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Reason for Being: A Meditation on Ecclesiastes
Book by Jacques Ellul
306 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1990
About the author
Jacques Ellul
94 books392 followersBaptised Catholic, Ellul became an atheist and Marxist at 19, and a Christian of the Reformed Church at 22. During his Marxist days, he was a member of the French Communist Party. During World War II, he fought with the French Underground against the Nazi occupation of France.
Educated at the Universities of Bordeaux and Paris, he taught Sociology and the History of Law at the Universities of Strausbourg and Montpellier. In 1946 he returned to Bordeaux where he lived, wrote, served as Mayor, and taught until his death in 1994.
In the 40 books and hundreds of articles Ellul wrote in his lifetime, his dominant theme was always the threat to human freedom posed by modern technology. His tenor and methodology is objective and scholarly, and the perspective is a sociological one. Few of his books are overtly political -- even though they deal directly with political phenomena -- and several of his books, including "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" and "The Technological Society" are required reading in many graduate communication curricula.
Ellul was also a respected and serious Christian theologian whose 1948 work, "The Presence of the Kingdom," makes explicit a dual theme inherent, though subtly stated, in all of his writing, a sort of yin and yang of modern technological society: sin and sacramentality.
Educated at the Universities of Bordeaux and Paris, he taught Sociology and the History of Law at the Universities of Strausbourg and Montpellier. In 1946 he returned to Bordeaux where he lived, wrote, served as Mayor, and taught until his death in 1994.
In the 40 books and hundreds of articles Ellul wrote in his lifetime, his dominant theme was always the threat to human freedom posed by modern technology. His tenor and methodology is objective and scholarly, and the perspective is a sociological one. Few of his books are overtly political -- even though they deal directly with political phenomena -- and several of his books, including "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" and "The Technological Society" are required reading in many graduate communication curricula.
Ellul was also a respected and serious Christian theologian whose 1948 work, "The Presence of the Kingdom," makes explicit a dual theme inherent, though subtly stated, in all of his writing, a sort of yin and yang of modern technological society: sin and sacramentality.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 12, 2012
It took me a little while to work through Reason for Being. Ellul's writing is not always easy and early on he could get a little stuck (or me stuck) in the biblical criticism around Ecclesiastes. This is not a commentary, but Ellul's reflections on the text and as I look back through the book and what I have marked in it the depths of Ellul's insights are sure. He embraces Ecclesiastes' irony and contradictions (as he says these are necessary for communication) and sinks into the text in three main chapters (the intro is thick with criticism) on vanity, wisdom and philosophy, and God.
He provides a wonderful review of vanity taking on techniques and progress, power, money, work (which can be a gift from God), happiness, and even the Good - careful to deflate both those who seek God for revolution or personal salvation. In talking of wisdom he discusses irony, science, death, women, among many other things. The last chapter is on God. God is the God who gives humanity both a desire for eternity and the ability to enjoy the world. God approaches us that we may approach him, with proper fear that leads to obedience and real freedom. Throughout, Christ, as God's greatest gift, keeps breaking into the discussion of God and Ellul embraces the discussion fully, even in this OT text.
So while never any easy text it is one that echoes other of Ellul's themes, but also articulates them within the context of a thoughtful opening of Ecclesiastes, a book too often seen as a puzzle to be examined and not Scripture that speaks to us today about our vanity and our misunderstanding of God's character and love.
"First our desire for money is never satisfied. Our pursuit of money is infinite. We can never say: this is enough.... There is never any limit, since in order to set a limit or a stopping point, one would need self-control and wisdom. And if one had these at the outset, he would not have had such a passion for money."
"The more you add to what you have, the less you are. Accumulating more, concentrating all your effort in the quest for things you can have, means losing your being in the process.... Being involves something different than the quest for having. Adding to what you have means losing your being."
"God's will is extraordinarily clear; we are the ones who muddle it."
"So we think the law, the commandment, and the love of God constitute a sort of small supplement to our life. They add something to life. We move quickly from this stance to considering obedience as something optional. In the final analysis, observing God's commands or worshiping him becomes a kind of extra decoration on our well-lived, well-decked-out life - like music or other accomplishments."
"God's judgment brings everything that was hidden to light."
"Here we have, then, a person who has received the desire for eternity as God's gift in him. But instead of letting this desire send us back to the Eternal One to listen to his Word and fear him by loving him, each of us wants to satisfy his desire for eternity by himself."
He provides a wonderful review of vanity taking on techniques and progress, power, money, work (which can be a gift from God), happiness, and even the Good - careful to deflate both those who seek God for revolution or personal salvation. In talking of wisdom he discusses irony, science, death, women, among many other things. The last chapter is on God. God is the God who gives humanity both a desire for eternity and the ability to enjoy the world. God approaches us that we may approach him, with proper fear that leads to obedience and real freedom. Throughout, Christ, as God's greatest gift, keeps breaking into the discussion of God and Ellul embraces the discussion fully, even in this OT text.
