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The Dead Sea Scrolls--A New Interpretation By: David Ramsay |
Ecclesiastes
The writer identifies himself in 1-12 as "The Teacher who has been ruler over Israel". Traditionally the writer has been identified as Solomon in the later years of his reign. However, this seems unlikely because, first, he would never have spoken of himself as ruler in the past tense, second, nowhere is he referred to as a Teacher and third, the title doesn't fit with what is known of his life. I have claimed that a chief of high priest of the Zadoc line was always referred to as "The Teacher of Righteousness" by the Essenes. Onias III, the last High Priest of the Zadoc line to rule Israel, was deposed by Jason and then forced to flee the country by Menelaus. Thus Onias III would have identified himself as "The Teacher" and as a "ruler of Israel" in the past tense while writing in exile. I believe it was he who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.
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| Introduction | Community Rule | Habakkuk I | Habakkuk II | Damascus Document | Ecclesiastes | Essenes |