Jensens survey of the old testament adam 174

investigation of causes and laws underlying
reality. Stated simply, philosophy is man’s
search for truth. Are you acquainted with
people who are sincerely and seriously
looking for truthful answers to their painful
questions about life?
Generally speaking, there are two main
schools of thought in philosophy: empiricism
and rationalism. Empiricism says that human
experience, especially of the senses, is the
only source of knowledge. That is, man can
know only what he experiences. Rationalism
says that human reason is the prime source
of knowledge and of spiritual truth. That is,
man can know only what he can mentally
grasp. A study of Ecclesiastes shows truth
vainly being sought for in both ways:
“I made”; “I got”; and so forth (2:4,7, KJV)
—empiricism
“I set my mind to know” (1:17)—rationalism


The conclusion in both quests is stated over
and over again: “All is vanity.” Such a
frustration serves to show that if truth is to
be known, it must come by revelation from
God. (See Chart 74.) The God-centered life
view which Solomon teaches in the book
came from divine revelation.

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes,

Solomon presents the position of one who is
searching for truth and reality and meaning.
From this standpoint, then, it would be
correct to say that Ecclesiastes is a book of
philosophy. The student about to read the
book should keep this in mind, to avoid


misinterpretation and to reap maximum
instruction.
II. BACKGROUND
Not many details are known about the
immediate setting of Ecclesiastes. This lack
only serves to let the book shine forth in its
essential quality, as a timeless and
contemporary message to all generations
since its writing. The things that are known
about the book’s setting are both interesting
and important.
A. TITLE

The title for this book comes from the
opening phrase, “The words of the Preacher”
(1:1). The word “Preacher” is traced back to
the original Hebrew text as follows:
Hebrew—qoholeth1— f r o m qahal,
“to
assemble”
Greek version—ecclesiastes— f r o m ek, “out

of, and klesis, “a calling”
English—Preacher (1:1)—one who speaks to
an assembly of people
Ecclesiastes (title)—one who speaks to an
assembly of people In Old Testament days a
qoholeth was an o cial speaker to an
assembly of people. Other appearances of
the word “Preacher” in Ecclesiastes are at
1:1, 2, 12: 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10. The word is not
found in any other Old Testament book.
B. AUTHOR

The author is not named in the Bible text.
In 1:1 he is identi ed as “the son of David,
king of Jerusalem.” Internal evidences favor
the traditional view that Solomon is meant
by this phrase.2 The following descriptions
in the text coincide with what is known
about Solomon from the historical record
(e.g., 1 Kings).
1. the author’s unrivaled wisdom (1:16)