Hebrew Bible: Ecclesiastes on Living and Dying

In this class, we’ll read Ecclesiastes as a reflection on the joys, difficulties, and frustrations of daily life. After considering, on the first day, how the book reflects on communal and individual experiences in ancient Israel, we will then turn to three case studies: the ethics of work, enjoyment in times of empires, and death and dying. On the final day, we will gather the strands of these discussions by thinking together about faith in times of social dislocation. The overall aim is to create a conversation between the biblical text and issues that face us in everyday life. The purpose is not to find an ‘answer’ to Ecclesiastes, a final statement about what the book is about. Instead, we will draw from its complex and puzzling words suggestions for how to live well in an often chaotic world.

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