So while never any easy text it is one that echoes other of Ellul's themes, but also articulates them within the context of a thoughtful opening of Ecclesiastes, a book too often seen as a puzzle to be examined and not Scripture that speaks to us today about our vanity and our misunderstanding of God's character and love.
"First our desire for money is never satisfied. Our pursuit of money is infinite. We can never say: this is enough.... There is never any limit, since in order to set a limit or a stopping point, one would need self-control and wisdom. And if one had these at the outset, he would not have had such a passion for money."
"The more you add to what you have, the less you are. Accumulating more, concentrating all your effort in the quest for things you can have, means losing your being in the process.... Being involves something different than the quest for having. Adding to what you have means losing your being."
"God's will is extraordinarily clear; we are the ones who muddle it."
"So we think the law, the commandment, and the love of God constitute a sort of small supplement to our life. They add something to life. We move quickly from this stance to considering obedience as something optional. In the final analysis, observing God's commands or worshiping him becomes a kind of extra decoration on our well-lived, well-decked-out life - like music or other accomplishments."
"God's judgment brings everything that was hidden to light."
"Here we have, then, a person who has received the desire for eternity as God's gift in him. But instead of letting this desire send us back to the Eternal One to listen to his Word and fear him by loving him, each of us wants to satisfy his desire for eternity by himself."
June 25, 2016
I continue to read and re-read this book over the years. A companion of mine wherever I go. I meditate on the words and I seek solace when the world is so very real to me. Many of Ellul's books are my friends. You have had to have read Ellul through the ages to know that he is more than a book review. Those seeking to dialogue about truth can find that dialogue with Ellul.
March 27, 2021
I don't think I've ever found a book which most honestly deals with life as it appears as Ecclesiastes, and just like life itself Ecclesiastes can be a difficult and confusing affair. Because of this, most readings of Ecclesiastes I've found seem to miss out on something key. It's as though they build a framework with some of the book, and then force the rest of it into that framework.
Ellul doesn't fall into that trap, instead identifies three themes throughout the book: Vanity, Wisdom, and God. In my opinion, he successfully elucidates the work without simplifying a difficult text. His essential argument is twofold; Qoheleth first demonstrates that all the things we think give our lives meaning are nothing but vanity. The only thing that escapes vanity is the Word, since this is how we can communicate with God. But take your pick: money, power, happiness, work, pleasure etc. All is vanity.
To this many intelligent people respond with a seeking of Wisdom, to try to figure out life's solution. Qoheleth continues his point: there is not solution, wisdom is also vanity!
Yet Qoheleth never approves pessimism. All is vanity, and yet all is a gift from God. These vain things can be enjoyed, as long as we are under no illusions as to their ultimate meaning. this brings us to the final theme and second half of the argument: God. Our fear of God is what enables us to go beyond the vanity and engage life with joy and hope. It is the fear of Him, and free obedience to Him, which we find our lives in. This is not rule following but the way the world is: within God's will is life, outside it is death. Recommended!
Ellul doesn't fall into that trap, instead identifies three themes throughout the book: Vanity, Wisdom, and God. In my opinion, he successfully elucidates the work without simplifying a difficult text. His essential argument is twofold; Qoheleth first demonstrates that all the things we think give our lives meaning are nothing but vanity. The only thing that escapes vanity is the Word, since this is how we can communicate with God. But take your pick: money, power, happiness, work, pleasure etc. All is vanity.
To this many intelligent people respond with a seeking of Wisdom, to try to figure out life's solution. Qoheleth continues his point: there is not solution, wisdom is also vanity!
Yet Qoheleth never approves pessimism. All is vanity, and yet all is a gift from God. These vain things can be enjoyed, as long as we are under no illusions as to their ultimate meaning. this brings us to the final theme and second half of the argument: God. Our fear of God is what enables us to go beyond the vanity and engage life with joy and hope. It is the fear of Him, and free obedience to Him, which we find our lives in. This is not rule following but the way the world is: within God's will is life, outside it is death. Recommended!
May 27, 2020
"In the midst of a crisis, a person finds himself undetermined in such a way that his freedom can function."
Ellul the humanist explores this most philosophical of biblical books finding in it important messages for twentieth century human life. Here is a good summary of some main points:
"But the first step in wisdom consists of recognizing wisdom's vanity, acknowledging its limitations. We must live, work, and find joy within this understanding to which Qohelet invites us: no wisdom can enlighten us, or enable us to organize things so as to understand the world and history. No wisdom can establish a scale of moral values . . . . True, no wisdom or meaning exists; all the same, we will live; all the same, we will act; all the same, we will be capable of happiness and hope. The only true wisdom we can aspire to consists of the perception that no wisdom is possible. On that basis we must construct our lives, beginning at that negative point."
