally believed to have been written by King Solomon around the year 935 B.C.E. King Solomon was the son of David, who was known for his wisdom and his writings, as well as his wealth. In chapter 2, verses 4-9 mention great works he built as well as treasures he owned, also leading to the belief that Solomon is the author. Not all Biblical scholars…

Ecclesiastes Revealing the Truth The book of Ecclesiastes has been said to have occurred between the fifth and third centuries BCE in Persia. Scholars have placed emphasis on the fifth century BCE period because it was a time where commercialization thrived and the standardization of currency occurred. Introducing the problem of unequal wealth distribution which is why it’s been considered the “dark age” in the history of Israel. However, it wasn’t the first time money was introduced and the…

Ecclesiastes is often thought of as “the book that says everything is pointless”. This is true, to some extent. The book covers almost all other the reasons people have found for living and explains, in detail, why it is not worth pursuing. Everything is a cycle and if you follow it you will only end up doing the same thing over and over again with no real sense of happiness or purpose. The one exception to this and the one thing that can give meaning and happiness to everything else is God and…

Reason being, it is to remind the people that even if you have every bit of wisdom in the world, if a person does not put God first they will not have anything. Therefore, Ecclesiastes helps a person to remember that they must fear the Lord. If you do not then that person will and does not have any wisdom, period. In Proverbs 9:10 (New Interantional Version), that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This is very important to…

Even some of the qualities ascribed to a wise warrior are given to love: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (1 Cor 13:4). Patience is attributed to both charity and a wise warrior, as not puffing up oneself is comparable to refraining from a boast. Furthermore, the lamenting style of both “Beowulf” and “The Wanderer” is reminiscent of the writings in some of the Psalms and Proverbs, as well as the book of Ecclesiastes. The…

Purpose of life What is the purpose of life? This is the age-old question that all of humanity asks themselves at least once in their lifetime. Are we simply born to attain fame, assets, wisdom, love, or piety? Everyone seems to have some sort of an answer; nonetheless, the answer heavily depends on his or her reality of death. Thus, are we merely born to accomplish all that we cab before we eventually die? On the other hand, is there a great plan to achieve or a goal we are created to strive…

(Proverbs 6:6-8 ESV) “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 ESV) Throughout the entirety of the Wisdom Books, the authors, inspired by the Lord, penned wisdom beyond human comprehension. The Wisdom Books are riddled with wise counsel and astute judgment. When one dissects the aforementioned books one will come across many references of diligence and laziness. Primarily focusing on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I have found that the Wisdom Books have a…

Capitalism puts people against each other, instead of bringing them together and encouraging the advancement of society as a whole. There are many disadvantages of capitalism, according to the book of Ecclesiastes such as with time, all endeavors will be forgotten and are not unique. Advantages of communism, however, are that coming together as one makes a society stronger than fighting for the most profit and that only with others one can find meaning in life. Perhaps instead of trying to find…