Jugend—Alter—Tod: Kohelets abschließende Reflexion: Koh 11:7-12:8

Koh 11:7-12:8 is understood as the last part of Kohelet's collected reflections, except for minor later additions. It resumes central topics addressed previously and correlates them to phases of human existence: youth and adulthood, (old) age and, finally death. It will be shown that the unique...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Spieckermann, Hermann 1950- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2020]
In: Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2020, Volume: 70, Issue: 1, Pages: 193-208
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Kohelet 11,7-12,8 / Metaphor / Figurative language / Life / Dying
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B Heart
B Futility
B Joy
B Death
B Youth
B sceptical wisdom
B Adulthood
B Eternity
B Old Age
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Koh 11:7-12:8 is understood as the last part of Kohelet's collected reflections, except for minor later additions. It resumes central topics addressed previously and correlates them to phases of human existence: youth and adulthood, (old) age and, finally death. It will be shown that the unique allusion to death by using the metaphor of "house of eternity" conveys the idea of a certain stability surrounded by examples how the beauty of creation and the products of human artistry are threatened by transitoriness, decay, and destruction. Consequently they become a paradigm of death—the way all human beings have to go. Joy pursued in the first decades of life and the "house of eternity" are not contradictory. Rather, both are regarded as positive options of human existence surrounded by the omnipresence of futility. It cannot even be excluded that Kohelet implicitly ponders a relation between the eternity God has given into the human heart (3:11) and the "house of eternity" (12:5). After all, these are the only significant instances of eternity in his collection.
ISSN:1568-5330
Contains:Enthalten in: Vetus Testamentum
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685330-12341435