In what I've read in Eccelsiastes it's my favorite gospel (if I may call it that) so far. He says everything is meaningless and that death makes life meaningless so much and then at the end he's just like oh ok just follow the commandments. What is everyone's opinion on this nihilistic text?

no you cannot call eccelsiastes a gospel, a gospel is something proclaiming jesus and his redemption.
jesus rescued us from the law, read any of pauls letters in the new testament and they will talk about how the law is dead and we are not under it anymore. Ecc doesnt apply to us in this sense now that the new covenant was made

I know all of this already. I was asking what you think of it. Do you agree with it's nihilistic sentiment? Do you believe that all is vanity?

sometimes it may feel that way for me, like no matter what i do i can never fill that gap that could be filled only by the Holy Spirit
when i'm not in close fellowship with the Lord, that's where I feel like I'm the lowest, I guess that's what Solomon was trying to say in Ecclesiastes
Solomon was an old man at this point in his life, and he's regretting a number of things, like he had so many wives and concubines that brought in a slew of false gods into jerusalem
and instead of following God, he spent his money, time, and effort trying to please his many wives
even the most wise and wealthiest man did not find peace and happiness in money, power, women, and self pride

to be honest, when i first read it i was like 'wow, this book is MESSED up', but its not too bad, alot of what he says i can see in everyday life by people being wrapped up in the things they do -- vanity.

then i decided that its a good book -- but i cant really be asked to read it again... its just not my kinda book XD

(the gospels are matthew, mark,luke,john... the rest are just books or scrolls or letters)

I too have wondered many times about this passage. The meaning has always confused me. From what I understood and have heard he was trying to figure out what the meaning of all the material things that he owns. Maybe he was trying to grasp life after death? I am not sure, going to ask around this Sunday and see what I come up with.

The book is not about nihilism or even concerned with it .

It speaks to the condition of a man who follows the Lord and His commandments but does not comprehend God at all , something not uncommon before the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit became possible following the sacrifice .

You wouldn't call thinking that all is vanity nihilistic? Or that there is nothing new under the sun? Or that death renders life worthless? If these ideas aren't nihilistic then I don't know what nihilism is.

This post was edited by AEtheric on Sep 14 2010 04:59pm