Somehow they teach Egypt incorrectly. It stands apart in the mind: it was like this, long, long, and ended. And nothing remained except weathered pyramids and small trinkets in museum display cases. We don’t feel any cultural continuity.
Even when reading the Bible. It doesn’t matter that the Jews spent several centuries in Egypt: this is just a plot-forming element, no flavor is visible. They could have spent time in Libya, or in Ethiopia - the theatrical backdrop could have been anything. Even Sumerian-Akkadian mythology is somehow closer to a cultured person. Firstly, because, unlike the Egyptian one, he knows nothing about it at all. And therefore he is not afraid of alien carrion ( victorsolkin , sorry). Secondly, because about the active influence of the “Epic of Gilgamesh” on the story of Noah’s flood, etc. a cultured person still remembers. And Egypt is everything; sealed compartment of a submarine. Beautiful, elegant, but completely alien.
However, I accidentally came across a book by an associate professor at the Minsk Theological Academy. I open it at random and read:
An echo of Akhenaten's monotheistic era is preserved in Psalm 103, written under the significant influence of the Great Hymn to the Aten (p. 17)
I was perplexed. I urgently opened the Psalter. And now you too re-read the beginning of this psalm. Just with these pictures:
Oh my God! You are wonderfully great, You are clothed with glory and greatness;
You dress yourself in light, like a robe,
you spread out the heavens like a tent;
You build Your palaces on high above the waters,
You make the clouds Your chariot, You ride on the wings of the wind.
You create Your angels as spirits, Your servants as blazing fire.
You have set the earth on firm foundations: it will not be shaken for ever and ever.
You covered it with the abyss like a garment, and there are waters on the mountains.
They flee from Your rebuke, they quickly leave from the voice of Your thunder;
They ascend the mountains, they descend into the valleys, to the place that You have appointed for them.
You have set a limit that they will not cross and will not return to cover the earth.
This is the beginning of the psalm. Then there are completely different details: "wild donkeys will quench their thirst; birds will make nests; high mountains are for deer, rocks are a refuge for hares." It seems to me that this is already something touchingly local; a worldview that contrasts with the imperial beginning of the psalm.
Further - more: about the Book of Proverbs and the "Wisdom of Amenemope", as well as the favorite work of all misanthropes - Ecclesiastes, and its similarity with the texts of the "Harper's Song", which were carved on the walls of tombs.
(Yes, despite the title of my post, the “Book of the Dead” is not specifically quoted, this is so, a journalistic enticement, a headline to attract attention)
V.V. Akimov. The biblical book of Ecclesiastes and literary monuments of ancient Egypt. Minsk,
2012. Extracts
What does the Book of Proverbs quote?
Contains a selection of sayings from Ancient Egyptian "Wisdom of Amenemope". (p. 12) In the “Teaching of Amenemope” 30 chapters are addressed by the official to his youngest son. (115)
“The Instructions of Onkhsheshonkha” (c. 5th century BC) contains more than 500 sayings. Some sayings are reminiscent of the words of the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
The third collection of the book of Proverbs (Prov. 22:17-24:22) begins with the words “Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise.” An excerpt of this collection 22:17-23:11 is a translation of certain passages from the monument of ancient Egyptian literature “The Teachings of Amenemope”. (130)
Sometimes the retelling turns out to be very close:
- “Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise, and turn your heart to my knowledge” (Prov. 22:17)<= “Incline your ear, listen to what is said, incline your heart to understand it.” (Teacher Am. 1:9).
- “Do not make friends with an angry person and do not associate with a hot-tempered person, lest you learn his ways and bring snares on your soul” (Prov. 22:24-25) => “Do not fraternize with someone who has a quick temper, do not approach him to talk... let him not entice you and throw a noose around you” (Teaching Am. 11:13,18).
- “When you sit down to eat food with the ruler, then carefully observe what is in front of you... Do not be enticed by his delicious dishes; it is deceptive food. Don't worry about acquiring wealth; leave such thoughts of yours. You will fix your eyes on it, and it will no longer be there, because it will make wings for itself and, like an eagle, will fly into the sky” (Prov. 22:1,3,5) => “Do not try to find profit to provide for your needs. If you have acquired wealth by robbery, they will not spend a night with you; at dawn they are already outside your house, their place can be seen, but they are no longer there... they have already made wings for themselves like geese and have flown away to heaven” (Teaching Am. 9:14-19; 10:4). (131)
and the theme of innocent sufferers.A little about the Sumerians again.
