Scripture Commentaries

Introduction to the Books of Ecclesiastes and Wisdom of Solomon

Irene Nowell, OSB

Originally published in God’s Word Today
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The two biblical books that are the focus of this month’s issue of God’s Word Today are both part of the wisdom tradition. They differ in several ways. They were written in different languages and different styles. The two authors had different beliefs and came to different conclusions. They are two centuries apart. But in their dependence on the basic principles of the wisdom tradition they are similar. The authors base their convictions on common human experience (see Eccl 4:7-12; Wis 7:1-6). Both authors emphasize the life and death importance of a right relationship with God (see Eccl 4:17–5:6 [NRSV 5:1-7]; Wis 1:15). Both make every effort to help their readers find wisdom’s goal: the good life (see Eccl 9:7-10; Wis 8:17-18).

Ecclesiastes

The Book of Ecclesiastes was written by a Jerusalem sage about the middle of the third century B.C. The author calls himself Qoheleth (1:2, 12; 7:27; 12:8-10). The name means either “one who assembles” or “person of the assembly.” Both names are fitting. Qoheleth is certainly a collector of wise sayings as the epilogue claims (Eccl 12:10). He also writes for the community of faith, the assembly. He is sometimes called either the Teacher or the Preacher. The Greek translation of the Hebrew name Qoheleth is Ecclesiastes, the common name of the book.

Qoheleth writes in the voice of Solomon, the son of David who reigned in Jerusalem in the tenth century B.C. (1:1). Solomon is the patron saint of biblical wisdom, so this author imagines how Solomon would have taught the people of the third century. In the first half of the book he describes himself as a wealthy king like Solomon who tests all the pleasures of this world and attempts ambitions projects (chaps. 1–6). The second half of the book (chaps. 7–11) is a collection of wisdom sayings which Qoheleth either confirms or contradicts. The book ends with a meditation on old age (11:7–12:8) and an epilogue by a later editor (12:9-14).

A key theme of the book is “vanity” (see Practical Pointer). The author seems to have used this word to design the structure of his book. The wisdom writers loved to play with numbers and Qoheleth is no exception. The Hebrew word for “vanity” (hebel) has a numerical value of 37. (It was easy for the ancients to add up the letters of any word because the symbols for Hebrew numbers, like Roman numerals, were the same as the letters.) “Vanity” occurs three times in 1:2 and 12:8, the beginning and the end of the book. If we multiply 37 (the numerical value of “vanity”) times 3, we get 111, which is exactly the half-way point of this book of 222 verses. If we divide the book into two equal parts of 111 verses each, we get these two sections: 1:1–6:9; 6:10–12:14. The refrain “all is vanity and a chase after wind” occurs seven times in between 1:1 and 6:9 (1:14; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 16; 6:9). Whatever Qoheleth attempts is futile. The second half of the book (6:10-12:14) is characterized by concern that people can neither know nor find out what God is doing (7:14, 24; 8:17; 9:5; 11:2, 5, 6). This too is “vanity.”

Two other major themes are significant in this book: the finality of death and the wisdom of enjoying the present moment. The author’s struggle with the futility of life is bound up with the inevitability of death. Whatever one attempts or gains is brought to an end by death (2:15-17; 3:19-20; 7:1-2; 8:8; 9:3-6; 12:1-8). He has no hope that there is anything after death but Sheol (see “Life After Death”). His only solution to this difficulty is to enjoy the present moment as a gift from God (2:24-26; 3:12-13, 22; 5:17-19; 8:14-15; 9:7-9; 11:9-10).

The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of the Festival Scrolls, called “Megilloth” in Hebrew. These five books are read for the five major festivals in Judaism. Ecclesiastes is read for the fall festival, called Booths or Sukkoth. The other Megilloth are Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, and Esther.

Wisdom of Solomon

The Wisdom of Solomon is the last book of the Old Testament to be written. It dates from the middle of the first century B.C. It is one of the few Old Testament books to have been written in Greek. (The others are: Second Maccabees, an expanded version of Esther, sections of Daniel, and possibly parts of Baruch.) The unnamed author lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where there was a flourishing Jewish community.

Because the book was written in Greek, it was not included when the rabbis determined the Jewish canon of Scripture around the end of the first century A.D. Christians, however, were already using the book and continued to list it as part of the Old Testament. Because it originated so late, was written in Greek, and testified to a belief in immortality, it was even included in a list of New Testament books in the second century A.D. In the sixteenth century, however, Martin Luther and the other Protestant Reformers decided to limit the Old Testament to the Jewish canon. Thus the Book of Wisdom is not found in Bibles translated under Protestant auspices such as the NRSV. If it is included, it is in a separate section called the Apocrypha. Roman Catholic translations of the Bible have always included the Book of Wisdom.

The Book of Wisdom falls into two major sections: chaps. 1–9 and 11–19. Chapter 10 forms a transition between the two sections. The first section can be divided into two smaller parts (chaps. 1–6 and 7–9). In chapters 1–6 the author first declares his belief that righteousness is immortal (1:15) and then expands on the implications of that belief. How does the hope for immortality change one’s attitude regarding suffering, childlessness, early death, and the ultimate fate of the righteous and the wicked? In chapters 7–9 the writer, like the author of Ecclesiastes, speaks in the voice of Solomon, first praising the Wisdom Woman and then praying that God will send her to him. These chapters are an expansion of Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings in which he asked God for a listening heart. God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that he promised him everything else besides (1 Kgs 3:5-14). The author of the Book of Wisdom writes a long prayer for Solomon and identifies the Wisdom Woman as the source of every good thing. Chapter 10, the transition between sections, is a recital of the Wisdom Woman’s work in Israel’s history from creation to the crossing of the Red Sea. The second major section of the book (chaps. 11–19) is an extended meditation on the exodus-wilderness period, describing God’s way of using natural elements to bless the faithful people and punish their enemies. Two major digressions interrupt this meditation, one on God’s mercy and the other on the foolishness of idolatry.

The Book of Wisdom is significant for several reasons. It is an excellent example of inner-biblical exegesis, the retelling of the biblical story to fit the needs of the current audience (see “Retelling the Story”). It expands and enriches the portrayal of the Wisdom Woman which began with Proverbs 8 and continued through Sirach 24 and 51. Its description of the persecution of the just one in chapter 2 foreshadows the description of Jesus’ passion as told by the evangelists. Finally, and most importantly, it is the only full-length Old Testament book to express a belief in life after death. Not only does it give us an idea of the background of that belief which reaches its full development in Christian faith in Jesus’ resurrection, but it also is a major source of readings for the Catholic funeral liturgy.