Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 7–11, literally or figuratively?

[Robert_Sock]

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? . . . That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things, and also of the later things which will occur; there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.
–Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 7–11

Should the above passage of scripture be taken literally in today’s culture or should it be viewed figuratively as in ages gone by?

 

[meltzerboy]

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? . . . That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things, and also of the later things which will occur; there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.
–Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 7–11

Should the above passage of scripture be taken literally in today’s culture or should it be viewed figuratively as in ages gone by?

This passage has been problematic for Judaism and there was dispute regarding whether to accept it as part of the Hebrew Bible canon. The main difficulty is that it contradicts much of Torah teaching, which says that human life is worth living and differentiates Man from Nature in that Nature is comparable to the wheel of life which goes round and round, but Man has the potential for growth. Thomas Cahill discusses this belief in Judaism in his book “Gift of the Jews.” Judaism is always open to discovery, imagination, creativity, and surprise. There is also in this passage and the surrounding verses the implication that Torah itself is circular and offers no new hope or promise. The book of Ecclesiastes by Solomon (or some other, as modern scholarship points out), called the Kohelet (preacher) in Hebrew, is read in the synagogue during the Feast of the Tabernacles (Sukkot) in the autumn, before the coming of the winter months, as a source of acknowledgment and admonition concerning the frailty and non-permanence of life. On the positive side, the passage reveals that Judaism is open to discussion regarding the meaning of human life here on earth and suggests we must have faith in G-d, who imparts to life its intrinsic worth.

 

[fhansen]

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? . . . That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things, and also of the later things which will occur; there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.
–Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 7–11

Should the above passage of scripture be taken literally in today’s culture or should it be viewed figuratively as in ages gone by?

It’s the same-nothing changes. That’s what the writer found out. Each generation may think they’re different, with new fashions and new gadgets, but nothing is new. All of creation and all man-made things and possessions offer false promises of satisfaction without being able to deliver. The writer is lamenting the situation-the reality- he finds himself in. Personal accomplishments, pleasure, and wealth mean nothing in the long run-in the face of death. It’s a lesson worth learning-and well worth recording in Scripture, IMO.

 

[po18guy]

OP: Read it in light of Isaiah 43.

Meltzerboy, does your branch of Judaism hold to the prophets?

 

[Jesus_123]

+The Catholic Church’s answer is . . . both . . . our belief system as Catholics harmoniously embraces and adheres to Magesterium teachings . . . which on this subject are revealed below . . .

• Point #1: The original post in question asks if we can believe the :bible1: Scriptures in the Book of Ecclesiastes “literally or figuratively” …"
• Point #2: The Catechism clearly states Sacred :bible1: Scripture can be believed on two (2) levels . . . not just one . . . it is not an either/or situation . . . but a both/and type of understanding that is revealed . . . with the second level of knowledge being divided up into three sublevels of perceiving revelations of truth . . . and the literary genre doesn’t affect the truth of the revelation in any way.

**. . . :coffeeread: . . .**The senses of Scripture

115 **
According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal** and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.

**116 **
The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."83

**117 **
The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God’s plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.

1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ’s victory and also of Christian Baptism.84

1. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for our instruction."85
2. The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, “leading”). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.86

118 **
A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four** senses:

The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;
The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.87

**119 **
"It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, …​

• **Point #3: ** God is the author of Sacred :bible1: Scripture . . . and it contains infallible truth (truth without error) . . .

. . . :coffeeread: . . .

II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture

**105 **
God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."69

"For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself."70

**106 **
God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."71

107
The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit,** we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures**."72​

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Gracious Lord+​

 

[Jesus_123]

+Marvelous cross reference po18guy . . . Isaiah 43 . . . loved the portion below particularly . . .

:bible1: [16] Thus saith the Lord, who made a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters. [17] Who brought forth the chariot and the horse, the army and the strong: they lay down to sleep together, and they shall not rise again: they are broken as flax, and are extinct. [18] Remember not former things, and look not on things of old. [19] Behold I do new things, and now they shall spring forth, verily you shall know them: I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. [20] The beast of the field shall glorify me, the dragons and the ostriches: because I have given waters in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, to my chosen. [21] This people have I formed for myself, they shall shew forth my praise.*** - Isaiah 43:16-20***​

The Holy Book :bible1: of Ecclesiastes is a word-picture/portrait of fallen broken mankind in a fallen broken world . . . **both separated **from God and his . . . pure . . . good . . . and beautiful perfection of holy purpose for vibrant woundrous abundant life here on earth . . . **by original sin **. . . both fallen mankind and our broken world were progressing and awaiting through time the coming of the . . . Messiah . . . the Saviour Redeemer of mankind . . . Jesus . . . the Blessed Christ . . . and the blessedness of the . . . Kingdom of God . . . here on earth is a reality now in . . . Christendom . . . the Body of Christ . . . and in its fullness the Kingdom is revealed in the depth of the extraordinary riches and spiritual treasures to be mined and discovered in the Apostolic Holy Roman Catholic Church . . .

For our own good spiritual health and welfare . . . as God’s redeemed children in the Lord . . . we are encouraged and counseled by St. Paul as to how to approach our new life in Christ each day throughout our days here on earth . . . in a wiser new focus of mind and thought . . . centered wholly upon our Holy Triune God and all that is His . . .

:bible1: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. - Philippians 4:8​

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Lord God our Savioiur+
. . . thank you Blessed Virgin Mary our Mother+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother Church+
. . . thank you Blessed St. Jerome+​

 

[meltzerboy]

OP: Read it in light of Isaiah 43.

Meltzerboy, does your branch of Judaism hold to the prophets?

Although Reform Judaism has in recent years become more observant with regard to rituals, it does not believe in the divine inspiration of the Torah or the Prophets, emphasizing instead the moral teachings. While I still identify as a Reform Jew, my sentiments, if not practices, are more in keeping with Conservative Judaism (rather than either Reform or Orthodox) and I do hold to the prophets.

 

[po18guy]

Although Reform Judaism has in recent years become more observant with regard to rituals, it does not believe in the divine inspiration of the Torah or the Prophets, emphasizing instead the moral teachings. While I still identify as a Reform Jew, my sentiments, if not practices, are more in keeping with Conservative Judaism (rather than either Reform or Orthodox) and I do hold to the prophets.

Even so, a reading of the prophets would be beneficial, IMO. The L-rd has never remained silent for so long.