The oldest work about an innocent sufferer is the Sumerian poem “Man and His God,” written at the turn of 3-2 thousand BC. (p. 121).
The Middle Babylonian poem about the innocent sufferer “I want to praise the Lord of Wisdom” (circa 13th century BC) is a further development of the theme of the innocent sufferer. An influential nobleman, an innocent one, is subjected to numerous sufferings. Eventually Marduk appears to him and brings him forgiveness. (122)
There is an excerpt in the X tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh (“On Who Has Seen Everything”). In search of immortality after the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh finds Siduri, mistress of the gods. She tells him: “Where are you heading? You will not find the life you are looking for! The gods, when they created man, determined death for man and held life in their hands. You, Gilshamesh, fill your stomach, be merry day and night, celebrate the holiday every day, play and dance day and night!
Let your clothes be light, your hair clean, wash yourself with water, see how your child holds your hand, please your friend with your hugs - only this is the work of a person! These words are repeated in Eccl. 9:7-9. (124)
In Mesopotamian legends, there is often a plot about a suffering righteous man. The same plot formed the basis of the “Book of Job”. For example, the theme of the suffering of such a person is found in the Ugaritic epic of Daniel and Akhita. The hero of this epic is King Danniil (the name translates as “El is my judge” or “El judges me”), a just and pious ruler who was not given an heir. After pious sacrifices, his son Akhita is born, whom he later kills
warrior goddess Anatu. The suffering king does not come to terms with the loss of his son. At the end of the story, the gods resurrect their son. The book of the prophet Ezekiel mentions a certain righteous man Daniel, and after the discoveries in Ugarit, most biblical scholars believe that we are not talking about the famous prophet, but about the king. (p. 139)
A real Assyrian is a guest at an Old Testament wedding
“The Book of Ahiachar the Wise” contains a collection of wise sayings of Ahiachar, the keeper of the seals of the Assyrian kings Sennacherib and Assur-Addin, addressed to his nephew Nadav, adopted by him. These two characters, invited on the occasion of the healing of Tobit and the marriage of Tobias, are mentioned in the book of Tobit (Tob. 11:17) (126)
Now about it. Let me remind you a little of the Old Testament text:
Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities, all is vanity!
What profit does a man get from all the labors he toils under the sun?
A generation passes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hastens to its place where it rises.
The wind goes to the south and goes to the north, spins and spins as it goes, 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 labor: a person cannot retell everything; The eye will not be satisfied with seeing, nor the ear will be filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be; and what has been done will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
There is something about which they say: “look, this is new”; but [this] was already in the centuries that were before us.
There is no memory of the past; and those who come after will have no memory of what will happen.
I, Ecclesiastes, was king over Israel in Jerusalem;
and I gave my heart to search and test with wisdom all that is done under heaven: this difficult task God gave to the sons of men so that they would practice in it.
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, everything is vanity and vexation of spirit!
What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is not there cannot be counted.
I spoke to my heart like this: Behold, I have become exalted and gained wisdom more than all who were before me over Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.
And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and stupidity: I learned that this too is languor of the spirit;
because in much wisdom there is much sorrow; and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.
(...)
There is one thing for everything and everyone: one fate for the righteous and the wicked, the good and the [evil], the pure and the unclean, the one who sacrifices and the one who does not; both the virtuous and the sinner; both the one who swears and the one who fears an oath.
This is what is bad in everything that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for everyone, and the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their hearts, in their lives; and after that they [go] to the dead.
Whoever is among the living still has hope, since a living dog is better off than a dead lion.
The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward for them, because the memory of them is consigned to oblivion,
and their love and their hatred and their jealousy have already disappeared, and they no longer have a part forever in anything that is done under the sun.
[So] go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with joy in your heart, since God is pleased with your deeds.
May your garments be bright at all times, and may the oil on your head not fail.
Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your vain life, and whom God has given you under the sun for all your vain days; because this is your portion in life and in your labors, as you labor under the sun.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your strength; because in the grave where you go there is no work, no reflection, no knowledge, no wisdom.
(And so on...)
Harper songs - a genre of Egyptian texts and their similarities to Ecclesiastes
“The Song of the Harper” is a general name for a number of Egyptian texts dating back to. probably by Wed. Kingdom, but survived in the monuments of N. Kingdom. These texts adorned tombs next to images of harp singers. There is even a translation by Akhmatova.
