This document provides an overview of the book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Qoheleth. It discusses the background and origins of the book, its literary style and structure, key themes and messages, and relevance. The book's style contains elements of both prose and poetry. It frequently uses repetition and phrases like "under the sun" and "vanity of vanities" to convey its central message that life's pleasures are fleeting and meaning must be found through fearing God.

3. This paper is deem to present a brief overview into the
book of Ecclesiastes also known as Qoheleth. To help us
achieve the objective of this paper, the paper is
subdivided into: introduction; background of the study;
literary features and problems in the book,
message/teachings from the book and relevance.

4. The title “Ecclesiastes” originate from the
Septuagint Greek’s translation of the Hebrew
word “Qoheleth” which is translated as a
‘preacher’.
Martin Luther’s translation ,it means an a
assembler of students, listeners or collectors of
wisdom sayings.

5. The question of whether the book was written in
prose or poetry lies in the definition of poetry in
the Hebrew biblical. The book is said to have been
written in prose and many translators like Murphy
argues that the book is set up almost entirely in
prose paragraphs.

6. But it mostly recognize a mixture of prose
and poetry. Though the judgment about the
peculiar grammatical characteristics of the
language is still out, one cannot deny the
distinctiveness of Qoheleth’s literary style

7. The poem on the repetition of events in 1:4-11
is as it were a symbol of this style; repetition is
its trademark.
This repetition is manifest in vocabulary and
also in a phraseology that is almost formulaic”.

8. “Again Qoheleth is fond of cognate accusative:
‘The toil at which one toils’ (2:18, 22; 5:17); ‘the
deed that is done’ 1:9, 13-14; 2:17; 4:3). The
identity of Aramaisms is hard to establish” .
There is no satisfactory solution to the literary
form of the book

9. H. Keith Beebe’s four major explanations.
One explanation is that the book is a literary unit, with
its own coherence except for the addition of the
introduction (1:1) and the conclusion (12:9-14).

10. A second explanation complicates the analysis
by suggesting that the book is written in three
stages. The earliest stage was an anonymous tract
written by a Jew in Palestine under the influence
of Greek philosophy. A sage intrigued by the
ideas added in the second stage, some “wise
sayings” which soften the pessimism of the
original author e.g. 4:5, 9-12; 6:7,9a;7.1a,4-6,7-
12,19).

11.  The third stage was handled by a pious
scribe who, offended by the skepticism of
the work, tried to make the ideas palatable
by neutralizing their taste. He added his
bland diet to the concoction (e.g. 2:26; 3:4b;
17; 5:1-6…).

12. The author of Ecclesiastes makes use of many
different literary metaphors to communicate the
theme of the book.
Many times the author uses the phrase “under the
sun” and the phrase appears in the canon only in the
book of Ecclesiastes. The words “under the sun” has
been used to indicate that all which is vanity occurs
on the earth, and thus excludes everything
heavenly.

13. The word ‘vanity’ occurs
thirty-eight times in Qoheleth.
Because it is such a key word,
it formed the inclusion in the
motto, “vanity of vanities” Its
basic meaning is smoke or
vapour, thus signifying
something fleeting, vain and
even.

14. The desperate claim of “vanity” is written
up and down the entire book, there is not,
Qoheleth avows, a single unspoiled value
in this life. Riches, toil, wisdom, life
itself- all these are examined and found
wanting.

15. The author comes to both negative and positive
conclusions about wisdom. Negatively; he sees
wisdom as short-lived (4:13-16, 9:13-16). The author
also describes wisdom as the cause of much grief
(1:18), and makes a note of the fact that no matter
what level of wisdom that a person has attained it will
not prolong their life (2:12). Positively, the author
writes that it is better to be poor and wise than be
affluent and foolish (4:13).

16. Ecclesiastes also claims that wisdom can bring
success (10:10), strength (7:19), and joy (8:1) to
the one who possesses it. Nonetheless, wisdom
is still labelled as vanity (2:15) because no
amount of human wisdom cannot deliver anyone
from death. A rescue from death and the curse
can only be provided by God who is the source
of all wisdom and knowledge.

17. Qoheleth’s views on death are somewhat
different from the standard biblical view. The
author’s view of death is conditioned by his
particular interest. In a given situation, death
might be preferable to life (4:2-3); it may be
seen as a misfortune (6:1-6); as suffering; at
other times as totally unwelcome.

18. In the wisdom tradition, fear of God is correlative to
all that wisdom and knowledge stand for. It is the
beginning of wisdom. “Fear God and keep his
commandments” (12:13), according to F. Delitzsch
“is the kernel and star of the whole book.

19. It is important to fear the Lord because it is
He who will correct all injustices and
unfairness in the future (11:9, 12:14), and
because the Lord holds total and complete
control over all circumstances (5:2, 7:14, and
9:1).

20. Qoheleth is concerned with man’s happiness as
Job is concerned with man’s suffering. He can
see no lasting, certain, secure happiness in this
earthly existence.

21. Even if man gains the whole world , have all
riches, be able to indulge his every desire –
even then , Qoheleth would say , he would not
be satisfied , he would not be perfectly happy ,
the book , therefore cries out for the revelation
of the future life.

22. Many readers tend to ignore the book because
of the writers’ seemingly dismal outlook on
life. Our African Society is so complex today
and the economic situation is such that very
few projects promise the success they may
have in the past.

23. Africans ought to believe that the future is in the
hands of God, and God is not bound by the theories
of men and women. On the other hand life is
primarily for living and every endeavor must be
seen.
 All work, all progress, all organization have but one
purpose, that is the promotion and enhancement of
life. Any other objective is at best secondary or even
totally inappropriate. This is the message Qoheleth
advances.

24.  The book of Ecclesiastes was written not just for
the cynics and sceptics among people but to
addresses every human person. When all of life
appears meaningless and the immanence of death
seems like all there is to look forward to, Qoheleth
comes to our aid.

25. His search for meaning took him through
countless worldly pleasures in the physical
and emotional realms. All that one may
desire to do in life was tried by Qoheleth,
with the conclusion that it is all vanity apart
from God