Chapter 4

RECOMMENDATION OF THE RELATIVE GOOD; AND IN THE FIRST PLACE OF WISDOM, AS RENUNCIATION

_(a) Of Claims to Happiness_

VII.1_a_. Better is a good name than choice unguents,

X.1. But better wisdom than glory; [Better not being than existence,][277]

VII.1_b_. And the death-day than the birthday.

2. Better to enter the house of mourning Than to go into the tavern; Because there is the end of every man, And he who survives will lay it to heart.

3. Better is sorrow than laughter; For a cheerless face makes a blithesome heart. 4. The heart of the wise is in the mourning-house; The heart of fools in the house of mirth.

5. Better to hearken to the rebuke of the wise, Than to listen to the song of the foolish. 6. As the crackling of thorns under a pot,[278] Is the inane laughter of the fool.

VI.9. Better look with the eyes than wander with desire; This too is vanity and a grasping of wind. VII.7. For extortion maketh the wise man foolish, And bribery robs understanding.

8. Better the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; Better is patience than haughtiness. 9. Let not thy spirit be hurried into anger, For anger lurketh in the bosom of fools.

10. Say not: Why were old times better than these? For it is not from wisdom that thou askest thus.

13. Contemplate the work of God! Who can straighten what he hath made crooked? 14. In the day of prosperity be of good cheer, and in the evil day bethink thee: the latter God hath made even as the former, to the end that man at his death shall have left nothing unaccomplished.

_(b) As Renunciation of Reputation for Perfect Justice and Wisdom_

VII. 15. All things have I witnessed in my vain days; there are just men who perish through their righteousness, and there are wicked men who prolong their lives by means of their iniquity.[279] 16. Be not righteous overmuch, neither make thyself overwise; why wouldst thou ruin thyself? 17. Do not allow thyself too much liberty, and be not a fool: why wouldst thou die before thy time? 18. It is well that thou shouldst hold fast to the one and also not withdraw thy hand from the other, for he who feareth God compasseth all this.

19. Wisdom is a stronger guard for the wise man than ten mighty men who are in the city.

11. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, Yea, better yet, to them that see the sun;[280] 12. For wisdom and wealth afford shade, And wisdom, besides, keeps its possessors alive.

_(c) As Renunciation of One's Claims to the Respect and Consideration of Others_

VII. 21. Likewise, take not all the gossip of people to heart, lest thou hear that thy friend hath reviled thee! 22. For thy heart is conscious that thou thyself hast often-times made little of others. 20. For:

There is no just man upon the earth Who worketh good and never faileth.

_(d) Of One's Claims to Act Independently of their Counsel and Aid_

IV. 9. Two are better off than one; 10. for should one of them fall, the other lifts him up again. Woe to him that is alone, if he fall, and there be not another to raise him up. 11. Likewise, if two lie down together, they become warm; but how can one grow warm alone? 12. Moreover, if a man would overpower the single one, two can keep him at bay, and a threefold cord will not easily give way.

13. Better is the youth, needy and wise, than the king old and foolish, who can no longer take a warning to heart. 14. For the former went forth from prison to govern, though born poor in the realm of the king. 15. I saw all the living who walk under the sun, in attendance on the youth who was to take his place. 16. There was no end to the multitude....[281] who were before them; nor did those who lived afterwards glory in him. For this likewise is vanity and a grasping of wind.

RECOMMENDATION OF WISDOM AS RATIONAL PIETY[282]

_A Warning: (a) Against Outward and Sacrificial Worship_

V. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God! And to draw near him, in order to obey, is better than the offering of sacrifices by fools: for they know not....[283] to work evil.

_(b) Against Mechanical Prayer_

V. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thy heart be hasty to utter words before God! For God is in heaven, and thou art upon earth; therefore let thy words be few! 3. For

Dreams proceed from much brooding, And the prattle of fools from a multitude of words.

_(c) Against Rash Vows_

V. 4. If thou makest a vow unto God, fail not to fulfil it, for fools are displeasing. Carry out that which thou hast promised. 5. It is better thou shouldst not vow at all than vow and not perform. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to render thy body punishable, neither utter thou the plea before the messenger:[284] "it was rashness." Why cause God to be wroth at thy voice and destroy the work of thy hands?

