There has been a lack of, or an unwillingness to investigate the message of Qohelet within the background and context in which the book was written. Partly, this is due to the problems in identifying the correct dating of the book and partly it is linked to a reading that takes the author as discussing more eternal truths (cf. Seow 2001:238). However, the Qohelet draws many of the lessons presented from a view of his background. These observances of daily life lead Qohelet to make the arguments and discussions that would lead to an ethical perspective on life (cf. Seow 2001:239).
The context in which a book is written is extremely important when it comes to correctly understanding what the author is trying to convey. To understand the issues that the author was writing against, and how these issues impacted every day life, is needed for a correct contextualisation of the ethical imperatives to be understood. Yet, dating the compilation of Ecclesiastes and placing it into a historical setting is not a straight forward task (see some of the complexities in Rudman (1999:47-52). There was a period in which scholars argued that the original language it was written in was Aramaic (and thus that the book was compiled at a very late date), however, fragments of the book that were found at Qumran were written in Hebrew, and this theory is thus seen as being
improbable (cf. Crenshaw 1988:40-50. From this find in Qumran, some scholars have dated the book as being written during the middle period of the third century BCE.
In support of this later dating, there are particular language usages in the book which mark a transitional stage between classical Hebrew and Mishnaic Hebrew (cf. Rudman 1999:49). According to certain scholars, twenty-seven hapax legomena occur in Ecclesiastes, together with twenty-six words or combinations of words that appear in Hebrew only in Qohelet’s writing, and in Mishnaic texts (cf. Crenshaw 1988:31). These words and combinations would therefore provide evidence for placing the writing of Ecclesiastes around the same period as the compilation of other Scripture books like Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah (cf. Crenshaw 1988:40-50). Occasionally, the Qohelet uses Persian loanwords such as pardes (park), and medinah (province) in describing their everyday life. From this, the book would have been written after the Jewish people had been exiled. Other Persian loan words, such as technical and legal words that correspond to Persian legal documents of that time, would also argue the fact for a later authorship of the book (cf. Rudman 1999:47). This would place the book in the fourth century BCE, especially as there is a lack of Grecisms which would point towards the Hellenistic influence that began in the third century (cf. Rudman 1999:48). The evidence of a Greek influence in the use of phrases such as “under the sun” and “to see the good” further adds to this evidence.
And this disagreement over dating leads to debate around what context it was written in. Even though the majority consensus is that Solomon did not write the book, there is still
much debate as to the date and context in which the author lived. Birch (1999:408) argues that the book is most probably dated in the Persian period that could also have early elements of Hellenistic thought. The meagre political data that some have read from the text points to a period prior to the Maccadean revolt in 164 B.C.E., as the attitude towards foreign rulers best fits the Ptolemaic period. Seow (2001:242) supports this, as he argues that if Qohelet is basing his observations on experienced life, then one could conclude that the volatility described points towards the late-Achaemenid period, when society seemed, at least in some quarters, to have turned upside down. Middlemas (2007:219) argues for a slightly later date of around the third century BCE, based within a Jerusalem ruled by the Ptolemies in Egypt. Yet for Bandstra (2004:465), it becomes even earlier: “The style of its language, its vocabulary, and themes it holds in common with Greek philosophy suggest that it dates to the second century B. C. E.” Crenshaw (1988:49-50) agrees by suggesting that a date between 225 and 250 remains the most likely date. Rudman (1999:52) sums up the debate well, by arguing that due to all the various views, the debate on the date of Ecclesiastes cannot be closed.
Even though there is no consensus on the exact time and location of the authorship, what is agreed upon is that the author was living in a time of unrest, and a time that was characterised by powerful rulers who were oppressing those under them. This especially fits either the Persian or the Greek hierarchical system in which a king or ruler would have been set up in the land of Israel, these rulers were often power hungry, cruel, and used their wealth to enrich their friends and oppress many. The Ptolemies were very oppressive rulers, who enabled a wide gap to develop between the rich and the poor.
With a strong centralised governing power, they were able to exert control over political and financially dependant territories (cf. Middlemas 2007:220). A lot of the issues observed during that time would have therefore have revolved around land, property and wealth, and “the Persian system of property grants provides a backdrop for a number of instructions in Ecclesiastes.” (Seow 2001:243). A geographical location of Palestine is likely for the area in which the book was written (Bullock 1985:200). Seow (2001:243) offers a good summary regarding the context for the text being written,
In sum, the period that Qoheleth observed was one of economic vitality but also volatility. It was a time for heady optimism about hitherto unimaginable opportunities tempered by sociopolitical and economic realities. It was a perplexing new world of rapid political, social, and economic innovations, many of which were initiated and determined in seats of power that the ordinary citizens of the vast empire could hardly grasp.
To these ancient times, which in many ways reflect the world as similar to the current one emerging from the control and destruction of a modern era, the Qohelet speaks words of wisdom, challenge and help.