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Who wrote Ecclesiastes—and what was he trying to communicate to us? That’s a question that professor John Walton tackles in his online course, Old Testament Survey. Let’s look at what Dr. Walton has to say about the origins, background, structure, and purpose of this interesting book.
The traditional view, widely accepted in Jewish and Christian traditions, credits King Solomon as the author of Ecclesiastes. This belief is primarily based on the opening verse of the book, which introduces the speaker as "the son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1).
According to rabbinic tradition the book was written by King Solomon (reigned c. 970–931 BCE) in his old age, [2] but the presence of Persian loanwords and Aramaisms point to a date no earlier than about 450 BCE, [3] while the latest possible date for its composition is 180 BCE. [4] Title.
Who wrote the book? The title “Ecclesiastes” comes from a Greek word indicating a person who calls an assembly, so it makes sense that the author identified himself in Ecclesiastes 1:1 by the Hebrew word qoheleth , translated as “Preacher.”
The traditional view, unquestioned until the rise of higher criticism in the eighteenth century, is that Solomon is the sole author. Considering Solomon’s spiritual downfall in his later years (1 Kings 11:4–8), the book of Ecclesiastes was likely written at the end of his life.
Author: The Book of Ecclesiastes does not directly identify its author. There are quite a few verses that imply Solomon wrote this book. There are some clues in the context that may suggest a different person wrote the book after Solomon’s death, possibly several hundred years later.
The actual author of Ecclesiastes is unknown, but the superscription (1:1) attributes the book to qohelet (commonly translated “preacher,” Greek ekklēsiastēs), who is identified as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem.”
Who Wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes? Ecclesiastes records the words of Qohelet (“the teacher”), who could be Solomon, a later king in David’s line, or an Israelite teacher using a Solomon-like persona (1:1).
Christians and Jews have traditionally (up to the 18 th and 19 th centuries) held that Solomon is the author of the book of Ecclesiastes. Much of this is based on the first verse . . . “the son of David, King in Jerusalem”
He comes to the conclusion (op. cit. p. 32) that “The Book of Ecclesiastes was originally composed by an author who wrote in Hebrew but who employed Phoenician orthography, and whose composition shows heavy Canaanite-Phoenician influence.”