_(d) Against Arbitrary Religious Speculations_

V. 7....[285] For in the multitude of fancies and prattle there likewise lurketh much vanity. Rather fear thou God!

RECOMMENDATION OF WISDOM AS ACTIVITY

_(a) In Public Life_

V. 8. When thou witnessest oppression of the poor and the swerving from right and equity in the land, marvel not thereat. For a higher one watcheth over the high, and still higher ones over both.[286] 9. But a gain to the country is only a king--for tilled land.

X.16. Wo, land, to thee whose king is a child, And whose princes feast in the early morning! 17. Hail to thee, land, whose king is noble, And whose princes eat in due season!

18. Through sloth the rafters give way; Through idleness the roof lets in the rain. 19. They misuse food and drink for feasting: And gold putteth all things in their grasp.

20. Even in thy privacy curse not the king, Nor in thy bed-chamber the wealthy; The birds of heaven might divulge it, And the feathered ones might report the word.

_(b) In Private Life_

XI. 1. Send forth thy bread over the surface of the waters, for after many days thou shall find it again. 2. Divide thy possessions into seven, yea, into eight portions! For thou knowest not what evil may befall the land. 3. If the clouds fill themselves with rain, they discharge it upon the earth; and whether the tree falleth towards the south or towards the north, in the place where it falleth, there shall it abide.

6. In the morning sow thy seed, And until evening let not thy hand repose.[287]

For thou knowest not which one shall thrive, this or that, or whether they shall both prosper alike.

4. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; He that watcheth the clouds shall not reap.

5. As thou knowest not the way of the wind, nor the growth of the bones in the womb of the mother, even so, thou canst not fathom the work of God who compasseth everything.

RECOMMENDATION OF WISDOM AS CIRCUMSPECTION

_(a) In our Dealings with Women_

VII. 23. All this have I tried with understanding; I was minded to acquire wisdom, but it remained far from me. 24. Far off is that which is,[288] and deep, deep; who can fathom it?

25. I turned away, and my heart was bent upon understanding, sifting, and seeking the outgrowth of wisdom and knowledge, madness, and folly. 26. Whereupon I found that more bitter than death is woman--that snare whose heart is a net, whose arms are fetters: the God-favoured shall escape her, but the sinner shall be entangled by her.

27. Lo, this have I found, saith the Speaker, piecing one thing with another in order to discover a result: 28. What my soul hath ever sought for, yet never fallen upon, is this: I have discovered one man, among thousands; and of all these there was not one single woman. 29. Behold, this only have I found: that God made men upright, but they go in search of many wiles.

_(b) In our Relations to the Monarch_

VIII.1. A man's wisdom brightens up his countenance. And transforms the coarse rancour of his face. 2. The wise man hearkens to the king's command, By reason of the oath to God.

3. Steer clear of evil causes![289] For he[290] doeth even what he listeth. 4. Mighty is the word of the monarch; Who dares ask him: "What dost thou?"[291]

X.2. The wise man's heart straineth to the right, The heart of the fool to the left. 3. Even out of doors he lacketh sense, Saying unto every one: "I am a fool."[292]

4. Though the wrath of the ruler should swell against thee, yet forsake not thy post. For composure avoids grave mistakes.

5. There is an evil which I beheld under the sun, like unto a blunder, proceeding from the ruler!

6. Folly is set in high places, The great ones must sit low down; 7. Slaves have I beheld on horseback, And princes trudging on foot.

_(c) In the Conditions of Everyday Life_

X. 8. He that diggeth a pit may fall into it; him who breaketh down walls a serpent may sting. 9. Whoso removeth stones may be hurt therewith; he who cleaveth wood may be endangered thereby.

10. If the axe be blunt it demands more strength:[293] Only through intelligence doth exertion avail. 11. If the serpent bites before the spell, Then bootless is the charmer's art.

12. Speech from the wise man's mouth is grace, The lips of a fool swallow him up; 13. The first words of his mouth are folly. And the end of his talk rank madness.

