Ecclesiastes as a representative of Jewish theological education

Abstract

This article deals with the study of the author’s personality of the Book of Ecclesiastes as a representative of theological education. Many Western scholars of the Book of Ecclesiastes assume that its author was a Jewish teacher. Since the author calls himself Ecclesiastes (ἐκκλησία, gathering of people) or Qoheleth (qahal, gathering), it seems that he gathered people for teaching. A reference to this is in the book itself: “In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge” (Eccl 12:9). Thus, he appears to have served as a teacher of young people (Eccl 11:9) and had a group of disciples to whom he gave practical advice about life. It was a time of great changes in Israel, new circumstances of life demanded new answers, and Ecclesiastes, through studying the Holy Scriptures and through personal experience and reflection, made a critical analysis of the reality around him and those teachings that were spread among the Israelites. On the basis of this analysis, he provided answers to young people, trying to form a holistic worldview and save them from temptations: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl 12:13–14). These words have not lost their relevance today. As a result, this work can be useful for analyzing the modern education system, through the prism of Jewish religious education, which is closely related to Christian education.