"Harper's Song" from the Harris 500 papyrus:
“...bodies disappear and pass away, others come to replace them, since the time of our ancestors. The gods (i.e. kings) who came before us rest in their pyramids, just as mummies and spirits are buried in their tombs. There is not even room left for house builders.
I heard the words of Imhotep and Hardidif, whose sayings are on everyone’s lips, and as for their places - their walls are destroyed, these places - as if no, they did not exist. No one comes from them to talk about them, to tell about their stay, to
strengthen our hearts until you come close to the place where they have gone.
Be sound in heart, to make your heart forget about it, may it be best for you to follow your heart while you live. Place myrrh on your head, let your robe be of fine linen, anoint yourself with the wondrous, true ointments of the gods. Be cheerful, do not let your heart droop, follow its attraction and your good; arrange your affairs on earth according to the dictates of your heart, and do not lament until the day of lamentation (for you) comes. The one whose heart does not beat (Osiris) does not listen to complaints, and tears do not save anyone from the grave. So, celebrate, do not be discouraged, for you cannot take your property with you, and none of those who left have returned yet” (Turaev. B.A. History of the Ancient East. P. 239). (p. 145-8)
"Harper's Song" from the Tomb of Neferhotep:
“Since the time of God, bodies pass, and generations come to take their place. Ra rises in the morning, Atum enters Manu, men impregnate, women conceive, all noses inhale air, but in the morning their children go to their places (die)!
Have a happy day, O priest! May there always be incense and fragrances for your nose, garlands and lotuses for the shoulders and chest of your beloved sister who sits next to you! Let there be song and music before you, throw away all grief, think only about joy, until the day comes when you must land on the land that loves silence... Have a happy day, wise priest with clean hands! I've heard about everything. what happened to the ancestors: their (walls)
destroyed, their places do not exist, they are like those who have never been since the time of God. (But your walls are strong, you have planted trees) on the banks of your pond, your soul rests on them and drinks the water. Follow your heart boldly!.. Give bread to the poor, so that your name remains beautiful forever! Have a happy day!... Think about the day when you are taken to a country where people are taken. There is no man there who would take his wealth with him. And there's no return
from there" (translated by M.A. Mathieu. // Monte P.. Egypt Ramses. // P. Monte. Smolensk. 2000. P. 117-8)
“The Song of the Harper” clearly echoes the “Epic of Gilgamesh”: in Tablet X, the mistress of the gods Siduri says to Gilshamesh: “Where are you heading? You will not find the life you are looking for! The gods, when they created man, determined death for man and held life in their hands. You, Gilgamesh, fill your stomach, be merry day and night, celebrate the holiday every day, play and dance day and night! Let your clothes be light, your hair clean, and wash yourself with water. look how your child holds your hand, make your friend happy with your hugs - only this is a human thing!” These words
not only echo “P. Arf.”, but are actually retold in Eccl. 9:7-9 (167)
It was from the end of Dr. Kingdom, the idea of afterlife retribution begins to take shape. Fate began to be determined not only by the correct observance of rituals and magic, but by the moral principle - not to offend widows, not to rape the daughters of commoners, not to starve servants. (157)
“The Tales of Satni-Khemuas” are completely reminiscent of the Gospel parable about the rich man and Lazarus (158)
Translation by I.S. Katsnelson and F.L. Mendelssohn: “A day of sorrow and crying will come to you, but you will not hear crying and you will not be resurrected from sobs, and your heart will not beat” (166)
The Heart as a Constant Interlocutor of Ecclesiastes
“In “Hakhepersenebo’s Reflections with His Heart,” the priest of Heliopolis talks with his heart, complaining about the injustice that surrounds him.” (167)
“Conversation of a disappointed person with his Ba” (soul) - The First Transitional Period, or the Beginning of the Middle Kingdom.
