Mortality and Enjoyment: The Interplay of Death and Possessions in Qoheleth MATTHEWS. RINDGE Gonzaga University Spokane, WA 99258 QOHELETH DISPLAYS an intense interest in the interplay of death and posses- sions. ' No other book in the Hebrew Bible gives as much attention to the intersec- tion of these two motifs. Although scholars have not overlooked Qoheleth's interest in death, few make it central to their understanding of this work.^ An exception is Shannon Burkes, who argues that death is "the driving theme and main concern of Qoheleth."^ She finds Qoheleth distinctive in this regard, claiming that the This article represents part of a chapter from a forthcoming book: Illustrating Wisdom: Luke 12:13-34 and the Interplay of Death and Possessions (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011 ). The final shape ofthe article owes much to the invaluable insights of Gail R. O'Day and Carol A. Newsom. I also thank Luke Timothy Johnson and Walter T. Wilson for their helpful and instructive comments. Any errors are, of course, my own. ' The most extensive treatments are Qoh 2:1-26; 3:11-22; 5:10-6:2; 8:8-15; 9:1-10; 12:1-7. ^ Gerhard von Rad, Wisdom in Israel (London: SCM, 1972) 228; M. A. Anat, "The Lament on the Death of Humanity in the Scroll of Qohelet" (in Hebrew), Beth Mikra 15 (1970) 375-80; James L. Crenshaw, "The Shadow of Death in Qoheleth," in Israelite Wisdom: Theological and Lit- erary Essays in Honor of Samuel Terrien (ed. John G. Gammie et al.; Missoula, MT: Scholars Press for Union Theological Seminary, 1978) 205-16; Michael V. Fox, "Aging and Death in Qoheleth 12," JSOT42 (1988) 55-77; Joseph Blenkinsopp, Wtsdom and Law in the Old Testament: The Ordering ofLife in Israel and Early Judaism (Oxford Bible Series; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995) 72-73; Jean-Jacques Lavoie, La pensée du Qohélet: Étude exégétique et intertextuelle (Collection "Héritage et Projet" 49; Montreal: Fides, 1992); Ronald E. Clements, Wisdom in Theology (Didsbury Lectures; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992) 90. ' Shannon Burkes, Death in Qoheleth and Egyptian Biographies ofthe Late Period (SBLDS 170; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 1999). Her view on the centrality of death in Qoheleth 265