II.15. For in self-conceit babbles the fool,[294] X.14_a_. The silly man multiplieth his words; 15. The fussiness of the fool jadeth him. Who knows not yet the way citywards.[295]

_Exhortation to enjoy Life_

X. 14_b_. Man knoweth not what shall come to pass, and who can tell him IX. 3. during his life, what shall befall after his death? Afterwards they go down to the[296] [dead, and there none can tell him aught nor can he apprehend anything. Even could he take it in, it would avail him nothing, for in _Sheol_ there is no participation in life]. 4. For whosoever may enrol himself in the company of all the living, can rest content, seeing that a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5. For the living know at least that they shall die, whereas the dead know not anything at all, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6. As well their love as their hatred and jealousy has long since passed away, neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

7. Go, eat thy bread with joy, And quaff thy wine with merry heart.

For God hath countenanced beforehand this thy doing. 8. Let thy garments be always white and let thy head lack not ointment. 9. See life with a woman whom thou lovest throughout all the days of thy empty existence which he hath given thee under the sun, during all thy vain days! For that is thy portion in life[297] and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do that with thy might. For there is no work, nor cogitation, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the _Sheol_[298] whither thou goest. XI. 7. But sweet is the light and pleasant it is for the eyes to gaze upon the sun. 8. For how many years soever a man may live, he should enjoy himself during them all, and bear in mind the days of darkness that they shall be many. Everything that is to come, is vain.

9. Rejoice, young man, in thy youth![299] And let thy heart make thee glad! And walk in the ways of thine heart, And according to the seeing of thine eyes!

_10a._ Drive sorrow from thy heart; And put away care from thy flesh! XII._1a._ And bethink thee of thy fountain,[300] In the days of thy youth!

XI. _10b._ For youth and dawn are fleeting.

XII._1b._ Dreary days are drawing near, And years approach devoid of joy. 2. Then darkened shall be sun and moon, And clouds come after rain alway.

3. The keepers of the house[301] shall quake, The sturdy ones[302] shall bend themselves; Darksome shall the windows[303] be, 4. And closed shall be the portals.[304]

The roar of the mill[305] shall be as the sparrows twitter, The daughters of song[306] shall bow low; 5. Likewise of heights shall they be afraid, For dread shall lie in wait.

3. The grinding maids[307] shall leave off work, 5. The almond-tree[308] shall shed its blooms; The grasshopper[309] shall be burdened, And the caperberry[310] unavailing.

For man goeth to his everlasting home and the mourners are in readiness in the street.

6. Asunder snaps the silver chain; Shivered is the golden lamp; The pitcher shattered at the brook; The scoopwheel falls into the well.

8. O Vanity of Vanities, saith the Speaker; all is vanity![311]

Footnotes:

[254] For the convenience of the reader I give the chapters and verses as they are in the ordinary Hebrew Bible, so that they can be found at once in the Authorised Version. The letter _a_ after the verse number indicates the first half of that verse, the letter _b_ the second half.

[255] The meaning is almost the opposite of that of the Authorised Version. Eye and ear are wearied and bewildered by the incessant whirl of the vast machinery of the universe. _Cf._ Schopenhauer, ed. Grisebach, vol. v. p. 295, § 144. The metre of the strophe is identical with that of the "Poem of Job."

[256] It is interesting and instructive to compare this with the identical doctrine of Buddha, as set forth in the canonical book, "Samyuttaka-Nikayo," vol. i. vii., 2 P, 2 Suttam. It is accessible to most readers in the admirable German translation of Dr. K. E. Neumann, Leiden, 1892. Pp. 156, 157.

[257] The Authorised Version has "shall not be satisfied with silver." The meaning is that he who loves silver shall not enjoy the good things it can purchase.

[258] _I.e_., The care and anxiety which accompany the possession of wealth. The Authorised Version has: "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." The Hebrew word _saba'_ can signify both wealth and repletion. Here it manifestly means the former; but some well-intentioned person whose ideas of physiology were defective, having taken it to mean repletion, confirmed his view by interpolating the words: "whether he eat little or much."

