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Hearing the Message of Ecclesiastes: Questioning Faith in a Baffling World
There is no easy answer to the meaning of life--even when you believe in God.
The book of Ecclesiastes seeks to answer the "What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?" The book's central character is Qoheleth, who wants to understand the meaning of life as far as he possibly can with the tools of his own empirical observation and reason. He struggles to reconcile the beautiful world that we love and enjoy with the baffling world of injustice, suffering, and death. Qoheleth circles around an abyss of nihilism and pessimism. He lives with unanswered questions. Yet he remains a believer.
Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright invites you to join Qoheleth on a journey through wisdom literature from centuries ago, because the message of Ecclesiastes can be strangely reassuring as we put our faith to the test in today's post-modern era. There will be disorienting twists and turns and the occasional complete impasse as complex topics are discussed,
The meaning of lifeMysteries of time and injusticeAmbiguities of work, politics, worship, and wealthHearing the Message of Ecclesiastes won't answer your questions about the meaning of life, but it will ultimately help you live in the tension of God's gifts in Genesis 1-2 and the fallen world of Genesis 3--and still go on trusting in the sovereign goodness of God.
The book of Ecclesiastes seeks to answer the "What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?" The book's central character is Qoheleth, who wants to understand the meaning of life as far as he possibly can with the tools of his own empirical observation and reason. He struggles to reconcile the beautiful world that we love and enjoy with the baffling world of injustice, suffering, and death. Qoheleth circles around an abyss of nihilism and pessimism. He lives with unanswered questions. Yet he remains a believer.
Old Testament scholar Christopher J. H. Wright invites you to join Qoheleth on a journey through wisdom literature from centuries ago, because the message of Ecclesiastes can be strangely reassuring as we put our faith to the test in today's post-modern era. There will be disorienting twists and turns and the occasional complete impasse as complex topics are discussed,
The meaning of lifeMysteries of time and injusticeAmbiguities of work, politics, worship, and wealthHearing the Message of Ecclesiastes won't answer your questions about the meaning of life, but it will ultimately help you live in the tension of God's gifts in Genesis 1-2 and the fallen world of Genesis 3--and still go on trusting in the sovereign goodness of God.
- GenresChristian
171 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2023
56 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Christopher J.H. Wright
102 books204 followersChristopher J.H. Wright, (born 1947) is a Anglican clergyman and an Old Testament scholar. He is currently the director of Langham Partnership International. He was the principal of All Nations Christian College. He is an honorary member of the All Souls Church, Langham Place in London, UK.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 8, 2024
Besonders die Einleitung in das Predigerbuch fand ich sehr gelungen. Fand es richtig gut, wie er Einleitungsfragen für die breite Leserschaft fruchtbar gemacht hat. Die einzelnen Auslegungen im weiteren Verlauf des Buches, die einen „Andachtscharakter“ haben sollten, war dann an einigen Stellen sehr hilfreich, an anderen auch schwach. Hätte mir etwas mehr Mühe und Lebensweltbezug gewünscht.
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August 24, 2025“Ecclesiastes pushes to its uncomfortable limit a tension…between a vision of the world as it ought to be, with righteousness prospering and wickedness confounded, and observation of the world as it is, with its injustice and absurdities. The first is the voice of faith in the character and promises of God; the second is the voice of harsh experience. And it is the strength with which faith in God’s revelation is held that produces the agony over the state of the world.”, p. ix
August 9, 2023
Although Christopher J. H. Wright didn’t start off to write a full-blown commentary on the book known as Qohelet(h) in the Hebrew Bible and Ecclesiastes in the English Bible, Hearing the Message of Ecclesiastes: Questioning Faith in a Baffling World is more than the devotional book which glosses over difficulties that I expected. It is, however, the very accessible book on the subject that I expected. I loved the sometimes flippant paraphrases of Qohelet(h)’s sayings.