Text of Eccl. characterized by contradictory statements. Therefore, when compared with ancient Egypt. monuments, a version arises that it was built in the form of a dialogue. (199)
Such an interlocutor may be the author’s heart. (204) Similarly, in “Conversation with Ba” constantly: “I opened my mouth to my Ba”, “my Ba told me”, “my Ba opened my mouth to my Ba” => “I spoke - I am with my heart” , "I let my heart investigate" (205)
"Hakhaperraseneb's Reflections with His Heart" (Middle Kingdom or 2nd Intermediate Period)
“What has been said has already been said, and subsequent generations have nothing to boast about the sayings of their ancestors. The speaker has not yet uttered anything new, but he will say it. And the other will not add anything of his own to the words of his ancestors and will only say: “This is what the ancestors once said,” and no one will know what he himself intended to say. He who does this seeks his own destruction, for this is all a lie, and others will not remember his name” (Hah recto 3-6).
“The tears of the oppressed, and there is no one to console them, and in the hand of those who oppress them is power, and there is no one to console them” (Eccl. 4:1) => “The unfortunate person has no strength to save himself from something stronger than himself” (Hah. verso 4)
“There is no one who does not do evil - everyone does it” (hah. verso 1-2) => “There is no righteous man on this earth who will do good and not sin” (Ec. 7:20)
Ecclesiastes seems to borrow from “Hah.” personalized image of a heart (248)
“He turned to his heart. Come to me, my heart, so that I can talk to you.” (v1)
The Book of Ecclesiastes as a typical example of the genre of “wisdom literature” widespread in the Ancient East
The concept of wisdom in the Bible has several levels of meaning. in its primary meaning, this concept is far from abstract theorizing. It is closely related to action, practice, practical skills, abilities, and human behavior. In this sense, the Hebrew “Hochma” fully corresponds to the Ancient Greek “Sophia”. Like “khochma”, “sophia” (in the original usage) is a practical skill, ability, dexterity (cunning), creative activity. Erich Zenger very accurately defines the cross-cultural phenomenon of wisdom as practical knowledge of life or as everyday knowledge acquired through practice, or aimed at achieving practical goals. (104-5).
Gerhard von Rad in his book “Wisdom in Israel” saw in the works of wisdom literature such literary forms as parable, number saying, autobiography, didactic poem, dialogue, fable and allegory, didactic narrative, prayer. (106) von Rad, Gerhard. Wisdom in Israel, 24-49
E. Zenger identifies four literary forms that are used in the books that interest us: saying, instructive speech, instructive poem and instructive story. (106) Zenger E. Books of Wisdom // E. Zenger. Introduction to the Old Testament. Ed. E. Zenger. pp. 435-7
___________________
Further, the monograph examines other Egyptian texts that, according to the author’s argument, are close in spirit to the Old Testament. But there is no such literal coincidence as in the quoted one, so I did not write out more, because Too large amounts of text.
So it turned out that the Egyptian texts are actually firmly in our subcortex.
Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities, all is vanity!
A generation passes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hurries to its place where it rises... All rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is not overflowing: to the place from which the rivers flow, they return to flow again... What was, that will be, and what has been done will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun... There is no memory of the former; and those who come after will have no memory of what will happen.
All things are in labor: a person cannot retell everything; The eye will not be satisfied with seeing, nor the ear will be filled with hearing.
There is something about which they say: “look, this is new”; but this was already in the centuries that were before us.
I have given my heart to search and test with wisdom everything that is done under heaven: this difficult task God gave to the sons of men so that they would practice in it.
What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is not there cannot be counted.
In much wisdom there is much sorrow; and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.
And I saw that the advantage of wisdom over foolishness is the same as the advantage of light over darkness: a wise man has his eye in his head, but a fool walks in darkness; but I learned that one fate befalls them all.
For everything there is a time, and a time for every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck out what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to destroy, and a time to build;
A time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to hug, and a time to avoid hugs;
Time to seek, and time to lose; a time to save, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;
A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
The wise will not be remembered forever, nor will the fool; in the days to come everything will be forgotten, and alas! the wise man dies equally with the foolish man.
The fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same fate: as they die, so these die, and everyone has the same breath, and man has no advantage over cattle, because everything is vanity! Everything goes to one place: everything came from dust and everything will return to dust. Who knows whether the spirit of the sons of men ascends upward, and whether the spirit of animals descends down to the earth?
There is nothing better than for a man to enjoy his deeds: because this is his lot; for who will bring him to see what will happen after him?
And I blessed the dead, who died long ago, more than the living, who live to this day;
And more blessed than both of them is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
Every work and every success in business produces mutual envy between people. And this is vanity and languor of spirit!
