Prediker, de dood en wij: De lezing van Prediker 9 in verschillende contexten toen en nu

Ecclesiasticus, Death, and We
Reading Ecclesiastes 9 in Different Contexts, Then and Now

Ecclesiastes 9 seems to deny any belief in life after death. In the classroom of a theological faculty this for most Christian provocative text was read with a number of students from different contexts. The in many ways contradictory reactions could partly be explained by relating them to the various backgrounds of the students. In a next step the views of Ecclesiastes were read against their historical background, comparing them to related ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian views. As a result of reading the text within both ancient and modern contexts it is concluded that Ecclesiastes 9 can be interpreted as liberation literature and also as the exhortation to enjoy life as a protest against a situation in which the fear of death casts a gloom over life. In the concluding remarks it is suggested that Ecclesiastes seems to leave open the possibility of a continued life with God after death.