The Cycle of Life in Ecclesiastes

Abstract

AbstractAn exploration of the way the voice of the earth is heard in a cyclical view of nature presented in Ecclesiastes, notably in passages such as Eccl. 1:4-7 and 11:3-5. Also an investigation into the way imagery is used from the natural world in the book as a whole, looking especially at the use of animal imagery, as from members of the earth community outside the human and yet integrally related to the human. The argument is pursued that instead of simply illustrating human life as part of the dualistic worldview of the book, e.g. in 3:18-21, that in many ways the earth and its creatures define human life within the context of the earth's character, cycles and abundance.