There is much to commend itself in this book, particularly in the midst of our current global crisis. But I thought the book could have used some serious editing. A more concise presentation of its points would have been a better read.
Ellul the humanist explores this most philosophical of biblical books finding in it important messages for twentieth century human life. Here is a good summary of some main points:
"But the first step in wisdom consists of recognizing wisdom's vanity, acknowledging its limitations. We must live, work, and find joy within this understanding to which Qohelet invites us: no wisdom can enlighten us, or enable us to organize things so as to understand the world and history. No wisdom can establish a scale of moral values . . . . True, no wisdom or meaning exists; all the same, we will live; all the same, we will act; all the same, we will be capable of happiness and hope. The only true wisdom we can aspire to consists of the perception that no wisdom is possible. On that basis we must construct our lives, beginning at that negative point."
There is much to commend itself in this book, particularly in the midst of our current global crisis. But I thought the book could have used some serious editing. A more concise presentation of its points would have been a better read.
March 20, 2021
He says the solution to Ecclesiastes comes from embracing contradiction, but Ellul seems to go out of his way to show that Ecclesiastes is not a contradictory text! Which is perfectly in keeping with Ellul's broader work.
This book feels more context specific than a lot of Ellul's other works. He is engaging throughout with a variety of French authors who I am unfamiliar with and have no interest in reading. We are still treated to some piercing insights along the way, but the book is more of a slog than some of Ellul's other works, such as The Presence of the Kingdom, Violence, The Technological Society, or Money and Power.
This book feels more context specific than a lot of Ellul's other works. He is engaging throughout with a variety of French authors who I am unfamiliar with and have no interest in reading. We are still treated to some piercing insights along the way, but the book is more of a slog than some of Ellul's other works, such as The Presence of the Kingdom, Violence, The Technological Society, or Money and Power.
April 30, 2023
A masterful meditation, after a lifetime of study on this book. Ellul walks us through theme by theme, questioning the prevailing conclusions and challenging us to understand the deeper nuances of Qoholet as a teacher who is ironic, indirect, unromantic, clear-eyed, and yet still strangely hopeful. This is an extremely helpful counterbalance to much of the commentaries, making them in fact seem somewhat shallow and obvious.
May 1, 2022
Ellul pulls a very insightful exposition on Ecclesiastes, and he never fails to impress me with his wit on technology and other things that modern people value a lot, like time.
May 23, 2023
Some good bits at the end about freedom in the commandments.
June 10, 2016
C’est un peu étrange pour moi aimer si un auteur si hérége. Bien sûr, il n’est pas un libéral théologique mais un néo-orthodoxe ; encore, je ne peut pas accepter son universalisme, par exemple quand il fait ses contortionismes pour dire que le jugement de Dieu porte pas sur l’homme, mais que sur ses œuvres.
Par contre, quand il n’est pas question de ses hérésies, Ellul est impitoyable contre les illusions humaines. Il détruit las fausses lectures libérales e bien intentionées de l’Ecclésiaste, et fait jaillir l’inéluctable jugement de Dieu et sur la sagesse humaine, et sur nos œuvres. Autre problème est qu’il, dans la tradition Massorète que les libéraux ont répandue sur la Chrétienneté, il minimise les aspectes Méssianiques de la Bible hebraïque en général et de l’Ecclésiaste en particulier, par exemple la personalisation de la Sagesse, le Hagia Sophia des Chrétiens Grecs, Jésus l’Oint, notre Seigneur.
Par contre, quand il n’est pas question de ses hérésies, Ellul est impitoyable contre les illusions humaines. Il détruit las fausses lectures libérales e bien intentionées de l’Ecclésiaste, et fait jaillir l’inéluctable jugement de Dieu et sur la sagesse humaine, et sur nos œuvres. Autre problème est qu’il, dans la tradition Massorète que les libéraux ont répandue sur la Chrétienneté, il minimise les aspectes Méssianiques de la Bible hebraïque en général et de l’Ecclésiaste en particulier, par exemple la personalisation de la Sagesse, le Hagia Sophia des Chrétiens Grecs, Jésus l’Oint, notre Seigneur.
January 20, 2011
Great book! A refreshing approach to reading Ecclesiastes that helps the reader to make sense of the world. I think this would be a very helpful study for college students, who are looking to discover the meaning of life. Ellul reminds us that there is paradox in the world, and that this is ok, and good. He also reminds us that the "fear of God" is the ultimate purpose of life, and until we can reach this conclusion, life will be filled with "smoke" (unknowing).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews