Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture

John Robert Wright and Thomas Oden have contributed a wonderful resource of patristic interpretation of Ecclesiastes with their volume in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. See the image for a list of the main entries.

Content with Creation

One of the main themes of Ecclesiastes (the main theme?) is contentment, literally "to see good." Rabbi Jonathan Cahn of Lodi, NJ alerted me to a connection with the repeated refrain in Genesis 1, "and God saw that it was good." Human contentment with their allotment (eating, drinking, working) should mirror God's contentment with his creative activity. It is not what people have made which is good, but what God has given them. God continues to be the maker/doer.

Transcript of Jonathan Cahn's message:

Jonathan Cahn, 11/22/1996  Israel Pilgrimage 1996, Cassette Tape No. 576.
Hope of the World Ministries
Box 1111, Lodi, NJ 07644, USA.

There's something he said, he said, he saw that it was good,
he looked on everything, he saw that it was good, and then
he blessed it. So how do you have, how do you enter God's
sabbath? You must see that it is good and you must bless
it, meaning that God promises that everything in your life
will work out for good if you follow him. Everything will
work out good. The only way you're going to have rest, is
you must see it as good. You must be able to say, Lord I
see that there is good, or I entrust you that it is good
in you, and I must bless it. Bless it, and you will be able
to rest. As long as you worry about something, you're not
blessing it. As long as you have bitterness you're saying
it's not good. God is saying you must look at everything
in your life with his grace and be able to say “It is good,
it is good” and bless it and you will begin to enter God's
peace, and God's sabbath. As the sun set, that's what we
learned.

Audio clip, click video:

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey wrote a beautiful paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 1--5 in 1546. Several versions are available in full text on Google Books, including Frederick Morgan Padelford's 1920 edition, The Poems of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (University of Washington Press), http://books.google.com/books?id=zLeEAAAAIAAJ. See pages 83-90.

Eric S. Christianson includes many quotes from Howard in his 2007 book, Ecclesiastes through the Centuries.

Comic Wisdom

Seven inches of snow (so far) and classes are cancelled. It's a perfect day for a fire and once we have shovelled the neighbours out, I get some old newspaper to get the fire going again. Yesterday I got some dead wood from the cemetery so everything was set. As I was reading the comics on the paper I was burning, I noticed a couple of comics. Hagar the Horrible seems too much like the Epicureans with his definition of the meaning of life: "Life is fighting, raiding, drinking beer, partying, and playing games." Garfield seems closer to the mark with his reflection, "There is so much in the world I don't know about. but I do know where the food is, so ... who cares?" Eccl 5:18 (heb 17).

Useless Beauty

Robert K. Johnston, Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2004).

Johnston's book is titled after the Elvis Costello song (and album) "All This Useless Beauty." The aim of the book is to engage a dialogue between Ecclesiastes and contemporary films that also portray the "hard, paradoxical reality of life."
The films reviewed include:
Ikiru
Crimes and Misdemeanors
American Beauty
Six Feet Under (HBO television programme)
Magnolia
Punch Drunk Love
Run Lola Run
The Princess and the Warrior
Monster's Ball
Signs
Election
About Schmidt

Spring of Life

We sang this song in chapel last Friday. It has some themes in common with Ecclesiastes:
- searching and finding (Eccl 1:13; 2:3; 7:25 ('searching'); 'finding' 12 times, e.g. Eccl 3:12 no one can find out the work of God)
- the world doesn't satisfy (Eccl 5:10 [heb 9], whoever loves wealth is never satisfied; Eccl 1:7-8, sea, words, eyes, ears never satisfied).
- emptiness ... this relates to the key word 'vanity' (hebel).

In this life we will find, We will be searching
In this life we will find, The world won’t satisfy
In this life we will find
That we will be empty, Without You

Jesus You’re the well that won’t run dry
Jesus You’re the drink that satisfies
Living water, Spring of life
Jesus You’re the well that won’t run dry

In this life we will find, We will be yearning
In this life we will find, The world won’t satisfy
In this life we will find
That we will be hopeless, Without You

We will thirst no more thirst no more
We will drink from you drink from you
We will search no more search no more
When we drink from you drink from you

Written By: Kristian Stanfill
Copyright: © 2008 worshiptogether.com songs / sixsteps Music

Ol' Man River

Ecclesiastes 1:3-11 has often been interpreted as representing the meaningless cycles of nature, which is taken as an analogy for the meaningless repetitions in human life. Stuart Weeks (SBL conf, 2008), however, has shown that the emphasis is not on cycles, but on the continuous activity of nature (without reference to cycles). The streams, for example, continue flowing to the sea with no discernible change to the sea (Eccl 1:7). Likewise, speaking, seeing, and hearing continue with no end in sight. Human activity just doesn't make much of a difference to the world. Generations continue to come and go (1:4), the sun continues to shine (1:5), the wind continues to blow (1:6), and yes, Ol' Man River, he just keeps on rolling along (1:7).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9WayN7R-s


"He keeps on rollin' along, he keeps on rollin' along" Eccl 1:7.
"An' dem dat plants 'emis soon forgotten" Eccl 1:11.
"You an' me, we sweat an' strain" Eccl 1:3.

Paul Robeson - Ol' man river Lyrics Album: Ol Man River (1926-1938) Ol' man river,Dat ol' man riverHe mus'know sumpin'But don't say nuthin',He jes'keeps rollin'He keeps on rollin' along.He don' plant taters/tators,He don't plant cotton,An' dem dat plants'emis soon forgotten,But ol'man river,He jes keeps rollin'along.You an'me, we sweat an' strain,Body all achin' an' racket wid pain,Tote dat barge!Lif' dat bale!Git a little drunkAn' you land in jail.Ah gits wearyAn' sick of tryin'Ah'm tired of livin'An' skeered of dyin',But ol' man river,He jes'keeps rolling' along.[Colored folks work on de Mississippi,Colored folks work while de white folks play,Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset,Gittin' no rest till de judgement day.or musical part]Don't look upAn' don't look down,You don' dast makeDe white boss frown.Bend your kneesAn'bow your head,An' pull date ropeUntil you' dead.)Let me go 'way from the Mississippi,Let me go 'way from de white man boss;Show me dat stream called de river Jordan,Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross.O' man river,Dat ol' man river,He mus'know sumpin'But don't say nuthin'He jes' keeps rollin'He keeps on rollin' along.Long ol' river forever keeps rollin' on...He don' plant tater,He don' plant cotton,An' dem dat plants 'emIs soon forgotten,but ol' man river,He jes' keeps rollin' along.Long ol' river keeps hearing dat song.You an' me, we sweat an' strain,Body all achin an' racked wid pain.Tote dat barge!Lif' dat bale!Git a little drunkAn' you land in jail.Ah, gits wearyAn' sick of tryin'Ah'm tired of livin'An' skeered of dyin',But ol' man river,He jes'keeps rollin' along!