Statement
The dating of Ecclesiastes is debated: some place it at the start of the Hellenistic age because of parallels with Greek philosophy, but it was written in Hebrew and the parallels do not prove influence. Because it contains Persian loanwords, it must date from the Persian period or later.
Contested interpretationLow certainty✓ Verified
References
p. 66
reports disagreement · main text · ch. 3
Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.
Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text
Scholarly debate
Does Ecclesiastes date from the Persian or the Hellenistic period?
2 positions · no single answer · take a seat →
- A
Early Hellenistic age
Some scholars
Its skepticism would have parallels with currents of Greek philosophy.
- B
Cannot be determined
The authors' assessment
It was written in Hebrew, and the parallels are not precise enough to prove Greek influence. The Persian loanwords indicate only that it dates from the Persian period or later.