Ecclesiastes and the Riddle of Authorship [Hardcover]

In Ecclesiastes, the authorial voice of Qohelet presents an identity that has challenged readers for centuries. This book offers a reception history of the different ways readers have constructed Qohelet as an author. Previous reception histories of Ecclesiastes group readings into premodern and critical, or separate Jewish from Christian readings. In deliberate contrast, this analysis arranges readings thematically according to the interpretive potential inherent in the text, a method of biblical reception history articulated by Brennan Breed. Doing so erases the artificial distinctions between so-called scholarly and confessional readings and highlights the fact that many modern academic readings of the authorship of Ecclesiastes travel in well-worn interpretive paths that long predate the rise of critical scholarship. Thus this book offers a reminder that, while critical biblical scholarship is an essential part of the interpretive task, academic readings are themselves indebted to the Bibles reception history and a part of it.

Preface and Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1: Qohelet as Solomon

Chapter 2: Qohelet the King

Chapter 3: Qohelet and Contradiction

Chapter 4: Saint and Sinner

Chapter 5: Philosopher and Sage

Conclusion

In this lively and well-written book, Bolin stands Qohelet scholarship on its head by analyzing interpretations of Ecclesiastes - in particular, mapping the varieties of portraits of its author, Qohelet - rather than simply offering one reading of the text. Bolin thus combines the work of scholars such as Jennifer Koosed, who has explored the question of Qohelet's identity, and scholars such as Eric Christianson, who has collected interpretations of El3_