Under the Sun: Life and Reality in the Book of Kohelet (Das Alte Testament im Dialog / An Outline of an Old Testament Dialogue)

153 Pages·2018·2.284 MB·English

by  Shamai Gelander

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view. Moreover, in contrast to the prevailing view in the research litera- elaKo
ture – it presents the Book of Ecclesiastes as a work with an essentially i Gof
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positive outlook: Kohelet’s fault-finding is aimed not at the world itself, o
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present, on what it has to offer, and of the ability to enjoy all that exists h
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and is available. Contrasting with these are Koheleth’s positive perscrip- n
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tions to make the most of the present. To my mind, his remonstrations ty
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are meant to «clear the way» for his positive recommendations – to clear a
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the path, as it were, of the obstacles to accepting reality. These two as- d
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pects, the negative and the positive, come together in this investigation a
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into Koheleth’s belief, which is founded on an acceptance of all that f
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God has created. n.
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S Shamai Gelander
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Under the Sun
Life and Reality
in the Book of Kohelet
Shamai Gelander (*1931) is a graduate of the Hebrew University and the
University of Tel Aviv and holds a PhD in biblical studies. He served as a senior
lecturer of biblical studies at the Haifa University and of jewish studies at the
D A S A L T E T E S T A M E N T I M D I A L O G
University of Tel Aviv. He was a visiting professor in Oxford and served as chair-
man of the department of biblical studies and as academic director (rector) of a n o u t l i n e o f a n o l d t e s t a m e n t d i a l o g u e
the college «Oranim». Vol. 12
g
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ISBN 978-3-0343-3122-7 a
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e
et Peter Lang
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www.peterlang.com
ATID 12 433122_Gelander_JA 155x225 BR globalL.indd 1 23.05.18 23:26
This book presents the Book of Ecclesiastes as a single coherent work, rt
ee
dl
whose ideas are consistent and collectively form a comprehensive world- nhe
view. Moreover, in contrast to the prevailing view in the research litera- elaKo
ture – it presents the Book of Ecclesiastes as a work with an essentially i Gof
mak
positive outlook: Kohelet’s fault-finding is aimed not at the world itself, o
hao
or how it functions, but at the people who persist in missing out on the SB
e
present, on what it has to offer, and of the ability to enjoy all that exists h
t
and is available. Contrasting with these are Koheleth’s positive perscrip- n
i
tions to make the most of the present. To my mind, his remonstrations ty
i
l
are meant to «clear the way» for his positive recommendations – to clear a
e
R
the path, as it were, of the obstacles to accepting reality. These two as- d
n
pects, the negative and the positive, come together in this investigation a
e
into Koheleth’s belief, which is founded on an acceptance of all that f
i
L
God has created. n.
u
S Shamai Gelander
e
h
t
r
e
d
n
U
Under the Sun
Life and Reality
in the Book of Kohelet
Shamai Gelander (*1931) is a graduate of the Hebrew University and the
University of Tel Aviv and holds a PhD in biblical studies. He served as a senior
lecturer of biblical studies at the Haifa University and of jewish studies at the
D A S A L T E T E S T A M E N T I M D I A L O G
University of Tel Aviv. He was a visiting professor in Oxford and served as chair-
man of the department of biblical studies and as academic director (rector) of a n o u t l i n e o f a n o l d t e s t a m e n t d i a l o g u e
the college «Oranim». Vol. 12
g
n
a
L
r
e
et Peter Lang
P
ATID 12 433122_Gelander_JA 155x225 BR globalL.indd 1 23.05.18 23:26
Under the Sun
Life and Reality
in the Book of Kohelet
D A S A L T E T E S TA M E N T I M D I A L O G
a n o u t l i n e o f a n o l d t e s t a m e n t d i a l o g u e
Band / Vol. 12
Herausgegeben von / edited by
Michael Fieger & Sigrid Hodel-Hoenes
PETER LANG
Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • New York • Oxford • Wien
D A S A L T E T E S TA M E N T I M D I A L O G Shamai Gelander
a n o u t l i n e o f a n o l d t e s t a m e n t d i a l o g u e
Under the Sun
Life and Reality
in the Book of Kohelet
PETER LANG
Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • New York • Oxford • Wien
Bibliographic information published by die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet
at ‹http://dnb.d-nb.de›.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book
is available from The British Library, Great Britain
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017958904
Translation by J. Orr-Stav.
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ISSN 1662-1689
ISBN 978-3-0343-3122-7 (Print)
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Table of contents
Introduction ...............................................................................................7
Chapter 1: Escaping from reality ............................................................29
Escape to the future .............................................................................30
On the attempts at insuring against future mishaps ....................33
On the acquisition of skills, traits, and excellence ......................41
Against distinction and in praise of the average .................................47
The relative nature of values ...............................................................52
Absolute justice versus existing world order ......................................59
Other aspects of coming to terms with realities
and limitations .............................................................................64
Escaping to the past ............................................................................66
Interim summary .................................................................................67
Chapter 2: The positive aspect ................................................................71
