TY  - BOOK
AU  - Bollhagen,James G.
TI  - Ecclesiastes 
T2  - Concordia commentary
SN  - 9780570063872
AV  - BS1475.53 .B65 2011
PY  - 2011///
CY  - Saint Louis 
PB  - Concordia Pub. House
KW  - Bible
KW  - Ecclesiastes
KW  - Commentaries
KW  - fast
N1  - Includes bibliographical references and indexes; The title of the book -- The place of the book in the canon -- The history of interpretation -- The Hebrew text -- Authorship : Solomonic authorship ; Qoheleth ; Other proposals regarding authorship ; Conclusion -- Theology : Pessimism, realism, faith, and hope ; Ecclesiastes and wisdom ; Jesus Christ is the wisdom in Ecclesiastes ; God's wisdom is divine ; Wisdom begets the new creation ; The preached gospel is God's wisdom ; Ecclesiastes is the gospel's call to saving faith ; Justification leads to sanctification ; Further theological themes ; The gospel of Christ is our only hope ; Life in a fallen world ; The seriousness of sin and its effects ; A sturdy faith ; The faith of a child ; God remains God, and man remains man ; Keeping life simple ; The doctrine of vocation ; The cyclical nature of life ; The death of false hopes ; Don't take yourself too bloody seriously ; The life of peace ; The temporary nature of earthly life ; The instilling of compassion ; The fear of God ; A proper view of material things; An outline of the book : Commentary : 1:1-2:26 Solomon's quest for wisdom ; 1:1-2 Introduction of the author and statement of the problem ; 1:3-11 Solomon's preliminary observation: worldly life is meaningless ; 1:12-18 A closer investigation, a thankless task, is undertaken ; 2:1-8 Testing the world's pleasures ; 2:9-11 Solomon's preliminary observation is confirmed: worldly life is meaningless ; 2:12-17 Does wisdom have any advantage over folly? ; 2:18-23 The meaninglessness of work ; 2:24-26 The application of Solomon's findings: keep life simple ; 3:1-12:8 Pearls of wisdom ; 3:1-9 God's times and seasons, part 1 ; 3:10-15 God's times and seasons, part 2 ; 3:16-22 Sayings on human evils, part 1 ; 4:1-3 Sayings on human evils, part 2 ; 4:46 Sayings on human evils, part 3 ; 4:7-12 Loneliness and its cure ; 4:13-16 The foolish king ; 4:17-5:6 The fear and worship of God ; 5:7-8 Government as a necessary evil ; 5:9-16 The emptiness of riches ; 5:17-19 The simple life: enjoying God's blessings ; 6:1-6 More on riches, part 1 ; 6:7-9 More on riches, part 2 ; 6:10-12 More on riches, part 3 ; 7:1-4 Miscellaneous proverbs: mourning versus laughter ; 7:5-10 Miscellaneous proverbs: wisdom versus folly ; 7:11-14 Miscellaneous proverbs: wisdom versus being smart ; 7:15-18 Miscellaneous proverbs: the golden mean ; 7:19-22 Miscellaneous proverbs: sin is universal ; 7:23-29 Human depravity and the woman to avoid ; 8:1-9 Heed the king's authority ; 8:10-13 Weighing the advantages of wisdom over folly, part 1 ; 8:14-17 Weighing the advantages of wisdom over folly, part 2 ; 9:1-6 Weighing the advantages of wisdom over folly, part 3 ; 9:7-10 Enjoy the simple life of wisdom, part 1 ; 9:11-18 Enjoy the simple life of wisdom, part 2 ; 10:1-7 More miscellaneous proverbs: wisdom versus folly ; 10:8-11 More miscellaneous proverbs: practical wisdom for the workplace ; 10:12-15 More miscellaneous proverbs: wisdom versus folly continued ; 10:16-20 More miscellaneous proverbs: the blessings of a good king and of hard work ; 11:1-4 More miscellaneous proverbs: seizing opportunities, part 1 ; 11:5-6 More miscellaneous proverbs: seizing opportunities, part 2 ; 11:7-10 The joy of youth ; 12:1-8 The woes of old age ; 12:9-14 Postscript ; 12:9-12 The pursuit of wisdom ; 12:13-14 The pursuit ends: fear God and keep His commandments
N2  - "The key to understanding this difficult book is God's wisdom in Jesus Christ. Solomon realistically appraises many human endeavors and finds them to be futile. The things of this world are temporary, and life is fleeting. Yet the Gospel endows our lives with eternal significance. Divine wisdom instills fear and faith in God. This knowledge enables us to serve meaningfully in our vocations and pass through the coming eschatological judgment into eternal life. This commentary is perfect for the pastor seeking to study, preach, and teach Ecclesiastes. It provides insightful wisdom and mature theological reflection on this enigmatic book of Holy Scripture. Dr. Bollhagen draws on his lifetime of faithful service as a seminary professor and parish pastor as he writes with practical wisdom for daily living."--Amazon.com
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