The meaning of life has intrigued humanity for thousands of years. Religion views divine beings as sources of true hope and peace in life, while philosophy attempts to use logic and questioning to explain the purpose of man's existence. Even science seeks answers to life's greatest mysteries through experimentation and observation. Yet people still wonder what it means to live well in the world around them. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of Ecclesiastes explains how humans attempt to make sense of the world through aimless activities that eventually fade away. The author of the book claims that life is an uncontrollable conundrum over which people have little control. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The author of Ecclesiastes identifies himself as Qohelet and as a son of David. The identity of Qohelet remains a subject of debate among biblical scholars. Peter Machinist, author of Ecclesiastes: Introduction, states that the book was written by King Solomon, David's biological son. He states that "the genealogy and descriptions given of Qohelet in his book make the identification with Solomon clear." Additionally, Machinist believes that the Eastern tradition of associating kings with wisdom helps prove that Solomon was the author of the book. Although Qohelet can claim to be Solomon, Bart Ehrman, author of The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction, counters that he cannot in any way be Solomon, considering that the book appears to be heavily influenced by the philosophical traditions of the time Hellenistic. Most of the words are "derived from Persian or Aramaic", meaning the text may have been written in the third or fourth century BCE, 600 years after Solomon's death. Harold Ginsberg and Michael Fox, authors of Ecclesiastes, support this argument by showing how the language used in Ecclesiastes is a later stage of Hebrew. The Hebrew root of used in verses 4:12 and 6:10 is derived from Aramaic, which was not used until the seventh century BCE. Much of the book's content "points toward Hellenistic and Greek influences." The references to running races in verse 9:11 and to the mentality of early Greek philosophy, such as stoicism and cynicism, reflect this idea. According to Mette Bundvad, author of Time in the Book of Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes appears heavily influenced by other ancient Greek wisdom writings, such as the poems written by Theognis. The theory that Qohelet adopted Solomon as his persona seems likely, given the use of a later stage of Hebrew and various Greek influences, which date hundreds of years after Solomon's death. He may have been trying to persuade his audience to think that he was really Solomon through his wisdom and extraordinary wealth. Ecclesiastes is one of the four books of wisdom in the Hebrew Scriptures. Using various topics and themes, the author explores how to live well in a world full of empty activities and sorrow. He observes that life is a temporary experience and that people's attempts to find meaning and purpose in their lives ultimately lead nowhere. Since death is inevitable, Qohelet believes people should stop trying to control the outcome of their lives and enjoy simple things, like a good meal with friends, sunsets, or deep, meaningful relationships with people. . He concludes by telling his audience that the hope of God's judgment makes life bearable. Qohelet believesthat God will eliminate disparities in life and bring justice into the world. The fear of God and the respect of his commandments fuel this hope, even if life is an insoluble mystery. Qohelet is able to illustrate how pointless life is through the use of the Hebrew word hevel. Defined as air or breath, some translations translate hevel as “futility” or “meaningless”. Ecclesiastes 1:2 says: “Total futility! – said Qohelet – Total futility! Everything is useless! » Using hevel as an idiom, Qohelet describes how life is temporary and ephemeral, like a wisp of smoke. Like smoke, life seems safe and simple, but when people try to grasp it, they find it is empty. The march of time is a major theme in the book of Ecclesiastes. Qohelet writes: “Only what happened, what happened, only what happened, what happened; there is nothing new under the sun. Sometimes there's a phenomenon that they say, "Look, this one's new!" » – it happened long ago, in ages that passed before us. We don't remember the first ones; those who occur later will no more be remembered than those who occur at the very end. » This illustrates how some people spend their entire lives working and achieving great things without stopping to consider the march of time. Neither humans nor nature actually accomplish anything new and nothing ever changes, despite humanity's best efforts. People continue to develop technology and build nations, but "when one generation passes, another comes, but the earth remains the same forever." Time erases knowledge of humanity's achievements, while the earth continues to exist long after their disappearance, rendering life meaningless. Death is another important theme in the book of Ecclesiastes. Qohelet discusses the concept of death throughout the book and assumes that death equalizes all humanity. “A wise man has eyes in his head, while a fool walks in darkness, but I also realized that the same fate awaits them both.” In reality, everyone will die, and death is an inevitable fate. “Because the wise, like the fool, do not remain in memory forever; for, as the following days pass, both are forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies, just like the fool! No matter what people try to achieve in their lives, they will die and be no different or better off than a miserable fool. Death shows no partiality. He doesn't care about anyone's qualities of character or accomplishments. Everyone, no matter how righteous or wicked, will die one day. Death, like time, is another cosmic force that deprives life of meaning. With the themes of time and death in hand, Qohelet describes how he tried to find the meaning of life through aimless pursuits. He describes his examinations of pleasure, wealth, and wisdom only to "conclude that the best thing to do is to enjoy life." He claims to have undertaken major architectural projects and to have treated himself to the finer things in life. He lives his life as if every day were a social holiday. Soon, Qohelet realizes “…all this was futile and the pursuit of the wind; there was no real value under the sun! The pleasures that people desire only lead them to an empty and superficial existence. People have an insatiable thirst to fill their lives with things that bring them temporary happiness. They don't realize how precarious their lives are. The quest for wealth also has no lasting value for him, since an unknown successor will inherit his wealth, and his money will have no value once he dies. THE.