Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is the searching reflection of 'the Preacher' (Qoheleth) on the meaning of life 'under the sun'. Its refrain — 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity' — captures its unflinching look at how fleeting and often frustrating human striving can be: wealth, pleasure, work and wisdom all slip through the fingers, and death levels all.

Yet the book is not despairing. Again and again it commends the simple gifts of God — food, work, companionship — received with gratitude, and it ends with its conclusion of the whole matter: 'Fear God and keep his commandments' (12:13). Ecclesiastes is honest wisdom for a world that does not always make sense.