[259] Here a portion of the original text has been lost, as is evident from the passage beginning "What profit," two sentences lower down, which sums up the troubles of the rich man and makes them consist not merely in the loss of what he actually possessed, but likewise in the hardships and privations which he endured in order to produce his wealth. I give in brackets the words which Professor Bickell conjecturally supplies in lieu of the lost passage.

[260] And therefore extremely doubtful. When Koheleth wishes to express the idea of inexorable law, or Fate, he has recourse to the notion of God.

[261] It is only on earth that one can hope for some approximation to happiness. If we fail to obtain it here--and the odds are very much against us--there is no hereafter to look forward to; for we _all_--the miserable as well as the fortunate--are drifting steadily into one place--the dreary _Sheol_, where there is no pleasure, no striving, no life.

[262] _I.e._, not merely, as commentators generally suppose, that desire is not satiated; but that the enjoyment for the sake of which alone we desire life, and toil to sustain it, is never attained. The aim of labour is enjoyment, without which existence is a burden; but the real result of it all is the mere support of life without its redeeming pleasures. _Cf._ Schopenhauer, vol. v. pp. 300, 301.

[263] That is to say, is a very uncertain outlook.

[264] This is a remarkable sentence, which, if it could be supposed to be the fruit of the writer's own speculations, would entitle him to a high place in the Pantheon of speculative philosophers. This proposition, which underlies all Buddhistic doctrines, would be formulated by Kant or Schopenhauer somewhat as follows: Time, space, and causality are given to man as the _a priori_ conditions of all thought; they are the stuff his mind is made of. As they are likewise the three ingredients of which the universe is composed, it follows that the world is the web of his own intellect, and, in so far as it is knowable, exists for the intellect alone. That which underlies all the shadows of existence, the one eternal force or will, he never beholds.

[265] Schopenhauer would express it thus: Our sources of knowledge--inner and outer observation--are identical with those of animals, the difference consisting in that faculty of imparting to our intuitions the form of abstract ideas.

[266] That is to say, is highly uncertain; for, as we learn in the following lines, happiness and misery depend upon chance or luck. God gives his favourites an agreeable life, leaving the drudgery to all the rest. And his choice is not determined by any ethical acts of man.

[267] "Sinner" is not the correct translation of the Hebrew word _khôte_ here; otherwise the author could not say that this too (_i.e._, the punishment of the sinner) is vanity.

[268] The Jews frequently give to piety and morality the name of wisdom.

[269] The sense of this passage, which has become proverbial, is generally misunderstood. What it means is that man's work, be he never so skilful, be it never so easy, is absolutely dependent for success upon conditions which are wholly beyond his control, and that undertaken under any other conditions is inevitably doomed to failure.

[270] Here Professor Bickell supplies the words: "Against this no man can strive."

[271] The utmost that physical science can teach us is the where, the when and the why of the appearance of the forces of nature. The _what_ remains for ever a mystery.

[272] Wisdom here is taken to mean the one eternal reality which underlies the shadowy appearances that we see and know. The same use of the word and exactly the same thesis occur in Job. (_Cf_. A.V. Job xxviii. 21, 22.)

[273] He cannot answer even for his own sentiments, completely though they may seem to be under his sway.

[274] _I.e._, without ethical distinctions between the good and the bad.

[275] It is curious to note that a comparison strikingly similar to this occurs in the ancient Indian collection of fables entitled "Pantschatantra." (Ed. Kosegarten, p. 105.)

[276] Literally: tyrannical.

[277] This line is no longer found in the Hebrew or Greek texts. It is required, however, by the sense and metre, and is inserted by Professor Bickell.

[278] Here the Hebrew text contains a play of words which cannot be reproduced in English.

[279] "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." ("Measure for Measure.")

[280] _I.e._, for mankind.

[281] Here a portion of the text is evidently lost. Professor Bickell suggests that it ran somewhat as follows: "Who received him with applause and reviled the old king. For inasmuch as he had spurned the counsel of the wise, in order to misgovern and grind down the people, therefore they hated him as those had hated him" who were before them.