Eat and drink: Between despair and faith ...........................................71
Cast Thy Bread ....................................................................................79
Between determinism and free will ....................................................81
Concluding observations .....................................................................90
Chapter 3:Koheleth and his beliefs .........................................................97
On justice and injustice .......................................................................98
Koheleth and his God ........................................................................104
Interim summary ..............................................................................111
Chapter 4: The opening verses and coda ...............................................115
Opening verses (Eccles. 1) ................................................................115
Coda (12:1–8) ..................................................................................121
5
Conclusion ............................................................................................133
Epilogue: The structure of the Book of Ecclesiastes .......................137
Bibliography ..........................................................................................143
Abbreviations: Translations, magazines, series and files .................148
6
Introduction
The main purpose of this study is to present the Book of Koheleth
(Ecclesiastes) as a work whose diverse elements merge to form a coherent
worldview regarding a person’s lifestyle, reality and beliefs. Fundamentally,
we shall see that Koheleth’s approach is governed by a set of ideas that
might be thought of as a general notion of what constitutes a “righteous
life”—in the name of which he castigates anything that he perceives to be an
obstacle—namely, whatever he perceives to be a hallmark of a “misguided
life.” His criticisms and condemnation are primarily intended to serve the
“right way,” and to pave the way toward it. Thus, these two aspects—the
negative and the positive—join to form a comprehensive picture, rather
than a mere compilation of aphorisms that reflect a bleak outlook on life,
or a compendium of occasionally contradictory statements. Observing his
critical arguments in conjunction with his positive recommendations also
allows us to understand Koheleth’s faith and his attitude to his God as
a unified ideology. Moreover, the addition of the negative and positive
clarifies the ideological meanings of the first and final chapters of the
Book of Ecclesiastes, as they are revealed to provide a poetic framework
for the ideological messages in the book as a whole.
Koheleth’s declaration that “a living dog is better than a dead lion”
(9:4) is, I believe an extreme statement that might be viewed as the
essence, or starting point, of his outlook. It means that any form of life,
however humble, is preferable to any death—however honorable or noble.
In other words, life is a supreme goal above all others and not a means to
achieving other aims. This outlook runs counter to any faith that demands
a person to be willing to dedicate—or indeed, sacrifice—themselves for
its sake. It runs counter to the biblical belief—at least as exemplified in
the stories of Abraham onwards—that one should not only abandon one’s
past and go wherever God instructs one to go, but to follow the ways of
the Lord throughout one’s life (Gen. 17:1), and even be willing to sacrifice
one’s nearest and dearest to Him. Koheleth’s radical view on this topic has
various ramifications, some consequential, and some leading up to and
supporting it.
7
The traditional criticism of Koheleth probably springs from
reservations about his rejectionist attitude. However, modern-day criticism
of him is based primarily on the apparent absence of method in his writings,
ideologically as well as structurally.
One dominant approach in the research literature sees the Book of
Ecclesiastes as primarily a compilation of maxims, rather like the Book of
Proverbs. Koheleth appears to inherit the traditional wisdom that preceded
him, but then sets out to refute it based on his personal experience.1 This
suggests that the Book of Ecclesiastes is not a systematic doctrine, and its
various maxims do not add up to a consistent and coherent philosophy.2 It
would also appear that it does not spring from a comprehensive worldview,
but rather from a variety of critical approaches that he acquired over the
years, in contrast to prevailing views. Moreover, since it is a compilation,
it also includes various contradictory adages:3 it is customary to see the
passages where Koheleth hails the positive aspects of life and the wonders
of nature as problematic and exceptional, since the predominant mood
in the Book of Ecclesiastes is pessimistic and gloomy,4 or he presents
certain maxims in an ironic light.5 Some commentators go as far as to
attribute these apparent contradictions and deviations to the authors of
later addenda, most of whom appear to have sought to temper some of
Koheleth’s more extreme views.6
1 See the representation of this approach in A. Rofé, Mavo Lesifrut HaMikra
[Introduction to Biblical Literature], Jerusalem 2007, pp 408–411.
2 Thus, Rofé, for example, who presents verses 7:1–6 as a series of well-known
proverbs, that Koheleth quotes. See the survey by R.B.Y. Scott, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
(Anchor Bible), Garden City, New York 1965 pp. 194–201.
3 According to Rofé, based on verses 4:9–12, which are at odds with Koheleth’s views.
See also Y. Klein, who lists a series of internal contradictions: “Mavo lesefer Kohelet,”
[Introduction to the Book of Ecclesiastes] in Megilot, Olam Hatanakh [Scrolls: The
World of the Hebrew Bible], Tel-Aviv 1996, pp. 162–166 (in Hebrew).
4 See, in particular, R.N. Whybray, “Qoheleth, Preacher of Joy,” JSOT 7:87 (1982)
pp. 87–98; Idem, “Ecclesiastes 1/5–7 and the Wonders of Nature,” JSOT 13:105
(1988) pp. 105–112; G.S Ogden, “Qoheleth XI 7 – XII 8: Qoheleth’s Summons to
Enjoyment and Reflection,” VT 34.1 (1984) PP. 27–38.
5 Thus, for example, I. J. J. Spangenberg, “Irony in the Book of Qohelet,” JSOT 21:57
(1996) pp. 57–69.
6 See Seow’s survey of approaches in: C.L. Seow, Ecclesiastes (Anchor Bible),
New York 1997, pp. 36–47. Of particular note is the approach to Bickel’s extreme
notion that the text as we know it today came about because its editors or compilers
found it in the form of a collection of loose pages which they were unable to restore
8