Ecclesiastes

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For it is so written in

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What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
—Ecclesiastes 1:9, NIV

Ecclesiastes is the most optimistic nihilistic book in the Bible. It is presented as a book of wisdom by a man, known in Hebrew as Qohelet (often translated as "preacher" or "leader of the assembly"), and rumored to be an early incarnation of Roger McGuinn—who has realized that everything is worthless, and there is no point to life, so one should enjoy simple pleasures. In this respect his ideas resemble Epicurean philosophy. It has a certain eerie beauty born of desolation; among other things, it denies the existence of life after death [1] and tells you to enjoy life while you can. Christian exegesis bends over backwards to explain how the book's message is that we should focus ourselves on God, and that the author is trying to point out that life without God is meaningless. This is in spite of the majority of it being pretty much the direct opposite of that sentiment; though the concluding passages do emphasise following God's commandments.

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[edit] Footnotes

  1. Verses 3:19, 9:5, and 9:10
Guide to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures
Torah: Genesis - Exodus - Leviticus - Numbers - Deuteronomy Old Testament History: Book of Joshua - Book of Judges - Ruth - Samuel (1 & 2) - Kings (1 and 2 Kings) - Chronicles - Ezra and Nehemiah - Book of Esther Old Testament Wisdom: Book of Job - Psalms - Book of Proverbs - Ecclesiastes - Song of Solomon Major Prophets: Isaiah - Book of Jeremiah - Lamentations - Book of Ezekiel - Book of Daniel Minor Prophets: Minor Prophets

Deuterocanon (Catholic and Orthodox): - Tobit - Judith - 1 Maccabees - 2 Maccabees - Book of Wisdom - Sirach - Baruch - Letter of Jeremiah Deuterocanon (Orthodox): 1 Esdras - 3 Maccabees - Prayer of Manasseh - Psalm 151 Deuterocanon (Georgian Orthodox): 4 Maccabees - 2 Esdras Ethiopian Orthodox ("narrow" canon): Jubilees - Enoch - Rest of the Words of Baruch - 1-3 Meqabyan Syriac Peshitta: 2 Baruch Psalms 152-155


The Gospels: Gospel of Matthew - Gospel of Mark - Gospel of Luke - Gospel of John Acts: Acts of the Apostles Pauline Epistles: Romans - 1 & 2 Corinthians - Galatians - Ephesians - Philippians - Colossians - First Thessalonians - Second Thessalonians - First Timothy - Second Timothy - Titus - Epistle to Philemon General Epistles: Epistle to the Hebrews - Epistle of James - First Peter - Second Peter - 1 John - 2 John - 3 John - Epistle of Jude Revelation: Book of Revelation


Selected pseudepigrapha: Gospel of Judas - Infancy Gospel of James - Gospel of Mary - Gospel of Philip - Gospel of Thomas - Nag Hammadi texts


Rational Wiki's Guide to the Protestant Bible

Guide to Bible translations

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