Some of these paraphrases are selected here, as follows. When Qohelet(h) says that a good name is better than fine perfume in Ecclesiastes 7:1, Wright cleverly states: “Your reputation matters more than your aftershave, …” (p. 80). When we read of the value of companionship, using examples from the hostility of desert survival, Wright conjures an African proverb that perfectly fits: “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” (p. 59). He summarizes the familiar times and seasons passage of Ecclesiastes 3 with several observations. I particularly liked his second observation: “Time is always full of content. Time is ‘for’ things.” (p. 31) I also liked “Keep Calm and Carry On: for Ecclesiastes 10:4 (“calmness can lay great offenses to rest”—p. 117).
I particularly liked his quotation of an exaggerated paraphrase from George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language.” Orwell transformed the poetry of Ecclesiastes 9:11 into: “Objective considerations of contemporary phenomenon compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, …” [quoted on p. 111.]
Wright doesn’t ignore the reality that Qohelet(h)’s perspective is always bounded by what he can observe. The wise man admits his limitations in various places (in particular, the disparity between God’s position in heaven and humanity’s grounded situation in this existence, but Wright isn’t afraid to question Qohelet(h)’s antinomian implications in Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 (p. 87) and 9:1-2 (pp. 105-106). Nor is he afraid to call out the wise man for contradicting himself (pp. xxi, 15, 26, 50, 54, 72, 84, 94, 106, 110, 117, 125-126, 129, 132, 133, and 140, in particular).
He also isn’t afraid to call out those phrases or verses which are unsettling to the Christian reader.
For example, Wright notes that while the idea that money is the answer to everything in 10:19 might just be an observation that it’s always good to have a bit of cash handy, it is most likely a cynical observation concerning corruption (p. 120). Further, he does a good job of tying the verses about investment, diversification, and risk into New Testament parallels in Luke 12:35-48, 1 Corinthians 3:5-15, Ephesians 5:16, and 1 Timothy 4:2 (p. 123). And, even though it has been used by pulpiteers in times past, I liked Wright’s reminder that Qohelet(h)’s last section can be organized around two imperatives: rejoice and remember (p. 124).
The conclusion considers that Qohelet(h)’s truth is a partial truth in the wider scope of the extended Christian canon. Wright reminds us that the distance of this book’s God is remediated by the Incarnation of Christ (p. 141) and that the perspective of the Cross and Resurrection counters Qohelet(h)’s obsession with death and meaninglessness (p. 142). I particularly liked the following portion of his summation: “[Ecclesiastes] brings us a word that is part of the word of God. It is a disturbing word. A true word. But it is not the final word. (p. 144) And, of course, that final word is the Word.
Some of these paraphrases are selected here, as follows. When Qohelet(h) says that a good name is better than fine perfume in Ecclesiastes 7:1, Wright cleverly states: “Your reputation matters more than your aftershave, …” (p. 80). When we read of the value of companionship, using examples from the hostility of desert survival, Wright conjures an African proverb that perfectly fits: “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” (p. 59). He summarizes the familiar times and seasons passage of Ecclesiastes 3 with several observations. I particularly liked his second observation: “Time is always full of content. Time is ‘for’ things.” (p. 31) I also liked “Keep Calm and Carry On: for Ecclesiastes 10:4 (“calmness can lay great offenses to rest”—p. 117).
I particularly liked his quotation of an exaggerated paraphrase from George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language.” Orwell transformed the poetry of Ecclesiastes 9:11 into: “Objective considerations of contemporary phenomenon compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, …” [quoted on p. 111.]
Wright doesn’t ignore the reality that Qohelet(h)’s perspective is always bounded by what he can observe. The wise man admits his limitations in various places (in particular, the disparity between God’s position in heaven and humanity’s grounded situation in this existence, but Wright isn’t afraid to question Qohelet(h)’s antinomian implications in Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 (p. 87) and 9:1-2 (pp. 105-106). Nor is he afraid to call out the wise man for contradicting himself (pp. xxi, 15, 26, 50, 54, 72, 84, 94, 106, 110, 117, 125-126, 129, 132, 133, and 140, in particular).
He also isn’t afraid to call out those phrases or verses which are unsettling to the Christian reader.
