Journal: Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal
Volume: DBSJ 20:1 (NA 2015)
Article: Pondering The Authorship Of Ecclesiastes
Author: Robert V. McCabe

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Pondering The Authorship Of Ecclesiastes

Robert V. McCabe1

The superscription of Ecclesiastes states that this book contains “the words of Qohelet, son of David, king in Jerusalem.”2 With rare exception, such as Luther, Solomonic authorship has been the traditional view of Jewish and Christian scholarship.3 However, this tradition was challenged with the rise of historical criticism. The critical view against Solomonic authorship gathered a cadre of adherents in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries “in the way that it had done for the Pentateuch during the nineteenth century.”4 Today, both critical and most conservative scholars no longer accept Solomonic authorship.5

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The force of modern scholarship is so strong that Fohrer could assert: “Of course actual Solomonic authorship is out of the question. The association with Solomon is a mere literary form, only slightly disguised and not carried out systematically.”6 From an orthodox Christian perspective, E. J. Young states the issue like this: “Solomonic authorship is not widely held, and is rejected by most orthodox Protestant scholars.”7 More recently, Longman has also argued against Solomonic authorship: “Qohelet is not Solomon, but he does adopt a Solomonic persona to explore avenues of meaning in the world.”8

Is Fohrer, as well as others with similar views,9 correct by essentially

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asserting that Solomonic authorship is “out of the question?” And even though Solomon is not explicitly stated to be the author, is there other evidence in this book that has a bearing on its authorship? The purpose of this essay is to provide a fresh examination of the authorship of Ecclesiastes by investigating both the non-Solomonic and Solomonic views.

Qohelet

To provide a foundation for this discussion, we must initially examine a couple of issues related to the Hebrew term קֹהֶלֶת, “qohelet.” How should קֹהֶלֶת be rendered? And what is the connection between Qohelet and Solomon? Before examining its translation value, we should briefly consider some basic details about this word. It is a Qal feminine singular participle th...