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RE: Ecclesiastes - 8/23/2008 1:06:40 PM
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Dubya
Posts: 1033
Joined: 10/25/2006
From: Texas
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MrFribbles
quote:
1. In Ecclesiastes 1:12, the use of past tense in stating that Qohelet was king over Israel indicates that he is still alive but no longer King, yet according to 1 Kings 11, Solomon died while still on the throne.
2. Qohelet says that he has surpassed the wisdom of all who ruled Jerusalem before him (Ecc 1:16). Only David preceded Solomon as king in Jerusalem with the exception of pagan rulers. Wouldn't it be strange of Solomon to compare himself to pagan, non-Israelite rulers.
3. In chapter 4 and 5, Qohelet bemoans the oppression and the absence of justice and righteousness. If Qohelet is Solomon, he is complaining about oppression he is committing himself! If the oppression should stop, who would have more power to do so than the king?
Food for thought!
Good points, Dubya! Another thought to consider - at the end of the book, Qohelet seems to be repentant of his sinful ways. This certainly was not the case with Solomon. His life was a steady moral decline, and the historical accounts of his life show no sharp upswing near his death.
This is an argument that Longman also used but it is an argument from a lack of evidence rather than an argument from evidence. The story of Solomon ends abruptly in 1 Kings 11:41 where it is said that the rest of the acts and wisdom of Solomon are written in the book of the acts of Solomon. This indicates there may be more to the story and some scholars have even wondered whether the book of Ecclesiastes may actually be the missing book of the acts of Solomon.
There appears to be a tone of repentance and humility in the book and the picture of old age in 12:1 – 6 might also be autobiographical. Therefore the writing of the book might have occurred in his old age after his repentance.
I find it encouraging that both approaches reach the same conclusion which is that the author is admonishing the reader to enjoy the gifts of God and to maintain a right relationship with God by keeping His commandments. Even though they both reach the same conclusion they get there by very different paths. The "two author, non-Solomon" approach sees Ecclesiastes as a negative lesson a wisdom teacher is giving his son. In effect, he is saying, “Don’t follow Qohelet’s example, son, or you will be miserable like him.” The approach which sees Solomon as the author, on the other hand, sees Ecclesiastes as a testament of a repentant king. The message is optimistic. Solomon is testifying to God’s mercy and grace. It is never too late to repent and once that right relationship with God can be established the result is the gift of joy and contentment.
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