Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Ecclesiastes -- Author's preface -- Introduction -- What is man? -- What is the advantage? -- But is everything temporary? -- The ancient Near East on brevity in life -- The Old Testament on brevity in life -- Metaphorical uses for hebel -- A biblical constellation of words describing transience -- Significance of time in Ecclesiastes -- The extent of temporariness in our lives -- Author and date -- Other themes -- Wisdom generally -- Advantages in life -- Joy and pleasure -- Wise, enjoyable effort -- God's sovereignty -- Realism -- History of interpretation -- Overview -- Conservative interpretation -- Critical interpretation -- Interpretation of hebel -- Genre -- Philosophical -- Cosmopolitan -- Poetic or proverbial -- Oratorical -- Autobiographical -- Vernacular -- Language -- Three 'influence' theories -- Text -- Structure -- Text and commentary -- The Song of Songs -- Author's preface -- Introduction -- Canonicity -- Date -- Authorship -- Interpretational approaches -- Non-literal approaches -- Typological approaches -- Dramatic approaches -- Cultic approaches -- Literal approaches -- Literature -- Unity -- Structure -- Theme -- Purpose -- Text and commentary.

For Daniel Fredericks, allowing the thematic words and phrases of Ecclesiastes to speak with their Hebrew voices demonstrates its affinity with the breadth of Old Testament legal, poetic, wisdom and prophetic writings as well as the teachings of Christ and the apostles. Ecclesiastes is found in the canon of Scripture because it plays a significant role in a cumulative theology of the Old and New Testaments. The beautiful and mysterious lyrics of the Song of Songs have prompted a wide range of interpretations. Daniel Estes reads the ancient song cycle int erms of its literary genre as Hebrew poetry. By attending to the literary features of the text, he seeks to remain sensitive to the emotions that the poet desired to express and to reproduce in the reader. At the same time, he endeavours to hear the echoes of the Song as they resonate within the larger context of the biblical canon, and to suggest how its prominent theme of the nurture of intimacy can be applied to life today. --From publisher's description.