Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World by Arthur Jan Keefer (review)

Reviewed by: Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World by Arthur Jan Keefer Vien V. Nguyen arthur jan keefer, Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2022). Pp. xvi + 244. 99. "What is the meaning of life? Is life meaningful? And when or why does it become meaningless? " (p. 1). Arthur Jan Keefer sets out to answer these questions utilizing Frank Martela and Michael Steger's psychological categories of coherence, purpose, and significance ("The Three Meanings of Meaning in Life: Distinguishing Coherence, Purpose, and Significance, " Journal of Positive Psychology 11 2016 531–45; Keefer, p. 5). Coherence is about how life makes sense to the human mind based on predictable and reliable patterns of cause and effect. Purpose involves the motivational and directional dimension in life that deals with goals and aims and endows life with meaning. Life's significance relates to its inherent worth or values. K. summarizes the trichotomy of meaning: "Life makes sense; life has goals that direct it; or life in itself is valuable" (p. 9). Keefer argues that all three categories appear in Ecclesiastes, with coherence as Ecclesiastes's primary focus. The study thus aims to use the three-dimensional approach to help enrich our understanding of life's meaning and suffering in Ecclesiastes through a series of seven chapters. Chap. 1 is dedicated to introducing the topic of the meaning of meaning and suffering in psychology, ancient literature, and Ecclesiastes. The chapter ends with a discussion of the study's purpose, scope, and hermeneutical approach. In chaps. 2–4, K. situates Ecclesiastes within its ancient Mediterranean contexts. K. approaches the ancient Near Eastern literature synchronically, from Egyptian to Mesopotamian to Greek. In chap. 2, K. explores the topics of suffering and the meaning of life in Egyptian literature. Applying the three psychological categories of meaning in life, K. analyzes how coherence breaks down when there are wrongdoings in society; there is fear and sorrow of one's wealth going to an undeserving inheritor. One's purpose in life is questionable in the face of the inevitable end of life. Death affects how one lives in the present. Although life is short and death brings sorrow and despair, one is encouraged to strive to do good and live free of despair. As for significance, some Egyptian literature stresses a simple but happy life rather than a well-funded but vex-filled life. Despite hard times and emotional distress, life is better than death (p. 53). Chapter 3 deals with the connection between suffering and the meaning of life in Mesopotamian literature. Texts analyzed include the fictional Assyrian royal autobiographies and Babylonian skeptical literature. Like Egyptian literature, the Mesopotamian texts End Page 379 focus on emotional suffering and issues of life's (in) coherence, such as the failure of royal responsibilities, epistemological limitations, limited knowledge of divine activity, social disorder and injustice, and immortality. In chap. 4, K. analyzes suffering and the meaning of life in Greek literature drawn from philosophers like Epicurus, the Stoics, and Theognis. For Epicurus, a life free of pain is to be desired. Prudence will help one achieve this desired life. Death, or one's fear of it, threatens a tranquil life. Knowledge of the natural world would help us live free of pain and fear of death. The Stoics focused on acting with virtue and living according to reason to minimize the disruptive impact of emotions or passions and maximize one's quality of life (p. 84). For Theognis, what brought incoherence and meaninglessness were the limitations of human knowledge and the power of the gods to control life (p. 86). Having prepared the background for seeing life's suffering and meaning in the ancient Mediterranean and OT contexts, K. focuses on the meaning of life, suffering, and joy in Ecclesiastes. In chap. 5, K. examines how Ecclesiastes addresses the meaning of life by drawing on the three psychological categories. Qohelet is occupied with life's coherence, acknowledging that cause and effect, action and consequence sometimes fail to correspond to predictable patterns and reliable outcomes. To some extent, inconsistencies, contradictions, and the limitations of human epistemology to apprehend the. . .