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'''Ecclesiastes''' is the twenty-first book of the Protestant Bible. It is classified, with Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Song of Solomon, as part of the "wisdom literature." It is particularly admired as a model of clear and eloquent prose.  

'''Ecclesiastes''' is the twenty-first book of the Protestant Bible. It is classified, with Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Song of Solomon, as part of the "wisdom literature." It is particularly admired as a model of clear and eloquent prose.  

Many phrases and passages in it are famous: "to eat, and to drink, and to be merry," "there is no new thing under the sun," "the race is not to the swift." The title of [[Marcel Proust|Proust]]'s novel ''Remembrance of Things Past,'' [[Ernest Hemingway|Hemingway]]'s "The Sun Also Rises," and [[George Stewart]]'s ''Earth Abides,'' are all phrases from Ecclesiastes. Folksinger [[Pete Singer]] made a passage from it into the song "Turn, Turn, Turn" which, when recorded by The Byrds, was a #1 hit in the United States in 1965.

Many phrases and passages in it are famous: "to eat, and to drink, and to be merry," "there is no new thing under the sun," "the [[race]] is not to the swift." The title of [[Marcel Proust|Proust]]'s novel ''Remembrance of Things Past,'' [[Ernest Hemingway|Hemingway]]'s "The Sun Also Rises," and [[George Stewart]]'s ''Earth Abides,'' are all phrases from Ecclesiastes. Folksinger [[Pete Singer]] made a passage from it into the song "Turn, Turn, Turn" which, when recorded by The Byrds, was a #1 hit in the United States in 1965.

The word "Ecclesiastes" is derived from a Greek word meaning "gathering" or "congregation," from which come the words "Ecclesiastical" (relating to the Church) and the Spanish word ''Iglesia'' (church). It means one who speaks to a congregation, i.e. a preacher, and it opens "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." That is, the book is by tradition ascribed to King Solomon.

The word "Ecclesiastes" is derived from a Greek word meaning "gathering" or "congregation," from which come the words "Ecclesiastical" (relating to the Church) and the Spanish word ''Iglesia'' (church). It means one who speaks to a congregation, i.e. a preacher, and it opens "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." That is, the book is by tradition ascribed to King Solomon.