[282] As an antidote to the so-called "piety" founded upon the scrupulous observance of the law, which had become a very Upas tree of self-complacency. Mankind is already encompassed by so many and such terrible evils, that it would be sheer madness to turn religion into a means of multiplying them.

[283] Another passage is wanting here, which most probably was to the effect that they know not that God asks no sacrifices at their hands but only works of justice; and that therefore they take courage "to work evil."

[284] Various commentators have offered various explanations of this obscure passage. As none of them is convincing, I prefer to leave them unnoticed. It is not impossible that it may contain an allusion to some popular tale or fable, analogous to that of the man who called upon death in his despair, and when the grim visitor made his appearance, asked him merely to help him to carry his burden.

[285] Professor Bickell supposes that here some words have fallen out, such as: "Brood not over that which is too marvellous and too lofty for thee, neither say of the dreams of thy heart and the babbling of thy lips, 'I have found the knowledge of the Holy One.'"

[286] This passage is a bitterly ironical onslaught on bureaucracy.

[287] This distich is rhymed in Hebrew.

[288] What Kant would call _das Ding an sich_. Everything we see and know is but appearance. The underlying substance, "that which is," is unknowable.

[289] Political plots.

[290] _I.e._, the king.

[291] Ironical.

[292] By his unconsidered acts.

[293] Literally, "it must be the more lustily wielded."

[294] This line is found only in the Septuagint.

[295] Probably a proverbial way of saying that a man knows nothing.

[296] The words in brackets are supplied conjecturally by Professor Bickell.

[297] The Authorised Version has "in this life." But it deviates from the Hebrew original.

[298] The nether world where the dead are but shadows.

[299] This and the following quatrain are rhymed in the original; as is also the preceding distich.

[300] Thy wife.

[301] The arms.

[302] The legs.

[303] The eyes.

[304] The ears.

[305] The voice.

[306] The tones.

[307] The teeth.

[308] The white hair.

[309] Fascinum.

[310] [Greek: Kreis].

[311] The epilogue forms no part of the original text.

* * * * *

THE SAYINGS OF AGUR

TRANSLATION OF THE RESTORED TEXT

* * * * *

THE SAYINGS OF AGUR

FIRST SAYING

_On God_

I

Sentence of the man who has worried himself about God: I have worried myself about God and succeeded not; For I am more stupid than other men, And in me there is no human understanding. Neither have I learned wisdom, So that I might comprehend the science of sacred things.

II

Who has ascended into heaven and come down again? Who can gather the wind in his fists? Who can bind the waters in a garment? Who can grasp all the ends of the earth? Such an one would I question about God: What is his name? And what is the name of his sons, if thou knowest it?[312]

SECOND SAYING

_On Four Insatiable Things_

There be three things which are never satisfied, Yea, four exclaim: "It is not enough!" The Ghoul hath two daughters: "Give, give!"--the grave and the womb.[313] The earth is not filled with water, And the fire sayeth not, "It is enough!"

THIRD SAYING OF AGUR

_On Four Inscrutable Things_

There be three things too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I fathom not: The way of the eagle in the air, The way of the serpent upon a rock, The way of a ship amidst the ocean, And the way of a man with a maid.[314]

FOURTH SAYING

_Four Insupportable Things_

Under three things the earth quakes, And under four it cannot stand. Under a slave when he seeks to reign, And under a fool when he is filled with meat; Under an odious woman when she gets a husband, And under a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.[315]

FIFTH SAYING

_Four who stride majestically_

There be three things which go well, Yea, four are comely in going: A lion--the hero among beasts, Who turneth not aside for any one; A greyhound and a bell-goat, And a king who riseth up for his people's sake.

SIXTH SENTENCE

_Exhortation to denounce ambition_

Whether thou hast acted foolishly in exalting thyself, Or whether thou hast done wisely, lay thy hand upon thy lips![316] For pressure of milk produces butter, And pressure of vanity produces anger; Pressure of the nose[317] produces blood, And pressure of wrath produces strife.

Footnotes:

[312] To this and the following Sayings, Agur's orthodox opponent replies thus:

Every word of God is purified: He is a shield to them that put their trust in him.

Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Two things have I demanded of thee, O Jahveh, Deny me them not before I die:

Frivolity and blasphemous words And negation remove far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with food suitable for me.

Lest I be sated and deny thee, And say, Who is the Lord?

Or lest I be poor and yield to seduction And offend against the name of my God.

Accuse not a servant to his master,[312a] Lest he curse thee and thou be found guilty.

There is a bad generation that curses its father And doth not bless its mother,[312b]

A bad generation which is pure in its own eyes, And yet is not washed from its filthiness.

A bad generation, how lofty are its eyes! And how uplifted its eyelids!

A bad generation whose teeth are as swords, And whose jaw-teeth are as knives

To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men.[312c]

[312a] As if Agur were an aristocrat from blind unreasoning sympathy for the heathen aristocracy. Allusion to Agur's 4th Saying.

[312b] Against Agur's 2nd and 3rd Sayings.

[312c] Against Agur's 4th Saying.

[313] _I.e_., birth and death. (_Cf. Agur, the Agnostic_, pp. 139, 140.) The champion of orthodoxy evidently took the passage literally and consequently condemned Agur as guilty of a lack of filial respect for his mother, venting his feelings in the following lines:

"The eye that scoffeth at the grey hair of the father And that despiseth the old age of the mother,

The ravens of the valley shall pick it out And the young eagles shall devour it."

[314] Verse 20 A.V. is an addition inserted by a later writer who having misunderstood the last line of the fourth sentence, deemed it his duty to give it a moral turn.

[315] The Sentence following (vv. 24-24 A.V.) dealing with Four Cunning Ones is probably not from Agur's pen; for not only has it five distichs, but it lacks the point which characterises his Sayings, besides which it does not begin, as his "numerical" Sentences do, with _three_ before proceeding to _four_.

[316] Keep silence.

[317] In Hebrew the same word signifies "nose" and "strife."

* * * * *

INDEX

* * * * *

INDEX

Adversary, the, "a son of God" Agur, the Sayings of-- their literary place character of their position in Proverbs their present form Agur and his orthodox opponent blunders of the latter Oriental influence traceable in the Sayings the mystery of generation date of composition Agur shows no respect for the doctrine of retribution, for Messianism, revelation, &c.; no belief in a personal God his antagonism to Jewish theologians his views of right conduct Angels Animals, the tenderness of Buddhism towards Aryans and Semites, contrast of mental characteristics Asterisks, Origen's, in the Hexapla Authorship of Job

Bickell, Professor, and the laws of Hebrew metre discovery of the Saidic version of Job on the theophany in Job theory as to the chaotic state of Koheleth and the "Praise of Wisdom" textual conjectures "Book, That mine adversary had written a" Book of Job (see Job) Buddhism and the theology of Job and Job's moral system influence of, on Koheleth Buddhism, spread of, into Syria, Egypt, &c. influence of, on Agur and the doctrine of Renunciation its tenderness towards animals and plants Byron's "Cain" and Job

"Cain" (Byron's) and Job "Canticles of Scepticism," Heine's description of Koheleth Cheyne, Prof., and the date of Job and the laws of Hebrew metre and Prof. Bickell's theory of the plan of Koheleth on the "theism" of Koheleth Job, strophe liii. and Ps. viii. 5 compared. Christ and the doctrine of Renunciation Christianity not incompatible with Koheleth's scepticism Clement of Alexandria and a lost version of Job Cornill, Dr., and the date of Job Council of Constantinople and the historical truth of Job Critical apparatus applied to text of Job

Date of Job of earliest extant MS. of Job of Koheleth of the Sayings of Agur

Ecclesiastes (_see_ Koheleth) Ecclesiasticus, dropped leaves causing transposition of chapters in Elephantiasis Eternal justice, Job's belief in Koheleth's belief in Evil (_see_ Good and Evil) Ewald and the laws of Hebrew metre

Firmament, the Free-will and the origin of evil Future life, Job knows nothing of Koheleth knows nothing of

