Koheleth’s powerful guidebook for living without certainty and security in a world of constant change can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.
Twenty-three hundred years ago, an unnamed Hebrew sage known only as Koheleth, the Assembler of Wisdom, rocked the ancient Jewish world with a critique of society that shattered conventional notions of God, piety, politics, and power. Koheleth lived in a world of change and challenge not unlike our own. His teachings, known as the Book of Ecclesiastes, sought to empower people not unlike ourselves, which is why this book of the Hebrew Bible still speaks to us—people of all faiths—today.
In this contemporary and accurate translation, Rami Shapiro presents the Book of Ecclesiastes as neither revelation nor prophecy but as a rational and inspirational guide to living well in the midst of uncertainty. Beginning with its opening broadside, ‘Havel havalim!’—not “futility” or “vanity” as most translations would have it, but “breath, ” “vapor, ” and “impermanence”—Shapiro opens up Koheleth’s approach to living in a world where nothing lasts and justice is illusory; a world devoted to accumulating power, wealth, pleasure, and even knowledge that leaves you drowning in anxiety and needless suffering. He shows how Koheleth’s God demands neither sacrifice nor adherence to commandments, offering instead a practical lifestyle rooted in moderation, meaningful work, and friendship.
Now you can experience the Book of Ecclesiastes and understand Koheleth’s teachings with no previous knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. This Sky Light Illuminations edition presents insightful commentary that restores this ancient text to its timeless place as a guide to living sanely in an often insane world.
İçerik tablosu
Foreword vii
Preface ix
Introduction xv
About the Translation xxvii
Chapter One 3
Chapter Two 13
Chapter Three 27
Chapter Four 39
Chapter Five 47
Chapter Six 55
Chapter Seven 61
Chapter Eight 73
Chapter Nine 81
Chapter Ten 91
Chapter Eleven 99
Chapter Twelve 105
Epilogue (Chapter Twelve, Continued) 109
Bibliography 113
Yazar hakkında
Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Craftonis an Episcopal priest and the author of many books. She heads The Geranium Farm, an online institute for the encouragement of spiritual growth.
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