Qoheleth's Allusions to Abel: Reading Qoheleth as a Contemplation on the Story of the First Unjustly Murdered Human
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2021-08-25
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en
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In Qoheleth’s reflection on the state of human life, he finds that life is often unfair. This leads him to the conclusion that “all is hebel” (1:2). Hebel is also the name of the first murder victim in the Hebrew bible: Abel, whose birth and death is described in Genesis 4. This paper, using the approach of inner-biblical allusion, argues that not only the term hebel, but also the phrases rǝʿût/raʿyôn rûaḥ and rōʿeh eḥād can be understood as allusions to Abel. Specifically, this paper argues for a new reading of the phrase rōʿeh eḥād (usually translated as “one/a/any shepherd”), as “the first shepherd,” as a direct allusion to Abel. This paper suggest that the author of Qoheleth alludes to Abel in order to contemplate and reflect on the story of the first human who was unjustly murdered as a part of his broader reflection on human life and its injustices.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen