Texts in Conversation
In Ecclesiastes, the Teacher encourages enjoying food, clothing, and companionship because life is short. This parallels the advice given in the Epic of Gilgamesh by a tavern keeper, echoing ancient Near Eastern traditions about mortality.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Epic of Gilgamesh Sippar Tablet iii 6
Ancient Near East, Babylonian
30 The tavern keeper spoke to him, to Gilgameš: 31 ‘O Gilgameš, where are you wandering? 32 You cannot find the life that you seek: 33 when the gods created mankind, 34 for mankind they established death, 35 life they kept for themselves. 36 You, Gilgameš, let your belly be full, 37 keep enjoying yourself, day and night! 38 Every day make merry, 39 dance and play day and night! 40 Let your clothes be clean! 41 Let your head be washed, may you be bathed in water! 42 Gaze on the little one who holds your hand! 43 Let a wife enjoy your repeated embrace! 44 Such is the destiny [of mortal men,] 45 that one who lives […’]
Date: 2100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Hebrew Bible
6 What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth. 7 Go, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved your works. 8 Let your clothes always be white, and do not spare precious ointment on your head. 9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth. 10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Although other similarities have since been identified, these words spoken to the epic hero remain the most recognizable feature linking Gilgamesh to Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes 9:7-9). Of course, this comparison raises historical issues because the tavern keeper’s speech is only found in the epic’s Old Babylonian version. This episode was later redacted and removed, and therefore does not appear in the Standard Babylonian version, which was closer in time to Qoheleth. But the process that saw the redaction of this speech also added literary elements taken from royal inscriptions. Specifically, the reference to a narû in the Standard Babylonian Epic invokes a Mesopotamian genre of literature that emulates the speech of a king. The allusions here to this form of royal autobiography offers a productive place to re-examine the epic’s similarities to Qoheleth. The link between Gilgamesh and Qoheleth is thus seemingly supported by their interaction with genres of royal inscriptions, whether it is explicit as in Gilgamesh or implicit as in Qoheleth ..."
Matthew J. Suriano, “Kingship and Carpe Diem, Between Gilgamesh and Qoheleth,” VT 67 (2017): 285–306.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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