<P> After the introduction come the words of Kohelet . As king he has experienced everything and done everything, but nothing is ultimately reliable . Death levels all . The only good is to partake of life in the present, for enjoyment is from the hand of God . Everything is ordered in time and people are subject to time in contrast to God's eternal character . The world is filled with injustice, which only God will adjudicate . God and humans do not belong in the same realm and it is therefore necessary to have a right attitude before God . People should enjoy, but should not be greedy; no - one knows what is good for humanity; righteousness and wisdom escape us . Kohelet reflects on the limits of human power: all people face death, and death is better than life, but we should enjoy life when we can . The world is full of risk: he gives advice on living with risk, both political and economic . Mortals should take pleasure when they can, for a time may come when no one can . Kohelet's words finish with imagery of nature languishing and humanity marching to the grave . </P> <P> The frame narrator returns with an epilogue: the words of the wise are hard, but they are applied as the shepherd applies goads and pricks to his flock . The original ending of the book was probably the words: "The end of the matter" (12: 13) but the text we have continues: "Fear God" (a phrase used often in Kohelet's speech) "and keep his commandments" (which he never uses), "for God will bring every deed to judgement ." </P> <P> The book takes its name from the Greek ekklesiastes, a translation of the title by which the central figure refers to himself: Kohelet, meaning something like "one who convenes or addresses an assembly". According to rabbinic tradition, Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon in his old age . (An alternative tradition that "Hezekiah and his colleagues wrote Isaiah, Proverbs, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes" probably means simply that the book was edited under Hezekiah .) Nevertheless, critical scholars have long rejected the idea of a pre-exilic origin . The presence of Persian loan - words and Aramaisms points to a date no earlier than about 450 BCE, while the latest possible date for its composition is 180 BCE, when another Jewish writer, Ben Sira, quotes from it . The dispute as to whether Ecclesiastes belongs to the Persian or the Hellenistic periods (i.e., the earlier or later part of this period) revolves around the degree of Hellenization (influence of Greek culture and thought) present in the book . Scholars arguing for a Persian date (c. 450--330 BCE) hold that there is a complete lack of Greek influence; those who argue for a Hellenistic date (c. 330--180 BCE) argue that it shows internal evidence of Greek thought and social setting . </P> <P> Also unresolved is whether the author and narrator of Kohelet are one and the same person . Some scholars have argued that the third - person narrative structure is an artificial literary device along the lines of Uncle Remus, although the description of the Teacher in 12: 8--14 seems to favour a historical person whose thoughts are presented by the narrator . The question, however, has no theological importance, and one scholar (Roland Murphy) has commented that Kohelet himself would have regarded the time and ingenuity put into interpreting his book as "one more example of the futility of human effort". </P>

What title does the author of ecclesiastes use for himself