Who wrote Ecclesiastes?

Answer 1

The Book of Ecclesiastes states it was written by Qoheleth, but this name is always translated into English as 'Preacher' or 'Ecclesiastes' and, instead, the book is traditionally attributed to King Solomon.

However, the Book of Ecclesiastes contains several Aramaic words and two Persian words, so must have been written after the time of the Babylonian Exile, long after the time attributed to Solomon. Also, the Hebrew content is in a more modern form of Hebrew. The author is anonymous but is thought by scholars to have lived after the time of Alexander. Verse 9:5 is evidence that Persian ideas of immortality and resurrection had even then not been universally accepted and was still being debated: 'For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten'.

Another answer from our community:

Solomon is the most likely author of the book. Firstly, the author says he is the son of David who was a king of Jerusalem. Secondly, it is consistent from what is known of Solomon in that he was given to wisdom, insight, and reflection. Many of the sayings are consistent with significant lessons learned during Solomon's life. The author also claims to have sought and arranged proverbs - the Book of Proverbs states they are Solomon's.

Ecclesiastes 1:1 says, "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem," and Ecclesiastes 1:12 says, "I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem." Taken together, these statements could only mean that the author was claiming to be King Solomon. Traditionally, this authorship has been accepted by Jews and Christians.

If the use of the past tense in 1:12 has any meaning, we can see that this claim was meant to be allegorical. The book contains several Aramaic words, an influence that was characteristic of late Hebrew and thus militating against authorship by Solomon. It also contains two Persian words. Most critical scholars now believe that Ecclesiastes was written around 250 BCE by a non-Hellenised intellectual, although Seow of the Anchor Bible series believes that it dates to the Persian period - shortly after the Babylonian Exile. According to this view, the author was not King Solomon.

Answer 2

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes is traditionally believed to be King Solomon. However, some scholars debate this attribution and consider it to be the work of an unknown author during a different time period.

Answer 3

Scholars say that Solomon actually did not write the Book of Ecclesiastes. In fact, the book contains several Aramaic words, an influence that was characteristic of late Hebrew and thus militating against authorship by Solomon. It also contains two Persian words, which could only have been known to Jews after the Babylonian Exile. Most critical scholars now believe that Ecclesiastes was written around 250 BCE by a non-Hellenised intellectual, although Seow of the Anchor Bible series believes that it dates to the Persian period - just shortly after the Babylonian Exile. On the basis of this information, we can not ascribe a reason to Solomon.

Answer 4

The unbroken, continuous 3000-year tradition of the Jewish nation states that King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Proverbs. "Kohellet" (Ecclesiastes) means "one who gathers congregations," and that is what Solomon did as he spoke about life and God (see 1 Kings 5:14).

Answer 5

The Book of Ecclesiastes states it was written by Qoheleth, but this name is always translated into English as 'Preacher' or 'Ecclesiastes' and, instead, the book is traditionally attributed to King Solomon.

However, the Book of Ecclesiastes contains several Aramaic words and two Persian words, so must have been written after the time of the Babylonian Exile, long after the time attributed to Solomon. Also, the Hebrew content is in a more modern form of Hebrew that points to authorship in later Old Testament times. The author is anonymous but is thought by scholars to have lived after the time of Alexander. Verse 9:5 is evidence that Persian ideas of immortality and resurrection had even then not been universally accepted and was still being debated: 'For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten'.

Answer 6

Solomon

Answer 7

King Solomon