Objection · Case 03 · Reliability of Scripture

An early copy of Ecclesiastes from about 175 BC is important for dating the book, not for proving faithful copying. There’s no earlier text to compare it to.

One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.

Suggest a correction

Response

Both are true. The early date of 4QQoh-a refutes the older scholarly view that Ecclesiastes was written in the second century BC, which is a separate point worth having. For stability, the fragment is compared forward to the medieval text and agrees closely, and that thousand-year comparison is what this claim is about.

About this exhibit

This objection is to Ecclesiastes.

About 2 to 3 copies of Ecclesiastes were found. One of them, 4QQoheleth-a, is among the earliest scrolls, dated to about 175 to 150 BC.

Under Claim 02: The Dead Sea Scrolls show the Old Testament text was copied with remarkable stability across about a thousand years, alongside a documented plurality of text forms.