(3) The Date. The history of the canon fixes the time after which the book cannot have been writ ten. It cannot have been written after the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, under whom the canon was completed.
The style alone furnishes the date before which the book cannot have been written ; that is, not before the time of Aramaean influence. But within these boundaries we are unable to produce any valid reasons for fixing the date more precisely. From internal evidence it appears that Koheleth was not written during the latter period of the first, but rather during the time of the second temple, since idolatry does not occur amongst the deviations combated by the author. The whole book seems to presuppose that thc people were ex ternally devoted to the Lord. The admonitions of the author to a serene enjoyment of life, and against murmuring; exhortations to he contented with Divine Providence. and the attacks upon a selfish righteousness of works, may hest he ex plained by supposing the author to have lived in a period like that of Malachi, in which there pre ended a Pharisaical righteousness of works, and melancholy murmurings because God would not recognize the alleged rights which they produced before him, and refused to acknowledge the claims they made upon hint.
(4) The Plan. The author places the funda mental idea of the nothingness of all earthly things both at the beginning and at the end of his book, and during its course repeatedly returns to the same. This has induced many interpreters to suppose that the purpose of the author was to demonstrate this one idea ; an opinion which, down to the most recent times, has been unfavor able to the true interpretation of the book, be cause everything, however reluctant, has been forced into an imaginary connection. The follow ing is the correct view. The object of the author is not to teach an especial tendency of wisdom but wisdom in general. Consequently, it is not at all surprising if the connection suddenly ceases, and a new subject commences.
That the idea of the nothingness of earthly mat ters should strongly predominate may easily be ex plained, since according to our author it forms a very important part of wisdom. He never, how ever, intended to confine himself to this one idea, although he likes frequently to point it out in pass ing, even when he is considering a matter from another point of view. The plan of this book has been the subject of much investigation. It is best to consider this plan as free as possible, and to employ its separate parts for its support. The commencement and the conclusion show the unity of the whole. The greater part consists of isolated observations concerning the course of the world, and the experience of his life. These are connected with general sentences ; and, finally, a very simple conclusion is deduced from the whole. It seems to me that a more artificial texture ought not to be sought for.
Several interpretershave supposed that Koheleth consists of a dialogue between a considerate sage and a discontented skeptic. Others have thought that not two persons, but two voices, or two moods of the same person, are to be distinguished, whose conflict is at the conclusion terminated in the vic tory of the better part by faith. This opinion however, originated from an imperfect understand ing, which seemed to discover everywhere irrec oncilable contradictions. Whoever penetrates deeper will perceive that the author remains un changed from the beginning to the end.
(5) Contents and Objects. Here we consider only the fundamental idea, omitting isolated sen tences of wisdom, and rules for the conduct of life. Nobody can entertain any doubt concerning this fundamental idea. It is contained in the sentence: 'Vanity of vanities ; all is vanity.' It is, however, very important that this should be rightly understood. The question is. What is that all which is vanity? The author does not mean all in general, but only all of a certain genus.
Ile himself explains this by defining this all in numerous passages ; as, 'all that is tinder the sun;' that is, earthly things in their separation from the heavenly. To this leads also the enumeration of the all in which occur only those things which belong to the earth—riches, sensual pleasure, hon or, sphere of activity, human wisdom apart from God, self-righteousness. From many passages it appears that the author was far from compre hending the fear of God and active obedience to his laws among that all which was vanity. This appears most strikingly from the conclusion, which, as such, is of the highest importance, and furnishes the undoubted measure for the correct ness of the whole interpretation. 'Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man' (i. e., in this consists all that is in cumbent upon him; and his whole salvation de pends upon it). For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, 'whether good, or whether evil.' (Compare chapter xii :t : 'Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth ;' ch. v :5-7, 'For thou God ;' ch. vii :18, and many other passages). A deep religious sense pervades the whole book. In reference to the pre vailing idea, Ewald strikingly remarks, 'There blows throughout this book a piercing chill against every earthly aim, and every vain endeavor ; a con tempt which changes into a bitter sneer against everything which in the usual proceedings of men is one-sided and perverse; an indefatigable pene tration in the discovery of all human vanities and fooleries. In no earlier writing has all cause of pride and vain imagination so decidedly and so comprehensively been taken from man ; and no book is pervaded by such an outcry of noble indig nation against all that is vain in this world.' From the contents of the book results its ob ject. The author had received the mission to treat professedly and in a concentrated manner the high ly important sentence. Vanitas vanitatum, out ozzaque vamlas,' which pervades the whole of Holy Writ; but he is not content with the mere theoret ical so as to leave to another teach er its practical application, but places before us these practical results themselves: What is in cumbent upon man, since everything else is naught ? What real good remains for us, after the appearance in every seeming good has been de stroyed? The answer is, Man shall not gain by cunning and grasping ; shall not consume himself in vain meditations, nor in a hurried activity; he shall not murmur about the loss of that which is naught ; he shall not by means of a self-made right ousness constrain God to grant him salvation; but he shall instead fear God (ch. xii:i3; verses 6, 7), and be mindful of his Creator (ch. xii:1) ; he shall do good as much as he is able (ch.iii :12) ; and in other passages. And all this, as it is con stantly inculcated by the author, with a contented and grateful heart, freed from care and avarice ; living for the present moment, joyfully taking from the hand of the Lord what he offers in a friendly manner. Man shall not be of a sorrowful countenance, but in quiet serenity enjoy the gifts of God. What would avail him all his cares and all his avarice? By them he cannot turn any thing aside from him, or obtain anything, since everything happens as it shall happen. St. Jerome, in his commentary on chapter xii, verse 13, relates that, according to the statement of the Hebrews, they were disinclined to receive it into the canon; but that the conclusion of the volume had saved its divine authority. Similar doubts occur in the Talmud and other Jewish writings. These doubts were not, however, allowed to prevail, but were suppressed in deference to the conclusion of Kohe leth.