text · B0026
Kohelet קהלת
Shlomo's late-life reckoning with futility and fear of Heaven, read on Sukkot. The baraita of Bava Batra places its committing-to-writing with Chizkiyah and his colleagues, alongside Yeshayahu, Mishlei, and Shir HaShirim; and of the four, this is the book whose place in the canon the sages debated longest — the Mishnah still records the houses of Shammai and Hillel disputing whether Kohelet renders the hands impure.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- קהלת
- Also known as
- Ecclesiastes
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- spoken by Shlomo; committed to writing by Chizkiyah and his colleagues, c. 3199–3228 AM, per Bava Batra 15a
- Academic
- usually dated to the Persian or early Hellenistic period on linguistic grounds
- Duration
- ≈29 years
- Precision
- approximate
IV. What
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Chizkiyah and his colleagues wrote Yeshayahu, Mishlei, Shir HaShirim, and Kohelet" (חזקיה וסיעתו כתבו ימש״ק) — the baraita of Bava Batra; "wrote" in its editorial sense of committing Shlomo's composition to final written form. | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Kohelet's canonical status was the canon's last open question: the Mishnah records Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disputing whether it renders the hands impure, resolved in favor of full sanctity. | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Timeline placement 3199–3228 AM, Chizkiyah's reign — the writing date; the composition belongs to Shlomo's era. The span is schematic. | tradition reconstruction | ★★★☆☆ |