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor: for if one falls, the other will lift up his companion. But woe to one when he falls, and there is no other to lift him up. Also, if two people are lying down, then they are warm; How can one keep warm alone? And if one begins to overcome one, then two will stand against him: and the thread, twisted three times, will not soon break.
Compiling many books will never end, and reading a lot is tiring for the body.
Do not be in a hurry with your tongue and do not let your heart be in a hurry to utter a word... Let your words be few.
Just as dreams come from many worries, so the voice of a fool is known from many words.
It is better for you not to promise than to promise and not fulfill.
In many dreams, as in many words, there is a lot of vanity.
The superiority of the country as a whole is a king who cares about the country.
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; and whoever loves wealth has no benefit from it.
Sweet is the sleep of a worker, you never know how much he eats; but the rich man's satiety does not allow him to sleep.
All a man’s labors are for his mouth, but his soul is not satisfied.
Who knows what is good for a person in life, in all the days of his hectic life that he spends as a shadow? And who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?
It is better to listen to the reproof of a wise man than to listen to the songs of fools.
By oppressing others, the wise become foolish, and gifts spoil the heart.
The end of a thing is better than the beginning; patient is better than arrogant.
Do not be hasty in your spirit to anger, because anger nests in the hearts of fools.
In days of prosperity, take advantage of the good, and in days of misfortune, reflect.
There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin; therefore, do not pay attention to every word that is said... for your heart knows many cases when you yourself slandered others.
And I found that woman is more bitter than death, because she is a snare, and her heart is a snare, and her hands are fetters.
I found one man out of a thousand, but I did not find a woman among them all.
Who is the wise one, and who understands the meaning of things?
The heart of a wise man knows both the time and the rule... for every thing there is a time and a rule; and it is a great evil for man because he does not know what will happen; and how will it be who will tell him?
Judgment for evil deeds does not come quickly; This is why the hearts of the sons of men are not afraid to do evil.
There is such a vanity on earth: the righteous suffer what the deeds of the wicked would deserve, and the wicked suffer what the deeds of the righteous would deserve.
There is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat, drink and be merry: this accompanies him in his labors throughout the days of his life.
Man cannot comprehend the works that are done under the sun. No matter how much a person labors in research, he still will not comprehend this; and even if any wise man said that he knows, he cannot comprehend it.
Whoever is among the living still has hope, since a living dog is better off than a dead lion.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your strength; because in the grave where you go there is no work, no reflection, no knowledge, no wisdom.
Successful running is not given to the agile, victory is not to the brave, bread is not to the wise, wealth is not to the wise, and favor is not to the skillful, but time and chance are for everyone.
Man does not know his time. As fish are caught in a destructive net, and as birds are entangled in a snare, so the sons of men are caught in times of trouble when it unexpectedly comes upon them.
The words of the wise, spoken calmly, are heard better than the cry of a ruler among fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war.
The heart of a wise man is on the right side, and the heart of a fool is on the left.
If the boss’s anger flares up against you, then do not leave your place; because meekness covers even greater offenses.
The work of a fool tires him.
Feasts are given for pleasure, and wine makes life merry.
He who watches the wind must not sow, and he who looks at the clouds must not reap.
The words of the wise are like needles and like driven nails.
There's nothing new under the sun- a phrase from the Bible (book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 1, author - King Solomon).
It means that everything that seems new has most likely already happened in the past. This is especially applicable to social relations: in many particular cases one can find historical parallels, similar stories and famous figures in world history. At the same time, numerous repetitions of life situations at the everyday level, which remain unknown to the general public, are not yet taken into account.
9 What has been is what will be; and what has been done will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 There are things about which they say: “Look, this is new”; but this was already in the centuries that were before us.
11 There is no memory of the former; and those who come after will have no memory of what will happen...
In the first chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon talks about the idea that everything in the world is vanity.
A poem by N. Karamzin is also known in Russia, in which the phrase is somewhat modified:
There's nothing new under the sun:
What is, has been, will forever be.
And before, blood flowed like a river,
And before, a man cried...
Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes) is the name of one of the books of the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes is included in the cycle of educational books following the Proverbs of Solomon. The title of the book comes from the Hebrew “kohelet” - preacher in the congregation. At that time, an assembly was a meeting of all full-fledged citizens.
Read Ecclesiastes.
The book of Ecclesiastes consists of 12 chapters.
