Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally placed among the Wisdom Literature together with Proverbs and Job. The Hebrew title, Qoheleth, is usually translated as "the Preacher" or "the Teacher," and the opening line is rendered as "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." The book presents the reflections of Qoheleth, described as the son of David, king in Jerusalem, but many scholars view this as a pseudonymous or later-frame attribution rather than a historical notice.

Authorship and date: The book is generally dated to the late Persian or early Hellenistic period (roughly 5th–3rd centuries BCE). Its language is Biblical Hebrew, with some later additions in Greek in the Septuagint. The intended audience is Israelite communities wrestling with how life can be meaningful under the sun.

Content and themes: Ecclesiastes explores the apparent futility and fragility of human effort. It surveys wealth, pleasure, wisdom, toil, and crowds of experiences, often concluding that they do not yield lasting meaning. Yet the book also asserts that enjoyment of life’s simple gifts and a reverent fear of God are proper, and that a righteous life ultimately aligns with divine judgment. Refrains such as "under the sun" signal a worldly vantage point and the limitations of human knowledge. The work culminates in exhortation to remember the Creator and to keep God's commandments, with the closing counsel that fear of God is the duty of all people.

Reception and influence: Ecclesiastes has been read in Jewish and Christian traditions as a meditation on meaning, wisdom, and mortality. Its skeptical tone coexists with an affirmation of prudent living and reverent awe, shaping later theological and literary discussions about the nature of life and purpose.