Qohelet's Eschatological Poem‪.‬

The final poem of Qohelet (12:1-8) is arguably the most controversial portion of the book. Indeed, Jerome wryly observed long ago that on this text there are "almost as many opinions as there are people." (1) The debate has persisted, revolving in the main around the nature of the rhetoric, particularly in w. 2-6. There is substantial agreement on the unity of the passage, and even on its purpose; scholars in general concur that the author means to exhort people to enjoy life while there is still time. (2 Its poetic quality, too, has often been extolled. Yet there is tremendous divergence and much confusion in the interpretation of the details. This essay addresses the question of the nature of the images in this portion of Qohelet and considers the place of the poem within the overall literary structure of the book. (3) I. Tensions in and about the Text