The Bible is arguably the most influential book of all time. It has been attributed with impacting the lives of untold millions of people and has been claimed as the impetus behind many of the Western World’s upheavals. Martin Luther’s thesis was founded on the book; pilgrims set sail to find a place where they could follow their own interpretations of it. Missionaries travel the world bringing its words, along with the culture of those missionaries to the most remote corners of civilization, for better or for worse. Rumors about the book abound. Some claim one version was partially penned by Shakespeare. Some say it was influenced by Zoroastrianism, others by Akhenaten’s brand of monotheism, and others hold that it is the “God breathed,”
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Stoicism is commonly attributed to individuals who refuse to react to external stimuli, especially those of emotions or circumstances. This application of stoicism has its roots in the Greek philosophy, which taught students to be “indifferent or apathetic to those things which are not in our power” (Connolly, 1995). This concept of Nominalism, a rejection of universality and the abstract, focuses on controlling those things directly in the sphere of influence of an individual (Rodriguez-Pereyra, 2011). Ignoring abstract concepts and paying attention to what a person can actually influence causes individualism to thrive and allows people of any class or background to focus on daily …show more content…
Many attribute it to Solomon, though the author simply names himself as “Koheleth” which means “presenter” or “compiler” (Ecclesiastes, Book of). It is generally accepted that the Hebrew book of Ecclesiastes was written sometime between 180 BCE and 450 BCE, though more evidence points to a date sometime in the fourth century BCE (Fox, xiv). The work was almost excluded from canonization in the Hebrew Bible, and some still view the book askance due to the Epicurean nature of some of the text (Book of Ecclesiastes). Throughout the book, the author extols the virtue of living life, of accepting what comes. Some concepts found in Ecclesiastes are frequently attributed to Greek philosophy. In the second chapter, the writer laments the fact that all his goods, his worth, will go to a man he does not really know, though that man is his son. He says that all his labor is in vain, the wages of his labor are in vain, for though he is wise and wealthy beyond measure, the wise man and the fool, the rich man and the pauper, all die. Therefore, the only good thing to be found in life is to eat, drink, and enjoy the labor of one’s hands (King James Version, Eccl. 2. 14-24). So too, can be found in this book the notion that it is better to have a half portion in peace than a double portion with travail and vexation (KJV, Eccl. 4.6). The inevitability of a person’s lot in life seems to be one of the main points of the writer. He says
Stoicism is commonly attributed to individuals who refuse to react to external stimuli, especially those of emotions or circumstances. This application of stoicism has its roots in the Greek philosophy, which taught students to be “indifferent or apathetic to those things which are not in our power” (Connolly, 1995). This concept of Nominalism, a rejection of universality and the abstract, focuses on controlling those things directly in the sphere of influence of an individual (Rodriguez-Pereyra, 2011). Ignoring abstract concepts and paying attention to what a person can actually influence causes individualism to thrive and allows people of any class or background to focus on daily …show more content…
Many attribute it to Solomon, though the author simply names himself as “Koheleth” which means “presenter” or “compiler” (Ecclesiastes, Book of). It is generally accepted that the Hebrew book of Ecclesiastes was written sometime between 180 BCE and 450 BCE, though more evidence points to a date sometime in the fourth century BCE (Fox, xiv). The work was almost excluded from canonization in the Hebrew Bible, and some still view the book askance due to the Epicurean nature of some of the text (Book of Ecclesiastes). Throughout the book, the author extols the virtue of living life, of accepting what comes. Some concepts found in Ecclesiastes are frequently attributed to Greek philosophy. In the second chapter, the writer laments the fact that all his goods, his worth, will go to a man he does not really know, though that man is his son. He says that all his labor is in vain, the wages of his labor are in vain, for though he is wise and wealthy beyond measure, the wise man and the fool, the rich man and the pauper, all die. Therefore, the only good thing to be found in life is to eat, drink, and enjoy the labor of one’s hands (King James Version, Eccl. 2. 14-24). So too, can be found in this book the notion that it is better to have a half portion in peace than a double portion with travail and vexation (KJV, Eccl. 4.6). The inevitability of a person’s lot in life seems to be one of the main points of the writer. He says