Qohelet's concept of deity: A comparative-philosophical perspective

Jaco Gericke

doi:10.4102/ve.v34i1.743

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of deity in the book of Ecclesiastes (Qohelet) from the perspective of issues of interest in analytic philosophy of religion. Of concern are assumptions in the text about religion, the nature of religious language, religious epistemology, the concept of revelation, the attributes of the divine, the existence of God, the problem of evil, the relation between religion and morality and religious pluralism. A comparative philosophical clarification is offered with the aim of discerning similarities and differences between popular views in Christian philosophical theology and what, if anything, Qohelet took for granted on the same issues.

Highlights

The concept of deity is central to the interpretation of Ecclesiastes ( Qohelet)
Complicating the matter are contradictions in much of the book’s statements on a variety of issues. This means that stringing together references to the divine in the book does not constitute anything approximating a systematic theology of the book
In the theology of Qohelet there seems to be no problem with the signification or sense of religious language qua god-talk

Summary

Introduction

The concept of deity is central to the interpretation of Ecclesiastes ( Qohelet) (see Whybray 1998:239). No attempt has been made to elucidate Qohelet’s concept of deity from the perspective of issues of interest in analytic philosophy of religion (cf Crenshaw 2009:41–62 [passim]). An attempt will be made to introduce Qohelet’s assumptions regarding religion, the nature of religious language, religious epistemology, the concept of revelation, the attributes of deity, the existence of deity, the problem of evil, the relation between religion and morality and religious pluralism.

Results

Conclusion