ECCLESIASTES, THE PREACHER.

Luther writes in the exposition of this book: in (1377), " That this book is one of the most difficult books in Holy Scripture, but I personally think it is a breath of fresh air in the O.T.  into whose depths very few have gone to reveal its message to fully penetrate its message. Yes, rather through improper explanations of many it has been so corrupted that it is almost a greater task to cleanse and liberate our author from the dreams of those people, which have brought into the text, than to show the true meaning. There was a two-fold meaning why this book was unusually dark to others. One they did not see the purpose and the scope of the author.... The other reason is based upon their ignorance of the Hebrew language and upon the certain manner of expressing himself, which the author has, one which deviates from ordinary usage of language and differs widely from our own manner of speaking. The consequence has been that this book, which in many respects is worthy of being in the hands of all men daily, with which, moreover, the  leaders of the church community should be  particularly familiar,... This book has  been deprived of its name and dignity and been cast aside in miserable contempt, so that we today have neither the use nor the effect of it. What is the intent and what does it hope to accomplish and what is its object. Their are four discourses being clearly included: On the  vanity of human wisdom and earthly pleasures,chaps 1.2; on the proper use of earthly goods and pleasures, chaps. 3-5; on the vanity of riches and the achievement of true wisdom, chaps. 9-12. The author plainly teaches that a person  may well enjoy the earthly gifts of God, in proper piety, on the one hand, and in true charity, on the other, without clinging to the vain gifts of this world, but rather in true love to the Word of God and in constant remembrance of the judgment that is coming.
 The title of the book is Ecclesiastes, a word derived from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the meaning of the word being " Preacher," as the author plainly calls himself.
 The description of the opening sentence, " The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem," will properly apply to no one but "Solomon," to whom the book as been ascribed from the earliest times. All the arguments of higher critics have  not been able to shake the authenticity of the book. The only question, one which was considered by Luther also, is this,  whether Solomon personally wrote the words as contained in this book, or whether the discourse were penned by one of Solomon's scribes. They appear to have been spoken by Solomon in his old age, and that with the intention of repairing  as much as possible the damage he had done by his evil example.  (1 Kings 11,1-8), to warn others against those sins and follies which he had committed.