- Line " I... was king... in Jerusalem". As you know, Solomon remained king until his death, therefore, he would not have been able to formulate the thought in this way.
- Line “I have become exalted and gained wisdom more than all those who were before me over Jerusalem.”. It is known that a hundred before Solomon there was only one king in Jerusalem, therefore, the plural in relation to the word king does not favor the authorship of Solomon.
- Ecclesiastes warns several times against reading too much. This would be strange to hear from Solomon, who valued wisdom above all good things.
- The mood of sadness and disappointment that pervades the book was uncharacteristic of the period of Solomon's reign; it is rather a sign of the post-exilic era.
Solomon's authorship is also questioned due to the fact that many researchers believe that the writing of Ecclesiastes does not coincide in time with the years of Solomon's life. There are several versions of the time when the book was created:
- Nachtigall's version - 975-588 BC. e.,
- Schmidt and Jan's version - 699-588 BC. e.,
- Vesia Delic - 464-332 BC e.,
- Gitzig's version - 204 BC e.,
- Graetz's version is the time of the reign of Herod the Great.
Thus, the time difference reaches 800 years.
Interpretation of the book of Ecclesiastes
The book of Ecclesiastes is unique in the Old Testament. It is a deep philosophical treatise. Ecclesiastes describes the cycle in the fate of man and the entire universe. Based on the text, the entire existence of man is a meaningless vanity. All this has already happened and will happen more than once in the universe.
The text of Ecclesiastes is replete with contradictory ideas.
It is very likely that Ecclesiastes was written in the post-exilic era with the goal of supporting the people, comforting them, and showing all the vanity and frailty of existence. Ecclesiastes called to perceive life as a gift from God and not to reflect on hardships and injustice, but, on the contrary, to try to take the best from life.
The author calls all human affairs vanity, as well as such concepts as righteousness, joy, wisdom, youth, wealth, strength and even life itself. Labor is vanity, since the results of any work are not eternal. Wealth is vain, since it comes and goes, you cannot take it to another world. Wisdom is vain, since it cannot guarantee a person’s success and prosperity. However, the author is still convinced that wisdom is better than stupidity, and also preferable to physical strength and wealth. But the wise, the foolish, and the rich will die and be forgotten. Righteousness is vain, since the author does not believe in the pattern of righteousness -> reward, sinfulness -> punishment. The author explains his point of view by saying that he witnessed a lot of injustice. The author does not deny the idea that everything happens according to the will of God and that God acts correctly, but he says that it is impossible for mortals to understand the powers of Providence, and therefore it is not worth trying.
An interesting fact is that the author does not want to talk about life after death, after God’s judgment. However, he does not deny that God will bring everyone to judgment at the end of his days. The reluctance of Ecclesiastes to think about life after death is explained by the manner of the book as a whole - the author speaks only about what he felt and learned from experience. And experience convinced him of the futility of human efforts.
The author of Ecclesiastes explains the frailty and vanity of the reality around him
- The fall of people
- The incomprehensibility of the ways of the Lord,
- The inevitability of death
- Uncertainties about what life after death is.
Ecclesiastes should not be misinterpreted as a hymn to human selfhood and independence from God. The author of the book trusts in God.
Chapter 1. Reflections on the futility of human efforts, on the cycle of things in nature.
Chapter 2. Reflections on the futility of pleasure, wisdom and labor.
Chapter 3. Human labor does not affect the course of events in the world, which is controlled by God.
Chapter 4. Labor for evil, the futility of the fruits of labor.
Chapter 5. Discussions about empty promises. The futility of labor. Joy from the wealth given by God.
Chapter 6. The idea that everything is predetermined. The limitations of human wisdom.
Chapter 7. The meaning of existence and the meaning of righteousness are unknown to man.
Chapter 8. God's reward may be incomprehensible to man
Chapter 9 A person does not know what awaits him, but death awaits everyone equally. Wisdom is not the key to success.
Chapter 10. Wisdom is better than stupidity.
Chapter 11. The call is to work, to live joyfully, honoring His God. Dark days will follow this life.
Chapter 12. A call for responsibility in youth. Return to the thought of the vanity of existence.
The book ends with advice:
Fear God and keep His commandments.
The book of Ecclesiastes is one of those books whose understanding does not come immediately. It requires a certain maturity of spirit. The thoughts and ideas of Ecclesiastes are grandiose in their meaning and influence on all subsequent history and human culture.