For example, Wright notes that while the idea that money is the answer to everything in 10:19 might just be an observation that it’s always good to have a bit of cash handy, it is most likely a cynical observation concerning corruption (p. 120). Further, he does a good job of tying the verses about investment, diversification, and risk into New Testament parallels in Luke 12:35-48, 1 Corinthians 3:5-15, Ephesians 5:16, and 1 Timothy 4:2 (p. 123). And, even though it has been used by pulpiteers in times past, I liked Wright’s reminder that Qohelet(h)’s last section can be organized around two imperatives: rejoice and remember (p. 124).
The conclusion considers that Qohelet(h)’s truth is a partial truth in the wider scope of the extended Christian canon. Wright reminds us that the distance of this book’s God is remediated by the Incarnation of Christ (p. 141) and that the perspective of the Cross and Resurrection counters Qohelet(h)’s obsession with death and meaninglessness (p. 142). I particularly liked the following portion of his summation: “[Ecclesiastes] brings us a word that is part of the word of God. It is a disturbing word. A true word. But it is not the final word. (p. 144) And, of course, that final word is the Word.
June 30, 2024
I would recommend this to anyone interested in studying the book of Ecclesiastes (this is broad theological reflection mixed with a verse by verse exegetical approach) from a distinctly Christian perspective. Christopher Wright is known for his embrace of necessary tensions when it comes to matters of faith, and this small Old Testament book feels ready made for his sensibilities as the essential thesis is built around a seemingly irreconcilable tension (life is meaningless/life is meaningful).
I'm not entirely sure what his theological/denominational background is, but he tends to feel like that familiar evangelical voice who has spent some time challenging some of the norms, especially when it comes to versions of christianity that are afraid to ask some of the bigger questions. He does so while staying firmly rooted in his orthodoxy and confessions though, for what that is worth to different readers. From time to time he assumes certain theological positions, which is always a point where disagreements can emerge (I had a few), but for the most part he is simply dealing with the text head on and showing how he arrives at his interpretive choices from a Christian perspective (which he defines and describes as the fuller story to which Ecclesiastes is longing for and belongs).
On a simple scholarly level there are a lot of I don't knows accompanying any legitimate analysis of the text- who wrote it, why and when they wrote it, whether it fits into the wisdom Tradition, what is the wisdom Tradition, how much was edited (by whom and when and why) and what is the original form. Wright doesn't get bogged down in all of this, but he does do a nice job of explaining what these unknowns are in really simple terms, picking a viable lane, and encouraging us to be willing to evoke our imaginations even as we erect some visible and practical boundaries (can we imagine solomon behind the words of the text while knowing it most likely is not him, for example. This becomes a way hearing the words applied to a story that we know with a little more certainty, a story of a people that very well could have been reading the text. And there are plenty of examples of stories later in the scriptures where we know they would have been reading it in their own context).
There are lots of practical applications provided as part of an invitation to use the book to foster study by yourself or with a group. So it is definitely designed to simplify the complexities without losing its integrity as a scholarly source.
December 13, 2024
Ecclesiastes - Still a Bummer
I read a book earlier this year that mentioned Ecclesiastes as the most skeptical book of the Bible and even wondered why it had been included in the Old Testament. I had to admit, I only knew Ecclesiastes from the famous “time” section (“a time to laugh, a time to mourn” etc). BTW, quick aside, whether you think of The Byrds or Footloose when you hear that tells me a lot about you. So I read the book in the Bible and got really depressed. What a bummer! I mean there are sections that are beautiful and even poetic, but the overall message is very depressing.
Then I found this book and figured it might help me understand Ecclesiastes a little better.
Ecclesiastes is attributed to Qoheleth (pronounced Ko-HEL-eth) although some experts say it may have been written by King Solomon. Whoever wrote it was searching for the meaning of life and continued to come up empty. He often says life is “meaningless” and all of our efforts here on earth are worthless because in the end, we’re all going to die. The most uplifting parts are when he encourages the reader to enjoy life, especially in your youth, but again these exultations are foreshadowed with the ominous message: “because you’re going to die anyway.”
Christopher J. H. Wright is a Anglican clergyman and so he spends much of this book trying to reframe Ecclesiastes in light of a Christian mindset. The main difference being that Qoheleth clearly didn’t believe in an afterlife, so for him death was death and it was a fate we all share, humans and animals alike: “Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other.” 3:19. Once you introduce heaven into that equation things change, which, as a certified skeptic is one of the reasons to doubt such a claim.
This book was enlightening and I respect Wright’s attempt to explain Ecclesiastes. But in the end that particular Bible book still remains troublesome for me and a stark reminder that this life is ephemeral so we might as well enjoy it while we can (or as that great twentieth century philosopher Jim Morrison said: “I wanna have my kicks before the whole s**thouse goes up in flames”).
BTW I set a goal to read 36 books this year and this one is my 36th! Not that any of that matters because as Qoheleth constantly reminded me, it’s all meaningless!
I read a book earlier this year that mentioned Ecclesiastes as the most skeptical book of the Bible and even wondered why it had been included in the Old Testament. I had to admit, I only knew Ecclesiastes from the famous “time” section (“a time to laugh, a time to mourn” etc). BTW, quick aside, whether you think of The Byrds or Footloose when you hear that tells me a lot about you. So I read the book in the Bible and got really depressed. What a bummer! I mean there are sections that are beautiful and even poetic, but the overall message is very depressing.
Then I found this book and figured it might help me understand Ecclesiastes a little better.
Ecclesiastes is attributed to Qoheleth (pronounced Ko-HEL-eth) although some experts say it may have been written by King Solomon. Whoever wrote it was searching for the meaning of life and continued to come up empty. He often says life is “meaningless” and all of our efforts here on earth are worthless because in the end, we’re all going to die. The most uplifting parts are when he encourages the reader to enjoy life, especially in your youth, but again these exultations are foreshadowed with the ominous message: “because you’re going to die anyway.”
Christopher J. H. Wright is a Anglican clergyman and so he spends much of this book trying to reframe Ecclesiastes in light of a Christian mindset. The main difference being that Qoheleth clearly didn’t believe in an afterlife, so for him death was death and it was a fate we all share, humans and animals alike: “Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other.” 3:19. Once you introduce heaven into that equation things change, which, as a certified skeptic is one of the reasons to doubt such a claim.
This book was enlightening and I respect Wright’s attempt to explain Ecclesiastes. But in the end that particular Bible book still remains troublesome for me and a stark reminder that this life is ephemeral so we might as well enjoy it while we can (or as that great twentieth century philosopher Jim Morrison said: “I wanna have my kicks before the whole s**thouse goes up in flames”).
BTW I set a goal to read 36 books this year and this one is my 36th! Not that any of that matters because as Qoheleth constantly reminded me, it’s all meaningless!
November 28, 2023
This is an excellent introduction to a difficult book of Scripture. Based on oral presentations by the author, the reader is treated to a thoughtful survey of Ecclesiastes. This work will be helpful both for personal study and for preaching or teaching. It might be an especially precious resource for serious Christians who struggle with the difference between the way the world should be if the Lord is sovereign over all and the way it actually appears "to our eyes." For those struggling with some of the "baffling" questions of life, this work will walk you through how a person of faith in ancient Israel wrestled with some of the most fundamental concerns of human existence.
July 3, 2023
Chris Wright is an astonishing scholar and communicator, and this book is no exception. He deals openly and honestly with the tensions found in Ecclesiastes, and expertly guides his readers in how to live with those tensions in their day-to-day lives. Another great book to add to my growing library on my favorite book of the Bible.
January 23, 2024
A purposefully messy and to-and-fro journey through Ecclesiastes that doesn't so much try go give definitive answers but rather grapple with one of the most difficult and confounding books of Scripture.
September 23, 2024
Awesome exegetical commentary on Ecclesiastes. Funny and Chris clearly has no issues asking the hard faith questions, just like Qoheleth. I listened on Audible, but am now ordering the accoustic version to add to my library. I think it will sit nicely as my authorative guide on Ecclesiastes.
November 30, 2023
I listened to this book on Audio. I believe I would have gotten more out of this as a hard copy I could reference.
November 27, 2024
Wright is an amazing writer and preacher. I read the audio book on Audible. Love this faithful reading of the text.
December 8, 2024
Wonderful book to access this book
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews