God's Problem by How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman

Author:How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question, Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman [How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question, Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

There is no better way to identify the overarching message of the book than simply to consider its powerful opening lines. In them the author identifies himself as the son of David and the king in Jerusalem (Eccles. 1:1). The author, in other words, is claiming to be none other than Solomon—known from other traditions as the

“wisest man on earth.” Scholars are reasonably sure, however, that whoever wrote this book, it could not have been Solomon. Just on the linguistic level, the Hebrew of the book has been influenced by later forms of the Aramaic language, and it contains a couple of Persian loanwords—plausible only after the thinkers of Israel had been influenced by the thinkers of Persia (i.e., after the Babylonian exile). Usually this book is dated to about the third century BCE

(some seven hundred years after Solomon himself). In any event, its opening statement virtually says it all:

The words of the Teacher, the son

of David, king in Jerusalem.

Vanity of vanities, says the

Teacher,

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

What do people gain from all the

toil

at which they toil under the

sun?

A generation goes, and a

generation

comes,

but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun goes

down,

and hurries to the place where it

rises.

191

Does Suffering Make Sense?

The wind blows to the south,

and goes around to the north;

round and round goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind

returns. . . .

All things are wearisome;

more than one can express;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

or the ear filled with hearing.

What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what

will

be

done;

there is nothing new under the

sun.

Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has already been

in the ages before us.

The people of long ago are not

remembered,

nor will there be any

remembrance

of people yet to come

by those who come after them. (Eccles. 1:1–6, 8–11)

The key term here is vanity. All of life is vanity. It passes by quickly, and then is gone. The Hebrew word is hevel, a word that can also be translated “emptiness,” “absurdity,” “uselessness.” Hevel literally refers to a mist that evaporates, so that its root idea is something like “fleeting,” “ephemeral.” The word occurs about thirty times in this relatively short book. For this author, everything in the world is ephemeral and destined soon to pass away—even we ourselves. Placing ultimate value and putting ultimate importance in the things of this world is useless, vain; all things are fleeting, ephemeral.

192

G O D ’ S P R O B L E M

In the guise of Solomon, this author indicates that he tried everything in order to make life meaningful. He sought for great wisdom, he indulged himself in pleasure, he engaged in large building projects, he accumulated masses of possessions (Eccles. 1:16–

2:23); but then he reflected on the meaning of it all: “I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” (Eccles. 2:11).