Ghoul, the (_Tanha_) Good and Evil, problem of free-will and the origin of evil the Oriental theory of Gregory the Great and the Book of Job

Hebrew metre, Prof. Bickell and the laws of Heine and the "Canticles of Scepticism" Hitopadeça, the, and the Sayings of Agur

Inspiration of Job not affected by reconstructive changes Interpolations in Job, examples of Isaac of Antioch, transpositions in poems caused by dropped leaves

Jesus Sirach and the Book of Proverbs Job, the Poem of-- compared with Lucretius, _De Nat. Rerum_ its inclusion in the Canon its appeal to all ages opinion of Gregory the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Tennyson, Luther its place in literature

the problem of traditional theology the mystery of good and evil no conception of a future life nor of the Resurrection or Atonement the poet's view of the problem free-will and the origin of evil the Oriental theory of these Brahmanism and Buddhism Job's illumination the same as Buddha's

authorship of date of the question of historicity date of earliest extant MS. of a lost version of various causes for changes in text the chief cause, a horror of blasphemy apparatus for detecting these changes laws of Hebrew metre parallelism evidence of the Septuagint Theodotion's version of the Old Testament the Hexapla the Saidic or Thebaic version of Job

examples of interpolations reconstructive changes do not affect inspiration Job's natural philosophy his dynamic theory of the Universe his monotheism not Jewish his moral system, based on pity, found in Buddhism, and here first preached in the Old Testament belief in eternal justice the secret of Job's resignation

the ancient legend of Job, use of it by the poet analysis of the Poem the appearance of Jehovah not literal but symbolical of Job's illumination Judaism, the influence of Buddhism on

Kant and Koheleth Koheleth-- its inclusion in the Canon the literary problem of its metaphysical basis the same as that of the philosophy of Buddha, Kant, and Schopenhauer

chaotic and conflicting character of text Prof. Bickell's theory as to the confusion of the book instances of similar confusion in other works the proposed re-arrangement illustrations in support of Prof. Bickell's theory

Koheleth's theory of life source of happiness not wealth nor wisdom nor virtue Koheleth's system relation of God to man the practical moral the view of "moral order" the world all Maya, illusion Koheleth's theory not inconsistent with Christianity the reach of our knowledge; happiness the only true good Koheleth knows nothing of future life or of divine promises or revelations

his belief in eternal justice renunciation, the great doctrine wisdom the great boon content and moderation the golden rule the sources of his philosophy opposition of Jewish orthodoxy to the book admission of the book to the Canon its incompatibility with Messianic hopes of Israel disbelief in a personal God in retribution and immortality Greek influences questioned; probable influence of Buddhism date and locality of Koheleth

Life to come (_see_ Future Life) Lucretius compared with Job Luther and the Book of Job

Magicians mentioned in Job Maya, illusion, the teaching of Koheleth Metre in Hebrew, laws of

Nirvana, Koheleth's only real good view of

Old Testament, untrustworthiness of historical books Origen and the Hexapla

Parallelism in Hebrew poetry Paul, St., and a lost version of Job "Praise of Wisdom," its place in "Proverbs," Prof. Bickell's discovery Priests' Code, the "Proverbs," analysis of not written by Solomon their history date of Plants, tenderness of Buddhism towards

Renunciation, the teaching of Koheleth, Buddha, Christ, etc. Resurrection, the (in Job) "Redeemer liveth, I know that my"

Saidic or Thebaic version of Job Sariputto, and the desire for life (_tanha_) Satan, "a son of God" Scotus Erigena and free-will Schopenhauer and Koheleth and Renunciation and the four things insatiable Semites, remains of ancient speculation among and Aryans, contrast of mental characteristics Septuagint, the value of, in regard to text of Job

Tanha, the terrible Ghoul Tennyson's opinion of Job Thebaic or Saidic version of Job Theodore of Mopsuestia condemned for declaring Job to be fiction Theodotion's version of the Old Testament Thomas Aquinas on Job Transmigration of souls

Veda, the Vedanta, the Vowel points in Hebrew

"Wisdom, Praise of," its place in "Proverbs," Prof. Bickell's discovery

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